Exhaust Gas Composition of the F-16 Emergency Power Unit

Abstract

A study was made of the exhaust gas from the monopropellant hydrazine-fueled emergency power unit (EPU) on the F-16 aircraft. An extractive sampling technique was used to sample for the known exhaust gas components, ammonia, hydrazine, and nitrogen, and to determine if unreacted hydrazine was present. The purpose of the study was to obtain data necessary to evaluate health hazards potential to workers who may be exposed to the exhaust, although an unlikely event. Emphasis was placed on the first minute of operation of the EPU following a cold-start under no-load conditions as the most likely personnel exposure conditions for either planned test firings or inadvertent firings. The armount of unreacted hydrazine was found to be as much as 24 grams per firing, with 65%-95% of this amount emitted in the first thirty seconds of operation. Recommendations for protection of personnel ammonia and hydrazine are presented.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA065595

Entities

People

  • Harry J. Suggs
  • Herman J. Kilian
  • Joseph W. Mokry
  • Leonard J. Luskus

Organizations

  • United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerospace Medicine
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Aircrafts
  • Decomposition
  • Emergencies
  • Exhaust Gases
  • Flow Rate
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Laboratory Equipment
  • Materials
  • Medical Personnel
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nitrogen
  • Power
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Standards

Readers

  • Aviation Safety Risk Assessment.
  • Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Technology.
  • Rocket Propulsion.