Project description
Lighter, better nitrogen tank takes flight
Much lighter than a Type IV high-pressure cylinder for industrial gases, the EU-funded TRINITI project is developing a new liner-less tank for the long-term storage of nitrogen for aircraft. It’s an integrated multi-material airborne pressure vessel with a halon-free fire extinguishing system employing water-mist and nitrogen. It meets all the technical requirements foreseen by the CfP (for e.g. very low permeation of gases, mechanical loads according to RTCA Do160 Rec. G, good fire-smoke-toxicity (FST) properties, survival of high temperatures, large temperature gradients, as well as resistance against various chemical media). In addition to having a better weight-to-tank capacity ratio that the nearest Type IV tanks, it is also more cost-efficient due to an optimised manufacturing chain. Highly performing thermoplastic materials combined with advanced automated and out-of autoclave technologies addresses the need for less consuming and faster manufacturing processes, while ensuring reduced weight of the tank, reduced operational costs and reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
Objective
TRINITI aims at developing and demonstrating concepts and methodologies enabling the realization of an integrated multi-material airborne pressure vessel for longterm storage of nitrogen, in particular a halon-free fire extinguishing system employing water-mist and nitrogen.
TRINITI’s tank has been conceived to fulfill technical requirements foreseen by the CfP e.g. very low permeation of gases, mechanical loads according to RTCA Do160 Rec. G, good fire-smoke-toxicity (FST) properties, survival of high temperatures, large temperature gradients, as well as resistance against various chemical media.
Demonstration multi-material thermoplastic tanks will be fabricated through a combination of processes such as co-extrusion of thermoplastic materials to form a multi-layer and multifunctional thermoplastic material, followed by In-situ consolidation Laser-Assisted Automated Fiber Placement process.
The application of highly performing thermoplastic materials combined with advanced automated and out-of autoclave technologies on the one hand will answer to the need for less consuming and faster manufacturing processes (1 stage process), while on the other hand it will ensure reduced weight of the tank, reduced operational costs as well as reduced fuel consumptions and emissions of an aircraft.
TRINITI's linerless tank, thanks to the versatility of the Laser assisted AFP antropomorphic robot and possibility to use a dedicate simulation tool to optimise the design of the vessel, is expected to range not less than 10% lighter than their nearest Type IV tanks.
A better weight-to-tank capacity ratio, however, is not the only advantage of the high pressure vessel, in fact a significant manufacturing cost flow reduction is expected mainly because the chain of manufacturing processes will be optimized and number of fabrication stages will be reduced.
Consortium will aim to reach at the end of the project TRL 6.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineering
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringfibers
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringaircraft
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuels
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
74020 Avetrana Ta
Italy
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.