FOG DISPERSAL EXPERIMENTS USING PROPANE AT WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON.
Abstract
Propane is an effective agent causing glaciation of supercooled fog droplets and subsequent improvement of visibility. When wind is less than 5 or 6 knots and steady with respect to direction, two or three dispensers, each emitting 2.5 to 3 lb/min. of liquid propane, could probably keep an airfield open to air traffic at a cost of about 20 dollars per hour. The propane system is easy to use, inexpensive, requires neither preparation nor personnel standby time after the initial installation, and is effective at temperatures higher than the effective temperature of the more commonly used agents. No combustible mixture has been found beyond 8 ft from the discharge nozzle of the propane-air mixture. On airports with short runways, the reduced aircraft braking index caused by snow accumulation might be sufficient to render the system unsuitable unless the dispensers could be positioned far enough from the airport to allow the snow to fall upwind of the runway.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0653636
Entities
People
- J. R. Hicks
Organizations
- Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory