Aqueous Extinguisher Discharge and the Effects on Core Body Temperature and Skin Burn/Frostbite
Abstract
Since the cessation of production of high ozone depleting substances such as halon 1301(bromotrifluoromethane, CF3Br), the US Army has relied on hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) extinguishing agents for many of its fire suppression applications. However, production of HFCs is being phased down due to their high global warming potentials (GWP). Therefore, the Army initiated a research program to evaluate potential environmentally friendly, low-GWP chemicals as candidate fire extinguishing agents for use in automatic fire extinguishing systems (AFES) that protect the crews of Army vehicles against fire and explosions caused by combat threats. The current effort is a continuation of research conducted for ground and aviation weapon systems [1,2,3,4]. One of the few remaining potential low-GWP agents identified for crew protection is water mixed with a freeze point depressant. This report summarizes an evaluation of the use of water in a fire protection system in a collaborative effort between the US Army DEVCOM GVSC and ThermoAnalytics, Inc. Specifically, we present modeling and simulation results and an assessment of the effects of an aqueous agent when discharged into a confined space onto a vehicle crew member under varying environmental conditions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1201493
Entities
People
- Al Curran
- Arkady Grunin
- James Slemons
- Joshua Fritsch
- Pete Rynes
- Scott Gibbs
- Steve Hodges
- Steve Mccormick
- Vamshi Korivi