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

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.

Simulation of Low-Temperature Oxidation and Combustion of N-Dodecane Droplets under Microgravity Conditions

“…Despite the microgravity, combustion products from the flames quickly spread in a confined space due to their thermal expansion. In the compartments of the spaceship, the composition of the atmosphere is disturbed, which carries the risk of poisoning the crew members, and the intense thermal effect on the onboard equipment can lead to an escalation of the process [1][2][3]. Of course, when designing spaceships and drawing up the "rules of stay" for the crew, everything possible is performed to exclude such accidents.…”

Fire Protection and Evacuation Analysis in Underground Interchange Tunnels by Integrating BIM and Numerical Simulation

“…In terms of physical experiments, researchers have obtained actual physical quantitative data of the firing process, including the law of smoke diffusion, CO concentration change, and temperature field change, to provide support for theoretical research [13]. A smoke movement model was developed in underground space, and smoke model data were obtained by Matsushita [14]. Then, a 1:20 test bed was built based on the underground space model to conduct an experimental simulation of the smoke.…”

New Insight into the Effects of Gaseous CO2 on Spherically Symmetric Droplet Flames

“…The safety of manned spacecraft for long-term space missions is critical, especially in terms of fire safety. In most terrestrial applications, the use of gaseous CO 2 is well recognized as an effective method of fire suppression [1][2][3][4][5]. Because CO 2 scrubbing systems are required for manned spacecraft or interplanetary habitats, future extraterrestrial fire suppression systems also consider the gaseous CO 2 that is currently used in the ISS fire suppression system [6,7].…”