ATV Experiments on Spacecraft Fire Safety
- Paper number
IAC-12,A2,2,2,x14594
- Author
Dr. David Urban, NASA Glenn Research Center, United States
- Author
Dr. Gary Ruff, NASA Glenn Research Center, United States
- Author
Dr. Olivier Minster, European Space Agency (ESA), The Netherlands
- Author
Dr. A. Carlos Fernandez-Pello, UC Berkeley, United States
- Author
Prof. James T'ien, Case Western Reserve University, United States
- Author
Prof. Jose Torero, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Author
Prof. Guillaume Legros, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
- Author
Mr. Christian Eigenbrod, University of Bremen, Germany
- Author
Prof. Nickolay N. Smirnov, Moscow Lomonosov State University, Russia
- Author
Prof. Osamu Fujita, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Author
Dr. Adam Cowlard, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Author
Dr. Sebastien Rouvreau, Altran, France
- Author
Dr. Balazs Toth, European Space Research and Technology Centre, ESA-ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Author
Prof. Grunde Jomaas, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
- Year
2012
- Abstract
Full scale fire testing complemented by computer modelling has provided significant knowhow about the risk, prevention and suppression of fire in terrestrial systems (cars, ships, planes, buildings, mines, and tunnels). In comparison, no such testing has been carried out for manned spacecraft due to the complexity, cost and risk associated with operating a long duration material flammability experiment of a relevant size in microgravity. Therefore, there is currently a gap in knowledge of fire behaviour in spacecraft. The entire body of low-gravity fire research has either been conducted in short duration ground-based microgravity facilities or has been limited to very small fuel samples. Still, the work conducted to date has shown that fire behaviour in low-gravity is very different from that in normal-gravity, with differences observed for flammability limits, ignition delay, flame spread behaviour, flame colour and flame structure. As a result, the prediction of the behaviour of fires in reduced gravity is at present not validated. To address this gap in knowledge, a collaborative international project, Spacecraft Fire Safety, has been established with its cornerstone being the development of an experiment (Fire Safety 1) to be conducted on an ISS resupply vehicle, such as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) after it leaves the ISS and before it enters the atmosphere. A computer modelling effort will complement the experimental effort. Although the experiment will need to meet rigorous safety requirements to ensure the carrier vehicle does not sustain damage, the absence of a crew removes the need for strict containment of combustion products. This will facilitate the possibility of examining fire behaviour on a scale that is relevant to spacecraft fire safety and will provide unique data for fire model validation. This unprecedented opportunity will expand the understanding of the fundamentals of fire behaviour in spacecraft. The experiment is being developed by an international topical team that is collaboratively defining the experiment requirements and performing supporting analysis, experimentation and technology development. The technology development efforts being conducted in the Fire-Safety-1 project include: continued quantification of low- and partial-gravity maximum oxygen concentrations of spacecraft-relevant materials; development and verification of sensors for fire detection and post-fire monitoring; development of standards for sizing and selecting spacecraft fire suppression systems; and demonstration of post-fire cleanup strategies. This paper presents the objectives, status and concept of this project.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
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