Abstract
A numerical model developed for the prediction of the piloted ignition delay of solid polymeric materials exposed to an external radiant heat flux is used to predict the ignition delay and critical heat flux for ignition of solid fuels in microgravity at low velocity flows. The model considers the coupled thermochemical processes that take place in the condensed phase, including oxidative and thermal pyrolysis, phase change, radiation absorption, and heat and mass transfer in a multi-phase and multi-composition medium. Ignition is considered to occur when a critical pyrolysate mass flow rate is reached at the sample surface. Microgravity experimental surface temperature and ignition delay data previously obtained in a KC-135 aircraft are used to infer, in conjunction with the theoretical analysis, the critical mass flow rate for ignition. This value is then used to predict the ignition delay as a function of the external radiant heat flux, and the critical heat flux for ignition. Calculations are made for Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and a Polypropylene/Fiberglass composite at airflows of 0.09 and 0.15 m/s under microgravity conditions and at 1.0, 1.75 and 2.5 m/s under normal gravity. The experiments and theoretical predictions show that the ignition delay and critical heat flux for ignition decrease as the forced airflow velocity decreases. It is predicted that at the tested lower velocities, the critical heat flux for ignition is close to half the value measured in normal gravity. The results have important implications since they indicate that materials could ignite easier under the conditions expected in spacecraft, and consequently stricter design specifications may be needed for fire safety.
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Zhou, Y.Y., Walther, D.C., Fernandez-Pello, A.C. et al. Theoretical prediction of piloted ignition of polymeric fuels in microgravity at low velocity flows. Microgravity Sci. Technol 14, 44–50 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02873335
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02873335