Post-Flashover Fires in Simulated Shipboard Compartments - Phase 3. Venting of Large Shipboard Fires

Abstract

As part of the Internal Ship Conflagration Control Project, post- flashover compartment fires were created in small and large scale shipboard compartments. The venting test series described in this report was an extension of earlier work which quantified the heat transfer characteristics from post- flashover fires in steel enclosures. The objective of the tests was to quantify the effects of venting a large fire, particularly natural venting and its effect on thermal insults. Tests were conducted both in a steel mock-up at NRL CBD and on board the NRL research test ship, ex-USS SHADWELL. Venting of both the fire compartment and adjacent spaces was investigated. As anticipated, large vent areas are required to achieve significant reductions in the thermal insult to spaces adjacent to the fire compartment. Smaller vents may be effective in relieving smoke, which could help firefighters gain access to the fire. Mechanical ventilation, in the form of a portable water motor fan, was demonstrated to be more effective than natural venting for relieving heat in a compartment adjacent to a fire.... Heat venting, Natural ventilation, Water motor fan, Post-flashover fire, Fire model, Shipboard firefighting, Marine fire protection, Fire test

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 09, 1993
Accession Number
ADA267011

Entities

People

  • Frederic W. Williams
  • G. G. Back
  • R. J. Ouellette
  • R. L. Darwin
  • T. A. Toomey

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Flow
  • Air Supplies
  • Air Temperature
  • Burning Rate
  • Combustion
  • Cooling
  • Efficiency
  • Energy
  • Fire Protection
  • Fires
  • Fuel Systems
  • Heat Flux
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Standards
  • Temperature Gradients

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Fire Suppression Systems Design.

Technology Areas

  • Space