一种飞机燃料箱惰性化系统在燃料箱中提供惰性气氛，以最小化燃料蒸气的爆炸性点火。 这份SAE航空航天信息报告（AIR）涉及目前在作战飞机中使用的燃料箱惰化系统的三种方法:（1）机载惰性气体发生系统（OBIGGS），（2）液氮/气态氮系统，以及（3）哈龙系统。OBIGGS和氮气系统通常设计为提供全时燃料箱防火；哈龙系统通常设计为仅提供按需或战斗专用保护。 该文件还涉及影响燃料箱可燃性的其他设计考虑因素，例如燃料箱压力和降低燃料箱可燃性的其他方法。 这种空气不包括一些军用飞机上用于油箱防爆的防爆泡沫（ESF）。ESF也可用于商用飞机的改装。泡沫的主要缺点是重量、可用燃料的减少以及当必须移除泡沫以进行油箱维护或检查时增加的维护复杂性。AIR4170是使用ESF进行油箱防爆的绝佳参考。 注意，在整个军用和商用航空业中，关于燃料箱惰性化使用了不同的术语。在军事应用中，该系统被称为机载惰性气体发生系统（OBIGGS）。监管机构使用术语易燃性降低手段（FRM）。商业应用中的原始设备制造商使用几个术语:油箱惰化系统（FTIS）、可燃性降低系统（FRS）、惰性气体系统（IGS）和氮气生成系统（NGS）。

An airplane fuel tank inerting system provides an inert atmosphere in a fuel tank to minimize explosive ignition of fuel vapor. This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) deals with the three methods of fuel tank inerting systems currently used in operational aircraft: (1) on-board inert gas generation systems (OBIGGS), (2) liquid/gaseous nitrogen systems, and (3) halon systems. The OBIGGS and nitrogen systems generally are designed to provide full-time fuel tank fire protection; the halon systems generally are designed to provide only on-demand or combat-specific protection. This document also addresses other design considerations that affect fuel tank flammability such as fuel tank pressure and other methods for reducing fuel tank flammability. This AIR does not treat the subject of explosion suppression foam (ESF) that has been used for fuel tank explosion protection on some military aircraft. ESF is also available for retrofit for commercial airplanes. The primary disadvantages of foam are weight, reduction of usable fuel, and the added maintenance complexity when the foam must be removed for tank maintenance or inspection. AIR4170 is an excellent reference for the use of ESF for fuel tank explosion protection. Note that across the military and commercial aviation industry, different terminology has been used regarding fuel tank inerting. In military applications, the system is referred to as on-board inert gas generation system (OBIGGS). Regulatory agencies use the term flammability reduction means (FRM). OEMs in commercial applications use several terms: fuel tank inerting system (FTIS), flammability reduction system (FRS), inert gas system (IGS) and nitrogen generation system (NGS).