- Author
-
Crompton, T.
|
Atreya, A.
- Title
- Quantifying the Effectiveness of Fire Suppressants in a 1-D Laminar Diffusion Flame.
- Coporate
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Sponsor
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Contract
- NIST-GRANT-60NANB2D1293
- Book or Conf
- Combustion Institute/Eastern States Section. Chemical and Physical Processes in Combustion. Technical Meeting, 1993. October 25-27, 1993,
Princeton, NJ,
471-474 p.,
1993
- Keywords
-
combustion
|
fire suppression
|
fire tests
|
laminar flames
|
diffusion flames
|
effectiveness
|
polymethyl methacrylate
|
experiments
|
stagnation point
- Abstract
- In this study a method for evaluating and ranking fire suppressants is being developed. A small scale, stagnation-point flow apparatus has been constructed that can test a variety of gas and liquid suppression agents. This apparatus allows well controlled, transient experiments to be conducted on solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. The one-dimensional, laminar diffusion flame configuration is convenient for experimental measurements and theoretical analysis. Experiments can be performed using various fuel types, oxidizer concentrations, and external heat fluxes. Supporting flame structure measurements, with and without suppressants, are performed using a steady counter-flow diffusion flame apparatus. These experiments along with numerical modeling will reveal and quantify physical and chemical suppression mechanisms. A better understanding of fire suppression mechanisms will assist in the selection of an optimal suppressant and application method for a particular environment. The results from these tests will also aid in finding halon substitutes by identifying important properties of fire suppressants.