- Author
- Grosshandler, W. L. | Yang, J. C. | Cleary, T. G.
- Title
- Screening Methods for New Fire Suppression Technologies.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- Ozone Protection Technologies International Conference. Proceedings. October 21-23, 1996, Washington, DC, 1996
- Keywords
- fire suppression | halon alternatives | burners | aerosols | fluids | extinction | experiments | wind tunnels | risks | halons | halon alternatives
- Identifiers
- dispersed liquid agent fire suppression screening; Solit Propellant Gas Generators (SPGG); aerosol delivery system; SPGG-based fire suppression screening
- Abstract
- The search for alternatives to halons for fire suppression applications has identified not only new compounds (e.g., hydrofluorocarbons) which have physical properties similar to the bromochlorofluorocarbon family, but also inert gaseous agents that are released from a solid state (e.g., solid propellant gas generators or SPGGs) and condensed phase agents that may be misted or generated pyrotechnically. Industry is already investigating innovative ways that these multiple technologies can be blended or hybridized to create an optimum fire fighting agent/release mechanism for specific applications. The traditional cup burner method is unable to evaluate these not-in-kind replacement systems. This paper examines two new concepts for testing liquid aerosol and SPGG fire suppression technologies. The first concept is for a bench-scale suppression screen suitable to compare the ability of dispersed fluids with differing chemical and physical properties to extinguish a laboratory flame; the second is for a facility to test SPGG-based agents and release mechanisms. The following desirable attributes have been kept foremost in mind during concept formulation: Applicability - Results of bench-scale tests must transfer to pilot-scale simulators of actual field situations; Amenability to analysis - Initial and boundary conditions of the flame and now system and characteristics of the agent must be controIled to permit analysis of the facility, interpretation of the results, and scientifically sound explanations of anomalous behavior; Repeatability - Replicate tests must produce outcomes similar enough to minimize uncertainty limits; Flexibility; Different types of chemicals, aerosols and discharge principles must be accommodated in a consistent manner and Operability - The apparatus and operating procedure must be such that data can be acquired safely, efficiently and with a minimum of agent, enabling duplication of the facilities at other government and industrial laboratories.