SAN DIEGO, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven years after the in-flight



breakup of Trans World Airlines Flight 800 over the Atlantic Ocean, San



Diego- based technology development company Phyre Technologies Inc. has



successfully tested a system designed to prevent fuel tank explosions such



as that on TWA Flight 800.



    Called the GOBIGGS(TM), this cutting-edge green technology is the



result of several years' development in the anticipation of the pending FAA



ruling which will require improved fuel tank safety systems on commercial



passenger aircraft.



    Since 1960, there have been 17 worldwide airplane fuel tank explosions.



Of these 17 explosions, three involved a heated center wing fuel tank for



which no ignition source could be determined: Philippine Airlines



(5/11/90), TWA Flight 800 (7/17/96), and Thai Airways International



(3/3/01).



    Prior to the TWA 800 accident, most aviation experts believed that



minimizing ignition sources was the best way to avoid a fuel tank



explosion. However, these three mysterious accidents altered this



assumption. The FAA, airlines, manufacturers, and the National



Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) now believe that the solution to



avoiding airplane fuel tank explosions is twofold: eliminate ignition



sources and reduce the flammability of the tank.



    With the GOBIGGS(TM), Phyre Technologies Inc. has developed the first



environmentally friendly on-board fuel tank inerting system for large



passenger jets. This closed-loop system reduces tank flammability by



replacing the oxygen in the fuel tank with an inert gas, such as nitrogen.



This prevents the potential ignition of fuel vapor such as that which



occurred during TWA's Flight 800 11 years ago.



    Phyre Technologies, Inc. is a closely held San Diego company,



specializing in de-oxygenation, thermal stability, and fire prevention



technologies for stationary, mobile, air, and maritime industries.