John Reinhardt FAA Fire Safety Section, AAR-422

BULK LOAD FIRESCONTAINERIZED FIRES FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS FIRE AEROSOL CAN EXPLOSION SIMULATION “Minimum Performance Standard for Aircraft Cargo Compartment Fire Suppression Systems”

Fire Load = 178 card board boxes (30% of Vol.) containing 2.5 lbs of shredded paper Ignition = nichrome wire wrapped around folded paper towels System Activation = 1 min. after one of the ceiling T/C reaches 200 o F Test Duration = Five 30 minutes each BULK LOAD FIRE TEST

Fire Load = 33 card board boxes inside an LD3. Three LD3 in Compartment Ignition = nichrome wire wrapped around folded paper towels System Activation = 1 min. after one of the ceiling T/C reaches 200 o F Test Duration = Five 30 minutes each CONTAINERIZED FIRE TEST

SURFACE BURN FIRE TEST Fire Load = 0.5 U.S. Gallon of Jet A fuel (with 13 oz of gasoline) Ignition = Arc created by two spark plugs System Activation = 1 min. after one of the ceiling T/C reaches 200 o F Test Duration = 5 minutes

AEROSOL CAN EXPLOSION SIMULATION Fire Load = 58 card board boxes containing 2.5 lbs of shredded paper Ignition = nichrome wire wrapped around folded paper towels System Activation = 1 min. after one of the ceiling T/C reaches 200 o F Test Duration = Five 30 minutes each Activate Simulator when one of the cans temp. reaches 400 o F (or test time = 29 minutes)

Water Mist System Water Mist System Combined With Nitrogen

High Pressure/Class I Water Mist System High Pressure Pump (1150 psig) 125 Gallon Water Tank (Pressurized to 40 psig) Solenoid Valves Number of Nozzles = 32 Nozzle Angle = 90 o Down Max Flow Rate per Nozzle = 0.10 gpm Number of Zones = 4 Nozzles per Zone = 8 Droplet size = 70 to 100 microns Distance Between Nozzles = 16” Distance Between Zones = 30” Activation Controller (Trigger Temperature o F) Environmental Engineering Concepts

ACTIVATION CONTROL LOGIC: Two zones near fire will turn on for 5 minutes to knock down flames and cool down the cargo compartment. After the 5 minutes: - A zone will turn on only if the temperature near the zone exceeds 212 o F; turn off if temperature is below it. - All zones will turn on if the ceiling temperature exceeds 350 o F.

WATER MIST SYSTEM

- High Pressure/Class I Water Mist System (As described before) - Nitrogen System consisted of: 16 Cylinders Size-T Nitrogen Bank Two Matheson Model 3020 Regulators System Flow Rate = 37.5 CFM to 89.3 CFM Pneumatic Valve One inch plumbing network 5 Nozzles (5/8” ID) Activation was controlled by the volumetric concentration of Oxygen (10%) in the cargo compartment (Closed loop control system)

WATER MIST SYSTEM WITH NITROGEN

-A class I, high pressure water mist system did not pass the MPS for aircraft cargo compartments due to its incapability to inert the compartment against a HC explosion. -The same water mist system combined with a nitrogen system passed the MPS with a competitive weight factor*. The weight advantage will come from using the proposed fuel tanks OBIGGS system for nitrogen generation.