- Author
- Wilson, M. A. | Moran, J. D.
- Title
- Advanced Fire Suppression Technology (AFST) Research and Development Program. Final Report. August 31, 1993-April 28, 1997.
- Coporate
- Olin AerospaceCorp., Redmond, WA
- Sponsor
- Air Force Material Command, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
- Report
- WL-TR-97-3092, April 1997, 32 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- fire suppression | solid propellants | halon 1301 | halon alternatives | military aircraft | in-flight fires | controlled burning
- Identifiers
- Solid Propellant Gas Generators (SPGG); dry bay; engine nacelle; airbag; gas generator
- Abstract
- Halon 1301 has een widely used in aircraft fire suppression systems because of its ability to efficiently extinguish fires. Unfortunately, halon production was banned in 1994 because it is an ozone depleting substance. The ban on halon production has created a need for alternative fire suppression technologies in both the military and civilian aircraft industries. Solid Propellant Gas Generators (SPGG) is a viable alternative to halon for in-flight fire suppression. SPGG relies on the controlled burning of solid reactants to produce inert gases (H2O, CO2, and N2) that can be used for fire suppression and it was developed from technology originally applied in automotive airbag devices. The testing discussedin this report is based on the results and conclusions derived from previous testing. SPGG devices and hydrid systems (SPGG used to pressurize a liquid fire extinguishant such as H2O or FM200) were tested against three fire conditions. The test results revealedthat SPGG and hybrid systems were effective in extinguishing the fire conditions, but performance was slightly worse than HFC-125 on an agent mass comparison. further testing and devlopment of the gas generator is required before it is fully understood and can be considered mature.