COMBUSTION RESEARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

Paper number

IAC-08.A2.6.A7

Author

Mr. Terence O'Malley, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Glenn Research Center, United States

Year

2008

Abstract

This paper will discuss recent experiments and future plans for combustion research on the International Space Station (ISS). Results from two recently conducted experiments, the Dust and Aerosol measurement Feasibility Test (DAFT) and Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME), will be discussed and future utilization plans for the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) will be detailed.  The CIR will accommodate experiments that address critical needs in the areas of spacecraft fire safety (i.e., fire prevention, detection and suppression), flame spread, and fundamental studies of droplet combustion, gaseous combustion and solid fuels combustion. 

The CIR and first payload, the Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA), will be launched to the ISS on STS-126 in October 2008. The CIR provides a 100 liter environmental chamber, a fluid/oxidizer management assembly, digital cameras, a gas chromatograph, and, after initial crew set-up, ground-based experiment commanding.  The CIR can also serve as a test bed  for technology demonstrations and concepts for exploration missions on board the ISS.

The initial payload in the CIR is the Multi-User Droplet Combustion Apparatus (MDCA), which will perform the Droplet Flame Extinguishment in Microgravity experiment (FLEX). MDCA contains the payload hardware and software necessary for conducting the FLEX experiment.  It consists of two major components:  a Chamber Insert Assembly and an Avionics  Package.  The Chamber Insert Assembly is a  platform for the mounting of internal components such as the droplet dispensing and deployment mechanisms and radiometers. The avionics  Package provides for the command, control, and data handling of the experiment. MDCA will also perform the FLEX-2 set of experiments which include the following objectives: Investigate bi-component fuels, Examine the influence of sub-buoyant convective flows, Study practical fuels, Extend single droplet studies to binary arrays of droplets.

The next payload being developed for the CIR is the Advanced Combustion via Microgravity Experiments (ACME) insert. This group of investigations will focus on gaseous combustion experiments. Some of the objectives of this research include: combustion structure and stability near flammability limits; soot inception, surface growth, and oxidation processes; emission reduction through nitrogen exchange; and combustion stability enhancements via an electric field.

The third payload envisioned for the CIR is the Flammability Assessment of Materials for Exploration (FLAME) insert. Since material flammability for thick practical fuels has received limited study to date. FLAME will examine critical parameters for modeling material flammability in three flow configurations: boundary layer, wake and stagnation flows.

Abstract document

IAC-08.A2.6.A7.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.A2.6.A7.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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