United States Department of Transportation
i
Nitrous Oxide Enhanced Fires in an Aircraft Lower Deck (Ld-3) Sized Steel Test Chamber
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2023-07-01
[PDF-1.32 MB]
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Abstract:The transport of oxidizers and compressed oxygen within aircraft is heavily regulated, largely as a result of the fatal 1996 ValuJet accident. Past Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) studies have found that released oxidizers can exacerbate burning within a halon-suppressed cargo compartment fire, potentially overwhelming the fire suppression system within an aircraft. Recently, a request was submitted to ship medical devices containing small quantities of gaseous nitrous oxide (N2O). As part of the certification process, the manufacturer of this device completed the PHMSA-required thermal resistance and flame penetration tests; however, the packaging was unable to pass the thermal resistance portion of the required tests and small quantities of N2O were able to escape. As a result of these initial tests, the manufacturer requested an exemption from this requirement. PHMSA requested assistance from the FAA Fire Safety Branch to determine if quantities of released N2O would significantly impact a cargo compartment fire. Although N2O is not flammable, it is an oxidizing agent that could exacerbate an otherwise controlled cargo compartment fire, and ultimately overwhelm the integrity of the suppression and containment capabilities of the system. Tests were conducted within an aircraft lower deck (LD-3) sized steel test chamber using a fire load of eighteen cardboard boxes filled with shredded paper. During each test, the shredded paper was ignited and the ensuing fire was allowed to develop. Two baseline tests were first conducted, in which the fire within the test chamber was allowed to burn unabated, without introducing N2O. Three subsequent tests were conducted in which various quantities of N2O gas (5.8 oz, 11.6 oz, and 17.4 oz) were released into the test chamber once the fire was fully developed. Results indicated that released quantities of N2O less than or equal to 11.6 oz did not produce a significant reaction within the fire in the test chamber. However, it was observed that as the quantity of released N2O increased, more significant combustion reactions occurred. Therefore, until further data is acquired, it is recommended that the amount of N2O be limited to no more than 11.6 oz per Unit Load Device (ULD) for air transport.
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