Why contain a fire when you can suppress it?
Smoldering Prevention
Containing a fire inside a ULD container has been the approach for many years. By containing a fire within the confines of a ULD the oxygen within the container is consumed and the fire begins to suppress itself; however the fire can continue to smolder where the overall latent heat in the ULD rises.
Smoke Generation Prevention
Any fire that is not suppressed or extinguished can still generate smoke. Smoke can impair the operation of the aircraft by the flight crew. If you cannot see you cannot fly. A fire that is merely contained can still present a hazard to the flight crew during emergency procedures.
Structural Integrity
Live fire tests have shown that container burn through can occur in a short amount of time. Live fire test have also shown that ULD container fires can generate temperatures high enough to anneal aluminum or delaminate composites.
Reduced Weight
The widebody versions of our Fire Suppression Systems weigh approximately 2,000 pounds with Cargo Foam. Fire resistant containers can weigh as much as 700 pounds or more each. On a widebody that translates into over 15,000 of non-revenue weight.
Known Functionality
A container based fire suppression is susceptible to ramp and operations damage. ULD's experience significant handling damage over their life. A container based suppression system would see similar damage. Is it possible to know if this type of system will function when needed? This is why Ventura Aerospace believes that an aircraft based system is required.
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