- Author
-
Eklund, T. I.
- Title
- Smoke Control in Airplanes. BFRL Video Seminar.
- Coporate
- Federal Aviation Administration, Atlantic City Airport, NJ
- Report
-
Video
April 23, 1991
- Keywords
-
smoke control
|
aircraft fires
- Abstract
- Smoke evacuation and penetration tests aboard aircraft typically involvge artificial smokes with minimum buoyant properties. In order to provide a test smoke with more realistic behavior a device was developed which mixes helium, air, and theatrical smoke to generate a rising plume that behaves similarly to a fire plume. The helium and air can be mixed in various proportions to yield mixtures that have a range of densities that can simulate the densities of hot combustion products. The total mixture delivery rate can be varied to simulate different fire sizes. The helium provides the buoyancy and the simulation of gas expansion. The theatrical smoke content of the mixture allows for observation of the smoke movement. The aerosol content allows the buoyant smoke generator to be used for realistic tests of smoke detector installations. The buoyant smoke generator was tested aboard a Boeing 757-200 aircraft. This aircraft was specially modified to provide for varying cabin ventilation flow rates. A provision was also incorporated in this aircraft for exhausting cabin ventilation air out of the top of the fuselage as an alternate to the standard outflow valve on the botton of the aircraft. The talk will discuss and present results of the test program which used the smoke generator test aircraft under a variety of simulated fire and ventilation conditions.