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- WATER-MIST FIRE SUPPRESSION EXPERIMENT (Mist)-
Investigators: J. Thomas McKinnon and Angel Abbud-Madrid.
Industrial Partner: FOGCO Systems, Inc. and MicroCool (Division of Nortec Industries, Inc.)
Description: A research program is ongoing within CCACS to improve fire suppression systems by conducting experiments in a microgravity environment aboard terrestrial aircraft and orbital space vehicles, including the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. The program is focused on developing water mist as a replacement for bromine-based chemical fire suppression agents (Halons). By conducting the experiments in microgravity, interference from convection currents is minimized and fundamental knowledge can be gained. This knowledge is incorporated into models, which can be used to simulate a variety of physical environments. The immediate objective of the project is to study the effect of a fine water mist on a laminar propagating flame generated in a propane-air mixture at various equivalence ratios. The effects of droplet size and water concentration on the speed of the flame front is used as a measure of the effectiveness of fire suppression in this highly controlled experimental setup. Experiments have been conducted in the CSM drop tower, NASA's KC-135 parabolic-flight aircraft, and the Space Shuttle.
Market: The annual market for fire suppression systems in homes, hotels, factories, ships and aircraft is estimated to be $2 billion. Halon alternatives are commanding an increasing share of that market and will become a significant component in the years to come.
Project Status and Plans: The Mist experiment flew on the ill-fated Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107 mission) in January, 2003. The experiment was flown as an Experiment Mounting Structure (EMS) insert into the updated Combustion Module (CM-2), which was the facility used to accommodate several combustion experiments on the SPACEHAB Double Research Module aboard the Space Shuttle. The CM-2 consists of a combustion chamber (primary containment vessel), 6 video cameras for visible and infrared imaging, a laser extinction system for particulate volume fraction measurement, a gas chromatograph for species identification, a flow control system and complete data control, acquisition and telemetry. After an initial leak problem repaired by the crew of Columbia, a total of 34 tests were conducted on the Mist EMS. Very lean, lean, stoichiometric, and rich propane-air flames were exposed to mist clouds of various droplet size distributions (20 and 30 microns) and water concentrations. The flames were strongly suppressed to burning velocities of a few cm/s and some were even extinguished by the uniformly distributed water mists generated under the extremely low gravity levels (10-6 g) experienced in the Shuttle. The analysis of the data is ongoing, but preliminary observations have already uncovered important and unexpected results.
Water mist experiments continue at CCACS using the invaluable data downlinked from Columbia. A new experimental insert will be built to go inside the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) onboard the International Space Station.
To Get Involved: Interested companies may join CCACS now for a nominal fee to participate in these experiments. Intellectual property rights to commercial applications are protected.
For More Information about Mist Contact: Angel Abbud-Madrid,
Ph. (303) 384-2300, email: aabbudma@mines.edu
Mist Experiment Mounting Structure (EMS) Propane-air flame suppressed by water mist in microgravity.
Installation of Mist EMS inside CM-2 on the Space Shuttle Columbia
(Counterclockwise from top: Ilan Ramon, KC, Mike Anderson, and Dave Brown holding
a Mist sticker)
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Director of CCACS
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401
Phone: (303) 384-2096; FAX: (303) 384-2327; Email: mduke@mines.edu