Center-Wing Fuel Tank Explosion

This report summarizes modeling studies supporting the second phase of quarter-scale testing for the NTSB investigation of the TWA Flight 800 accident. In this study, fuel-air tests were conducted to replicate earlier tests to assure repeatability of results. The quarter-scale test tank was redesigned to use heated Jet-A fuel/air mixtures at reduced ambient pressures. Although violent combustion explosions are observed using Jet-A air mixtures, the combustion behavior is distinctly different than the simulant fuel. Quenching behavior is seen in nearly all tests using Jet-A fuel-air mixtures in the quarter-scale tank configuration. To assess the effect of incomplete combustion and its implications to the full-scale center wing tank in TWA 800, a series of two compartment tests were conducted and modeled to define a criterion for quenched combustion. This criterion was applied to a simulation of the fuel-air explosion in the full-scale CWT to show that quench behavior plays an important role in evaluating the effect of ignition location on the overpressures within the fuel tank.