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Minimum extinguishment area required for safe escape of aircraft occupants during a fuel spill fire

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Abstract

Massive fuel spill fires enveloping the fuselage of large jet aircraft may develop quickly following a crash or other accident. Under such circumstances, occupant survival time is short unless burnthrough of the fuselage can be delayed. The authors propose an analytical method for determining the minimum fire area that must be extinguished in order to delay fuselage burn-through long enough to allow the occupants to escape.

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Abbreviations

ε f :

Flame Emittance

σ:

Stefan-Boltzmann Constant

T f :

Average Flame Temperature (oR)

A 2 :

Radiating Fire Surface (ft2)

dA 1 :

Differential Receiving Surface (A point on fuselage)

dF 2 − 1 :

Differential View Factor

T A :

Temperature of Receiving Surface (oR)

α A :

Absorptance of Receiving Surface (α A ≈ ε A )

ε A :

Emittance of Receiving Surface

ρ A :

Specific Weight of Receiving Surface (lbs/ft3)

δx A :

Thickness of Receiving Surface (ft)

C A :

Specific Heat of Receiving Surface (Btu/lb/oR)

t :

Time in Minutes

φ:

Value of Line Integral φ1/2C2

C 2 :

Perimeter of Surface A2 (ft)

k A :

Heat of Fusion of Receiving Surface (Btu/lb)

T o :

Initial Temperature of Receiving Surface (o R)

h :

Height of Radiating Surface A2 (ft)

L :

Length of Radiating Surface A2 (ft)

d m :

Perpendicular Distance between Fire & Fuselage (ft)

d c :

Critical Distance (ft)

A c :

Critical Area (ft2)

α:

Distance between center of Receiving Surface and x − y plane (ft)

d e :

Distance from side of Fuselage to Edge of Fuel Spill (ft)

R :

Radius of Fuel Spill (ft)

θ:

Angle between Radiating Surface A2 & x − y plane

D x :

Width of Fire Pool Normal to Fuselage (ft)

U :

Wind Velocity (MPH)

D :

Hydraulic Diameter of Fire Pool (ft)

f r :

Fuselage Radius (ft)

f h :

Distance between fuselage bottom and x − y plane (ft)

A :

See Equation 14

B :

See Equation 14

β:

See Equation 2

References

  1. Geyer, G. B., “Evaluation of Aircraft Ground Firefighting Agents and Techniques,” Technical Report AGFSRS 711 (February 1972).

  2. Sparrow, E. M. and Cess, R. D.,Radiation Heat Transfer (Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Belmont, California, 1966).

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  3. Salzberg, F. and Campbell, J., “Aircraft Ground Fire Suppression and Rescue Systems,” current technology review, IIT Research Institute, ASWF Technical Report, AHFSRS 701 (October 1969).

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  5. Atallah, S. and Allan, D. S., “Safe Separation Distances from Liquid Fuel Fires,”Fire Technology, Vol. 7, No. 1 (February 1971).

  6. Blinov, V. I. and Khudiakov, G. N., “Certain Laws Governing Diffuse Burning of Liquids,” Doklady Academy Nauk SSSR, 11B, 10941098 (1957).

  7. Chicarello, P. J., Krasner, L. M., and Shpilberg, D. C., “Aircraft Ground Fire Suppression and Rescue System Analysis and Fire Protection Evaluation,” Factory Mutual Research Corporation, Norwood, Massachusetts (1972).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Factory Mutual Research Corporation, USA

    Peter J. Chicarello & David C. Shpilberg

Authors
  1. Peter J. Chicarello
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  2. David C. Shpilberg
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Chicarello, P.J., Shpilberg, D.C. Minimum extinguishment area required for safe escape of aircraft occupants during a fuel spill fire. Fire Technol 12, 276–289 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02624805

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02624805

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