Apparatus for Evaluating Liquid Fire Suppressants.
Apparatus for Evaluating Liquid Fire Suppressants.
(1079 K)
Yang, J. C.; Donnelly, M. K.; Prive, N. C.;
Grosshandler, W. L.
HOTWC-98;
Halon Options Technical Working Conference. HOTWC 1998.
Proceedings. May 12-14, 1998, Albuquerque, New Mexico,
471-481 pp, 1998.
Keywords:
halon alternatives; halons; blowoff; burners; diffusion
flames; droplets; fire suppression
Abstract:
Cup burners have been extensively used as a fire
suppression efficiency screening tool for gaseous halon
alternatives. In the search for alternatives to halons
in fire suppression, it is likely that several types of
condensed-phase compounds will be identified which may
be delivered in droplet or aerosol form. Although cup
burners have been used for evaluating condensed-phase
agents (e.g., sodium bicarbonate powder), currently
there is no apparatus designed specifically for
screening liquid agents under well-controlled
experimental conditions. The objective of this work is
to design, construct and demonstrate a bench-scale
device capable of screening the fire suppression
efficiency of liquid agents. The design of the
apparatus is based on a well-characterized flame, a
means to facilitate the introduction of liquid agents,
and a way to generate liquid droplets. These individual
components will be described in detail in the following
sections. Since the project is on-going, its current
status will be discussed, and some encouraging
preliminary results will be presented.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899