An Industrial Hygiene Evaluation of Aircraft Refueling Inside Closed Aircraft Shelters at Elevated Ambient Temperatures.

摘要

This report presents results of three in-shelter aircraft refueling tests with ambient temperatures of 30 C or higher. For the specific situations studied, refuel crew personnel were exposed to total fuel vapor concentrations approaching permissible exposure limits. Exposure to benzene and other selected fuel vapor components were well below permissible exposure limits. The data were normalized to predict that personnel exposures above 50 percent of the short term exposure limit for fuel vapors would occur in both first and modified first generation shelters at elevated temperatures. The data support temperature limitations for in-shelter refueling with JP-4 in first and modified first generation shelters. No such limitations were found necessary for second or third generation shelters as they provide nearly three times the dilution volume of first generation shelters. To permit in-shelter refueling above the recommended temperature limits, restrictions on the amount of fuel transferred are suggested. Special consideration is given to the F-111 aircraft because of its large fuel capacity.