Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus - Flame Extinguishment Experiment
Williams, Forman A., Nayagam, Vedha, Choi, Mun Y., Dryer, Frederick L., Shaw, Benjamin D.
Experiments: FLEX, FLEX-2, SAME
Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus Flame Extinguishment Experiment (MDCA-FLEX) will assess the effectiveness of fire suppressants in microgravity and quantify the effect of different possible crew exploration atmospheres on fire suppression. The goal of this research is to provide definition and direction for large scale fire suppression tests and selection of the fire suppressant for next generation crew exploration vehicles.
Test conditions.
Extracted from the paper by AI · “Verified” means a person checked it
| Fuel | O₂ | Pressure | Airflow | Sensors | Source | AI conf. | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Methanol (CH3OH) Droplet |
0.10 to 0.50 mole fraction | 0.5 to 1.0 atm | null | Color camera, Pressure sensor, Temperature sensor | p. 2 | 95% | Pending |
| Heptane (C7H16) Droplet |
0.10 to 0.50 mole fraction | 0.5 to 1.0 atm | null | Color camera, Pressure sensor, Temperature sensor | p. 2 | 95% | Pending |
Findings.
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01
At high oxygen concentrations, droplets burn to completion rather than exhibiting flame extinction.
Other · p. 2 · AI confidence 95% · Reported · Pending
“At high oxygen concentrations, however, the chemical times are small enough (relative to the characteristic flow times) such that the droplets will burn to completion rather t han exhibiting flame extinction.”
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02
Ambient pressure does not significantly influence droplet burning rate but influences chemistry at sufficiently low values.
Other · p. 2 · AI confidence 95% · Reported · Pending
“Ambient pressure does not significantly influen ce the droplet burning rate, but does influence chemistry at sufficiently low values.”
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03
Methanol burns with a very dim blue flame with small standoff distance and little soot production, unlike heptane.
Other · p. 2 · AI confidence 95% · Reported · Pending
“Methanol has a fuel-bound oxygen atom, and burns with a very dim blue flame (not much soot production) with a small standoff distance, so it has widely different radiative characteristics than heptane.”
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04
Under quasisteady burning assumptions, initial droplet size should not significantly influence the determination of extinction droplet size.
Other · p. 2 · AI confidence 95% · Reported · Pending
“Under the assumption of quasisteady burning, the initial droplet size should not significantly influence the det ermination of the extinction droplet size.”