- Author
-
Altman, R. L.
- Title
- Extinction of In-Flight Engine Fuel-Leak Fires With Dry Chemicals.
- Coporate
- National Aeronautics and Space Admin., Moffett Field, CA
- Book or Conf
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. Flames, Lasers, and Reactive Systems. Volume 88. Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, 1983,
Bowen, J. R.; Manson, N.; Oppenheim, A. K.; Soloukhin, R. I.; Summerfield, M., Editors,
273-290 p.,
1983
- Keywords
-
in-flight fires
|
extinction
|
dry chemicals
|
fuel fires
|
fire extinguishers
|
JP-4 jet fuel
|
ignition temperature
|
powder (particles)
|
jet engine fuels
|
time lag
|
monnex (trademark)
- Identifiers
- fire extinguishing agents
- Abstract
- When fuels leak onto surfaces of an operating engine they can ignite when engine case temperatures exceed 550 deg. C. As aircraft flight speeds are increased, engine case temperatures, bleed air temperatures, maximum air velocities, and fire extinguishant storage temperature requirements also increase, making the task of extinguishing fuel-leak fires in flight even more difficult. We have undertaken to find new fire extinguishants that are more effective than the CF3Br, CF2Br2, and CF2ClBr now in use. Besides testing commercially available dry chemicals, such as NaHCO3, KHCO3, KCl, and KC2N2H3O3 (ICI Monnex), we have tried to develop and test new dry-powder fire extinguishants. Specifically, our interest has been in developing new dry-powder extinguishants that, when discharged into a jet engine fuel-leak fire, would stick to the hot surfaces. After putting out the initial fire, the extinguishant residue would act chemically as an antireignition barrier, even when the jet fuel, JP-4, continued to leak onto the heated surface.