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Author
Yang, J. C. | Manzello, S. L. | Nyden, M. R. | Connaghan, M. D.
Title
Cold Discharge of CF3I in a Simulated Aircraft Engine Nacelle.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Army CECOM Research, Fort Belvoir, VA
Book or Conf
Fire Safety Science. Proceedings. Seventh (7th) International Symposium. International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS). June 16-21, 2003, International Association for Fire Safety Science, Boston, MA, Worcester, MA, Evans, D. D., Editors, 715-726 p., 2003
Keywords
aircraft engines | halon alternatives | nacelle engines | fire suppression
Abstract
An aircraft engine nacelle simulator was built to study the dispersion behavior of CF3I, a potential Halon 1301 (CF3Br) replacement, at temperatures below -22 deg C (normal boiling point of CF3I). The experimental fixture consists of a simulated engine nacelle with baffles, an agent release port, observation windows, and two measurement locations. The simulator has a configuration and dimensions commensurate with a typical small engine nacelle. The entire facility was placed inside a large environmental test chamber. Agent discharge experiments were conducted at -40 deg C. The dispersion of CF3I was assessed by measuring the concentration at the two measurement locations in the simulator using fiber-optic-based UV spectrometers. Baseline agent dispersion performance was also established at room temperature. Compared to the measurements obtained at room temperature, there was a significant reduction in the peak agent concentration in the cold temperature release, and a fire suppression system designed based on room-temperature test data may fail to provide adequate fire protection at -40 dec C.