Improved Fire Extinguishing System Development for the ULMS Submarine: Generation of High Expansion Foam with Contaminated Air.
Abstract
Efforts to generate high expansion foam with air contaminated by combustion and pyrolysis products were expanded to include the smokes from polymeric materials anticipated for the ULMS submarine. The program involved three phases: (1) to test the products from these polymers for their foam breaking ability, (2) to see if the chemical and physical countermeasures developed for other contaminants would permit satisfactory foam production with these products, and (3) to test the most effective countermeasures against the most destructive contaminants in a full scale operation with a commercial foam generator. Under pyrolysis, all of the polymers generated foam inhibitors but Ensolite and Polyethylene produced the most destructive products. In the laboratory, chemical buffering of the foam solution and scrubbing the contaminated air with water were effective countermeasures for most of the materials but not for the Ensolite products. In the full scale scrubber system tests, satisfactory foam was generated in the presence of the most destructive foam inhibitors including the products from Ensolite. The difference between laboratory and field results emphasizes the need for thorough engineering and testing of any proposed system in its intended environment. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 19, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0914346
Entities
People
- Norman J. Alvares
- Raymond S. Alger
Organizations
- Naval Ordnance Laboratory