AirPED – Fire risks caused by PEDs on-board aircraft
The AirPED project funded by the European Union aviation safety agency (EASA) aims to provide a research service that fully characterizes the fire risks associated with transporting portable electronic devices (PEDs) in aircraft, particularly those stored in checked luggage. The project also aims to study the evolution of the current airworthiness standard for testing fire suppression systems of aircraft cargo compartments, including the replacement of halon as a fire suppression agent.
The primary aim of this project is to conduct tests involving portable electronic devices (PEDs) contained in passengers’ checked baggage to accurately characterize the fire risk (initiation, growth, propagation) within a cargo compartment representative of current large transport aircraft (Class C). The project will also assess whether the level of performance of the fire protection systems of Class C cargo compartments is sufficient to cope with that fire risk.
In addition, the Minimum Performance Standard (MPS) for halon replacement agents in cargo compartment fire suppression systems needs to be complemented by an additional test addressing a cargo fire scenario involving a certain number of lithium batteries/cells.
To achieve these objectives, the project will develop a test plan, protocols, and analysis methods for characterizing the efficiency of the existing fire suppression means on-board commercial air transport aircraft. The test plan will cover several scenarios for the presence of PEDs in passengers’ checked baggage. The project will perform a series of fire tests along the agreed test plan and protocols. The test data will be analyzed to draw conclusions regarding their efficiency and potential limitations in the test scenarios defined.
Finally, the project will present the test results and recommendations to the relevant expert and standard development groups as well as to air transport safety stakeholders.
This project is funded by EASA and coordinated by EnergyVille/VITO.
