- Author
-
Mawhinney, J.
|
DiNenno, P. J.
|
Williams, F. W.
- Title
- Water Mist Flashover Suppression and Boundary Cooling System for Integration With DC-ARM. Volume 2. Mist Concentration and Fire Test Data. Interim Report 1998-1999.
- Coporate
- Hughes Associates, Inc., Baltimore, MD
Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
- Sponsor
- Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA
- Report
-
NRL/MR/6180-99-8400
September 30, 1999
630 p.
- Keywords
-
water mist
|
flashover
|
fire suppression
|
cooling
|
nozzles
|
fire tests
|
sprays
|
large scale fire tests
- Identifiers
- spray characterization; boundary cooling
- Abstract
- This report describes the results of the first year of an experimental program aimed at developing a prototype water mist tire suppression (WMFS) system for integration with DC-ARM (Damage Control-Automation for Reduced Manning) objectives on Navy shipboard applications. The WMFS system is to provide, as a minimum, flashover suppression and boundary cooling, so that a fire may be controlled and confined to the compartment of origin for an extended period. Damage control crews responding to the tire will encounter small fires, which can be extinguished using a minimum of manpower. In this way the number of persons required for Damage Control response will be reduced from current levels. The WMFS system is to be designed to be reflexive, so that battle damage to piping will be self-isolated to the area of direct damage, leaving the surrounding parts of the distribution system in operable condition. The strategy for the DC ARM Water Mist development work was to first quantity characteristics of water mists produced by a range of commercially available mist nozzles (Task l), then to conduct fire tests to measure the ability of mist produced by those nozzles to mitigate fire conditions in ship compartments (Task 2). The Task 1 data will be used to match generic mist characteristics to the ability to mitigate fire and smoke damage, which in turn will contribute to decision-making with respect to system design. The primary objective of the Task 2 fire testing was to determine what level of protection could be achieved using very low application rates of water mist. The performance target was not set at fire extinguishment, but rather at preventing fire conditions from advancing to flashover in the compartment of fire origin: "flashover suppression" in the terminology of the Experiment Plan. "Flashover" is the phenomenon that occurs when all combustibles in the compartment have been heated to ignition and the compartment becomes fully involved in flame. "Flashover suppression" can be achieved by mixing fine water spray with the hot gases in the compartment so that they are cooled to the point that no other combustibles in the compartment are raised to ignition temperature. This report summarizes the results of the work done under Tasks 1 and 2 of the Experiment Plan. It discusses the value of the results relative to developing design criteria for a water mist system for integration with DC ARM on Navy ships.