Numerical Analysis of Smoke Behavior and Detection of Solid Combustible Fire Developed in Manned Exploration Module Based on Exploration Gravity

Ter-Ki Hong,Seul-Hyun Park

doi:10.3390/fire4040085

Abstract

A fire during manned space exploration can cause serious casualties and disrupt the mission if the initial response is delayed. Therefore, measurement technology that can detect fire in the early stage of ignition is important. There have been a number of works that investigate the smoke behaviors in microgravity as the foundation for a reliable method for sensing a fire during spaceflight. For space missions to the outer planets, however, a strategy of detecting smoke as an indicator of fire should be adjusted to cover the fire scenario that can be greatly affected by changes in gravity (microgravity, lunar, Mars, and Earth gravity). Therefore, as a preliminary study on fire detectors of the manned pressurized module, the present study examined the smoke particle behavior and detection characteristics with respect to changes in gravity using numerical analysis. In particular, the effects of the combination of buoyancy and ventilation flow on the smoke particle movement pattern was investigated to further improve the understanding of the fire detection characteristics of the smoke detector, assuming that a fire occurred in different gravity environments inside the pressurized module. To this end, we modeled the internal shape of Destiny and performed a series of numerical analysis using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The findings of this study can provide basic data for the design of a fire detection system for manned space exploration modules.

Highlights

In the history of space development, the fire incident [1] that occurred during the final ground experiment of Apollo 1 in 1967 has been recorded as a major accident that took the lives of all the crew on board
This is because most smoke particles move toward the smoke detector along with the inter-module ventilation (IMV) flow that becomes relatively strong near the bottom compared to the flow that circulates clockwise
If there was an IMV flow (Figure 11), the smoke detector issued alarm signals for approximately 100 s, whereas if there was no IMV flow, the smoke detection time increased by approximately 150 s in most cases except LAP3RR and LAS3RR, and the PVC combustible of LAP1RR became DNA

Summary

Introduction

In the history of space development, the fire incident [1] that occurred during the final ground experiment of Apollo 1 in 1967 has been recorded as a major accident that took the lives of all the crew on board. The fire accident [2] that occurred in the Russian manned space station Mir did not cause casualties but could lead to significant damage because it was in actual operation in orbit. Both fire accidents were related to the atmospheric environment inside the pressurized module. A system that can quickly detect and suppress fires must be included in the design of the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the manned exploration pressurized module. If an early response is delayed in the event of a fire in a manned exploration module, it can cause casualties and a major hindrance to the mission. A technology to detect fire quickly in the early stage of ignition and a protocol for fire suppression must be established

Methods

Results

Conclusion