NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Collections About News Help Login
Back to Results
Determination of Survivable FiresAt NASA, there exists no standardized design or testing protocol for spacecraft fire suppression systems (either handheld or total flooding designs). An extinguisher's efficacy in safely suppressing any reasonable or conceivable fire is the primary benchmark. That concept, however, leads to the question of what a reasonable or conceivable fire is. While there exists the temptation to over-size' the fire extinguisher, weight and volume considerations on spacecraft will always (justifiably) push for the minimum size extinguisher required. This paper attempts to address the question of extinguisher size by examining how large a fire a crew member could successfully survive and extinguish in the confines of a spacecraft. The hazards to the crew and equipment during an accidental fire include excessive pressure rise resulting in a catastrophic rupture of the vehicle skin, excessive temperatures that burn or incapacitate the crew (due to hyperthermia), carbon dioxide build-up or other accumulation of other combustion products (e.g. carbon monoxide). Estimates of these quantities are determined as a function of fire size and mass of material burned. This then becomes the basis for determining the maximum size of a target fire for future fire extinguisher testing.
Document ID
20130010973
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Dietrich, D. L. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Niehaus, J. E. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Ruff, G. A. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Urban, D. L. (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Takahashi, F. (National Center for Space Exploration Research on Fluids and Combustion Cleveland, OH, United States)
Easton, J. W. (National Center for Space Exploration Research on Fluids and Combustion Cleveland, OH, United States)
Abbott, A. A. (National Center for Space Exploration Research on Fluids and Combustion Cleveland, OH, United States)
Graf, J. C. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 27, 2013
Publication Date
July 15, 2012
Subject Category
Space Transportation And Safety
Meeting Information
Meeting: 42nd International Conference on Environmental Systems (ICES)
Location: San Diego, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: July 15, 2012
End Date: July 19, 2012
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS WS 904211.04.02.30.07
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

Related Records

There are no records associated with this record.
No Preview Available