Next Generation Fire Suppression Technology Program (NGP). FY2000 Annual Report.
Next Generation Fire Suppression Technology Program
(NGP). FY2000 Annual Report.
(4056 K)
Gann, R. G.
NIST TN 1437; NIST Technical Note 1437; Annual Report;
48 p. March 2001.
Available from:
Orders Only) 800-553-6847;
Website: http://www.ntis.gov
Order number: PB2001-105080
Keywords:
fire suppression; fire research; halon 1301; halon
alternatives
Abstract:
This is a year of transition for the Next Generation
Fire Suppression Technology Program (NGP). The
Department of Defense (DOD) had initiated the NGP in
FY1997, with a goal to develop and demonstrate, by 2004,
retrofitable, economically feasible, environmentally
acceptable, and user-safe processes, techniques, and
fluids that meet the operational requirements currently
satisfied by halon 1301 systems in existing weapons
systems. Fires and explosions were (and are) among the
greatest threats to the safety of personnel and the
survivability of military aircraft, ships, and land
vehicles in peacetime and during combat operations.
Production of halon 1301 (CF3Br), long the fire
suppressant of choice, had ceased as of January 1, 1994
due to its high ozone-depleting potential (ODP). By 1997
the DoD had identified the best available replacements
for halon 1301, but each had unresolved operational
features that compromised its implementation. The new
Program was to identify fire suppression technologies
with reduced compromises. Support for the NGP was to
come from the DoD Strategic Environmental Research and
Development Program (SERDP), the Military Department
Science and Technology Programs, and cost sharing from
the participating laboratories. However, full support
from the Military Departments did not materialize, and
in November 1999, agreement was reached on an NGP of
about half its original size. SERDP committed to
maintaining its support, but at a lower level beginning
in FY2002. The NGP goal was modified in keeping with the
new level of resources: "Develop and demonstrate, by
2005, technology for economically feasible,
environmentally acceptable and user-safe processes,
techniques, and fluids that meet the operational
requirements currently satisfied by halon 1301 systems
in aircraft." The focus on aircraft fire suppression
emerged from the aircraft safety and survivability
engineering teams from all three Services having fire
suppression needs for engine nacelles and dry bays that
were not being supported by research efforts outside the
NGP. The NGP strategy has been updated and can be found
at the NGP web site: www.dtic.mil/ngp/. The demands on
the new fire suppression technologies have not lessened.
They need to be of low mass and volume and compatible
with the host aircraft design. New chemicals must have
high suppression efficiency and perform well in
evaluations of ODP, global warming potential,
atmospheric lifetime, reignition quenching, residue
level, electrical conductivity, corrosivity to metals,
polymeric materials compatibility, long-term storage
stability, toxicity of the chemical and its combustion
and decomposition products, speed of dispersion, and
occupational safety. The expectations from the NGP were
reduced. By FY2001, the NGP would deliver understanding
of how chemicals must interact with flames to be as
effective as halon 1301, appraisal of the world of
useful chemicals, identification of the best places to
look for alternative suppressants and a first set of
"best looks," a suite of screening tests and guidance
for their use, and a method for comparing the life-cycle
costs of new fire suppression technologies. At the end
of FY2000, the NGP has completed its fourth year of
research, having expended about two thirds of the
planned resources and having produced nearly all of
these deliverables. The following section of the report
highlights the new knowledge gained from the NGP
research and the progress made towards the NGP Goal. A
concluding section forecasts where the research will
proceed from this time forward. An appendix lists all
the NGP projects.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899