Experimental study of water spreading parameters when extinguishing fires using aircraft sprinklers

Abstract

This paper reports results of an experimental study on hydrodynamic processes when water is dropped from a height, as well as their influence on the movement of liquid, in order to optimize the processes of aviation firefighting. The main parameters of water dispersion were determined based on a series of experiments. It was established that the average diameter of drops when dropped from a height of 10 meters is 2.5 mm, with a maximum spraying distance of up to 15 meters. The size distribution of the droplets showed that 30 % of the droplets have a diameter of less than 2 mm, 50 % are between 2 and 5 mm, and 20 % are more than 5 mm. During the experiments, it was measured that the time for pouring water from the container is 3 seconds, and the speed of movement of water fractions when dropped from a height of 10 meters is 9.8 m/s. With an increase in the discharge height by 5 meters, the speed of water movement increased by 20 %. One of the key points of the study is the improvement of the Torricelli equation by introducing the coefficient K (0.85), which takes into account the viscosity and density of water, which improved the accuracy of calculations by 15 % compared to the standard equation. Python was used to process and interpret the video data, along with libraries such as OpenCV for image processing, NumPy for high-performance mathematical computations, and Matplotlib for data visualization. The resulting data open up new prospects for devising aerial firefighting strategies, providing a 20 % increase in coverage area, and a 25 % reduction in firefighting time. Torricelli's equation was improved; a new procedure was devised for the experimental determination of water dispersion parameters, which has an important practical application in the field of fire safety. In the field of fire safety, the data obtained could be used to improve aviation firefighting strategies, which would allow for greater efficiency and safety