FireDOC Search

Author
Yang, J. C. | Donnelly, M. K. | Prive, N. C. | Grosshandler, W. L.
Title
Apparatus for Evaluating Liquid Fire Suppressants.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Report
HOTWC-98,
Book or Conf
Halon Options Technical Working Conference. HOTWC 1998. Proceedings. May 12-14, 1998, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 471-481 p., 1998
Keywords
halon alternatives | halons | blowoff | burners | diffusion flames | droplets | fire suppression
Abstract
Cup burners have been extensively used as a fire suppression efficiency screening tool for gaseous halon alternatives. In the search for alternatives to halons in fire suppression, it is likely that several types of condensed-phase compounds will be identified which may be delivered in droplet or aerosol form. Although cup burners have been used for evaluating condensed-phase agents (e.g., sodium bicarbonate powder), currently there is no apparatus designed specifically for screening liquid agents under well-controlled experimental conditions. The objective of this work is to design, construct and demonstrate a bench-scale device capable of screening the fire suppression efficiency of liquid agents. The design of the apparatus is based on a well-characterized flame, a means to facilitate the introduction of liquid agents, and a way to generate liquid droplets. These individual components will be described in detail in the following sections. Since the project is on-going, its current status will be discussed, and some encouraging preliminary results will be presented.