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Aerospace Fuel Tank Inerting System Market Report
Aircraft Fuel Tank Inerting System Market Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, & Competitive Analysis: 2019-2024
Aircraft Fuel Tank Inerting System Market is Segmented By Platform Type (Commercial Aircraft and Military Aircraft), By Stage Type (Aircraft-based System and Ground-based System), By Method Type (Inert Gas Supply, Ullage Washing, and Fuel Scrubbing), By Technology Type...
Fuel tank inerting system, also known as flammability reduction system, is a component in the fuel system that protects against fire and explosion in the fuel tank by developing an inert condition within the ullage space of the fuel tank. It is achieved by supplying inert gas, mostly nitrogen, to displace the oxygen in that ullage space of the tank. The odds of fuel tank fire or explosion is high during aircraft refueling in the ground and in-flight. In the case of aircraft refueling, ground-based systems are used for the supply of inert gas to the aircraft when an aircraft is an inactive mode. During the flight, fuel is continuously consumed creating the space for the flammable gases where the fuel tank inerting system converts the bleed air to nitrogen-enriched air (NEA), replacing the flammable gases in the fuel tank. This reduction of oxygen in the fuel tank prevents combustion, even if a spark is present. The oxygen concentration inside the fuel tank of an aircraft should be less 11.9% but can vary in the range of 9%-12%. In such type of systems, the nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) is supplied at a concentration of 10%-12%.
The aircraft fuel tank inerting system market is forecasted to grow at an impressive rate over the next five years to reach an estimated value of US$ 493.6 million in 2024. Increasing aircraft deliveries fuelled by rising passenger traffic, the introduction of variants of existing programs, increasing the production rate of key aircraft programs, and expanding fleet size are the major factors driving the growth of fuel tank inerting systems in the aerospace industry. The fuel tank inerting system is an essential part of the airframe fuel system. The aviation industry is increasingly incorporating advanced lightweight materials in both structural and semi-structural components to reduce the weight of an aircraft. Reduction in the weight of an aircraft considerably improves fuel efficiency. Fuel tank inerting systems are also not untouched with such dynamics and experiencing a greater usage of lightweight materials, such as aluminum and advanced high-strength steel (AHSS), in order to align with the airlines’ requirements.
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Initially, fuel tank inerting systems were deployed only on military aircraft to protect it from hazards. The first inerting system was based on cryogenic liquid nitrogen (LN2), in that system, liquid nitrogen was vaporized to gaseous nitrogen and then sent to fuel tanks to provide a blanket over the top of the fuel. In the 1970s, LN2-based systems were gradually replaced with the Halon-based system. Halon inerting systems used to discharge a fire-suppressing agent into the fuel tank to create an inert atmosphere over the fuel. A fixed amount of inertant was required to be loaded and stored on the aircraft before the flight in the halon inerting system too.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the developments of the hollow-fiber membrane air separation technology from atmospheric pressure took place. In the present scenario, the fuel tank inerting system is based on Air Separation Modules (ASM) which contain thousands of hollow-fiber membranes. In this system, high-pressure air enters the ASM and is separated into nitrogen-enriched and oxygen-enriched air streams. The nitrogen-enriched air stream is directed towards the fuel tank to provide a covering of inert gas over liquid fuel.
In commercial aircraft, the usage of the fuel tank inerting system was examined and studied after the fatal accident of TWA800 in 1996. In the industry, the current focus is on the development and commercialization of catalytic inerting technology. Parker Aerospace and Phyre Technologies have signed an exclusive license agreement on the product development of Phyre’s patented catalytic inerting technology.
Based on the platform type, the market is segmented into commercial aircraft and military aircraft. Commercial aircraft are expected to remain the larger segment of the market during the forecast period. Increasing deliveries of commercial and regional aircraft owing to rising air passenger traffic, growing demand for fuel-efficient aircraft, and expanding aircraft fleet size are the key growth drivers of the segment’s market. Boeing anticipated that approximately 44,040 commercial and regional aircraft will be delivered from 2019 to 2038. A320 family, B737, B787, and A350XWB would remain the growth engines of the market.
Based on the method type, the market is segmented into inert gas supply, ullage washing, and fuel scrubbing. Inert gas supply is expected to remain the most preferred choice in the market during the forecast period, driven by its higher penetration in the commercial and regional aircraft. Since the development of hollow-fiber membrane air separation technology, on-board inert gas generating system (OBIGGS) is widely used in the aerospace industry as it eliminates the usage of an inert gas storage systems in the aircraft.
In terms of regions, North America is projected to remain the largest market for aerospace fuel tank inerting systems during the forecast period. The USA is the growth engine of the region’s market and has the largest fleet of military aircraft and one of the largest fleets of commercial aircraft in the world. The presence of all major aircraft OEMs, tier players, fuel tank inerting system suppliers, and raw material suppliers are primarily driving the aircraft fuel tank inerting system market in the country.
Asia-Pacific is likely to witness the highest growth during the same period, driven by a host of factors including increasing demand for commercial aircraft to support rising passenger traffic, the opening of assembly plants of Boeing and Airbus in China, and upcoming indigenous commercial and regional aircraft (COMAC C919 and Mitsubishi MRJ).
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Research Scope |
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|---|---|
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Trend & Forecast Period |
2013-2024 |
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Size in 2024 |
US$ 493.6 million |
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Forecast |
5.0% CAGR during 2019-2024 |
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Regions Covered |
North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Rest of the World |
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Countries/Subregions Covered |
The USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Russia, Japan, China, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Others |
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Figures & Tables |
>150 |
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Customization |
Up to 10% customization available free of cost |
The market is segmented in the following ways:
The supply chain of this market comprises of raw material suppliers, aircraft fuel tank inerting system suppliers, distributors/part brokers, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, MRO companies, and aircraft leasing companies.
The key players in the aircraft fuel tank inerting system market are-
Formation of long-term contracts, development of lightweight components, and strategic alliances are the key strategies adopted by major players to gain a competitive edge in the market.
