The Air Force Aircraft Decontamination Project
As part of a Phase II SBIR, APP is developing a version of the APD system that can be used for decontamination of aircraft cargo and interiors. Current decontamination methods cannot be easily used inside aircraft due to the complex shape and wide variety of materials (plastics, metals, fabrics, etc.) used. During Phase I of this project, APP used the test chamber shown below to demonstrate that the APD system can be used to decontaminate larger spaces and to evaluate its compatibility with a variety of materials. This prototype system achieved a greater than a 5 log reduction (or 99.999%) in spore (Bacillus atrophaeus) viability at room temperature in only 1 hour.
Figure 8. Large chamber with APD system inside.
Additional tests were performed to determine the effects of atmospheric plasma decontamination on common materials (plastics and metals), electronic components such as switches and diodes and electronic devices like power supplies. Easily oxidized materials showed some corrosion after multiple plasma exposures, but almost all components and electronic devices were functional even after the equivalent of 25 decontamination cycles. Figure 6 shows a consumer-grade DC power supply subjected to more than 25 decontamination cycles.
Phase II of this work (currently in progress) will develop a complete, modular decontamination system (figure 10) that could be deployed in the cargo bay of an aircraft and subject it to live agent tests.
Figure 10. PLANE (Plasma Agent Neutralization and Elimination) System Concept.
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