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Cabin & Fire Safety Reports
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| Title: |
Mass
Loading Effects on Fuel Vapor Concentration in an Aircraft
Fuel Tank Ullage |
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Summary: |
This report discusses experiments
performed within a simulated fuel tank approximately 1/20
the size of a typical B-747 center wing fuel tank (CWT).
The vapors generated within the ullage of this tank were
analyzed under different mass loadings in an effort to
determine the effects of the mass loading and fuel
distribution. It was determined from these tests that in
order to have a substantial effect on the flammability of
the vapor within the CWT, the mass loading would have to
be somewhere between 0.08 and 0.15 kg/m 3 . A substantial
effect was defined as a minimum 20% decrease in the
maximum hydrocarbon count when compared to the average of
all tests conducted with larger mass loadings. In
addition, it was found that while the distribution of the
fuel has no effect on the peak flammability (vapor
composition) that is reached, it does have a significant
effect on how long it takes to reach the final state. The
less dispersed the liquid fuel is, the longer it will take
the vapor to reach its maximum flammability point. |
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| Title: |
Cargo
Compartment Fire Protection in Large Commercial Transport
Aircraft |
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Summary: |
This report describes recent
research by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
related to cargo compartment fire protection in large
transport aircraft. A gaseous hydrofluorocarbon, HFC-125,
was compared to Halon 1301 in terms of fire suppression
effectiveness and agent decomposition levels in the cargo
compartment and passenger cabin during full-scale tests
involving a bulk-loaded cargo fire. |
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| Title: |
Effectiveness of Flight Attendants Attempting to
Extinguish Fires in an Accessible Cargo Compartment |
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Summary: |
This technical note documents the
results of a project to evaluate the ability of flight
attendants to extinguish cargo fires in small Class B
cargo compartments. Thirteen fire tests were conducted in
a modified Shorts 330 airplane in which flight attendants
attempted to extinguish cargo fires. Some of the selected
test variables included the cargo compartment size, the
width of the access door, the size and type of fire
extinguishers available, the presence and absence of an
unobstructed center aisle in the cargo compartment, the
type of Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE), and the
delay between the smoke detector alarm and the start of
the firefighting efforts. The results of the testing
indicated that in most cases the flight attendants were
unable to successfully extinguish these fires. |
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| Title: |
Oxygen
Enhanced Fires in LD-3 Cargo Containers |
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Summary: |
Four tests were conducted inside a
169-cubic-foot LD-3 cargo container to demonstrate the
hazards associated with the release of gaseous oxygen
during suppression of a smoldering fire with Halon 1301.
The cargo fires were allowed to burn for a short duration
before Halon 1301 was discharged into the container. After
the suppressant concentration stabilized to about 3%, the
minimum design concentration for inerting, a quantity of
oxygen was discharged to simulate the relief of oxygen
from an overpressurized cylinder. During the first three
tests, 11 cubic feet of oxygen was bled into the container
from a remote cylinder. A fourth test was conducted in
which 22 cubic feet of oxygen was introduced which
produced a severe fire that destroyed the container.
Temperature, toxic gases, and halon concentration were
measured continuously inside the container and video
cameras recorded the tests from three locations external
to the container. |
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