Development of solid propellant for the production of fire suppression aerosols

• Published in: Fire safety journal Vol. 120; p. 103113
• Main Authors: Richter, Elizabeth, Krause, Ulrich
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Additives; Aerosols; Combustion chemistry; Compartment fires; Cooling systems; Experimental data; Fire extinguishing aerosols; Fire suppression; Flame retardants; Heptanes; Oxidants; Oxidizing agents; Pool fires; Rocket engines; Solid propellant; Solid propellants; Combustion chemistry; Compartment fires; Solid propellant; Fire extinguishing aerosols; Fire suppression
• ISSN: 0379-7112; 1873-7226
• DOI: 10.1016/j.firesaf.2020.103113

This paper documents the development of solid propellant aerosol generators (SPAGs) as alternative fire suppression systems. SPAGs mainly consist of an igniter, a solid propellant (SP), a cooling system and an outlet. The main focus of this study is on the SP as the research item. Such SP consists of oxidant, fuel and additives. This research work aimed to investigate the application of the aerosol produced by a SP as a potential fire suppression agent. The first step in this regard involved a numerical calculation, using RPA® software which is designed for and used in rocket engine applications, to define a number of combustion and thermodynamic parameters related to the SP. This was followed by a parametric study of different SP compositions and their respective fire suppression aerosols (FSAs). The SPs that produced the highest fraction of FSA were chosen for an experimental comparison. A special experimental setup was developed for this comparison and data were generated by performing more than 100 tests. The experimental data showed that the selected SP are able to suppress small n-heptane pool fires in compartments effectively, validating the results of the RPA® calculations. The experimental data proves that the suppression effect is inhibition. •Aerosol produced by solid propellant (SP) can be used for fire suppression.•Calculation methods for rocket engines are valid for this purpose.•The main fire suppression mechanism seems to be the inhibition.•Composition of SP, temperature and pressure impact the aerosol product.