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An Investigation of Flame Spread over Shallow Liquid Pools in Microgravity and Nonair EnvironmentsExperiments of interest to combustion fundamentals and spacecraft fire safety investigated flame spread of alcohol fuels over shallow, 15 cm diameter pools in a 5.2 sec free-fall, microgravity facility. Results showed that, independent O2 concentration, alcohol fuel, and diluent types, microgravity flame spread rates were nearly identical to those corresponding normal-gravity flames for conditions where the normal gravity flames spread uniformly. This similarity indicated buoyancy-related convection in either phase does not affect flame spread, at least for the physical scale of the experiments. However, microgravity extinction coincided with the onset conditions for pulsating spread in normal gravity, implicating gas phase, buoyant flow as a requirement for pulsating spread. When the atmospheric nitrogen was replaced with argon, the conditions for the onset of normal-gravity pulsating flame spread and microgravity flame extinction were changed, in agreement with the expected lowering of the flash point through the thermal properties of the diluent. Helium-diluted flames, however, showed unexpected results with a shift to apparently higher flash-point temperatures and high normal gravity pulsation amplitudes.
Document ID
19900004364
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ross, Howard D. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Sotos, Raymond G. (NASA Lewis Research Center Cleveland, OH, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Materials Processing
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.15:102425
E-8363
E-5190
NASA-TM-102425
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Symposium on Combustion
Location: Orleans
Country: France
Start Date: July 22, 1990
End Date: July 27, 1990
Sponsors: Orleans Univ.
Accession Number
90N13680
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: RTOP 674-22-05
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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