Experiment to 'tease out' new aspects of flame propagation
/Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are observing the behavior of flames in differently-shaped confined spaces in the unique microgravity environment of the orbiting outpost.
Called “Confined Combustion,” this investigation aims to “tease out” new aspects of flame propagation in ways that researchers aren’t able to do on Earth’s surface.
“We believe that having research done in space where there are not the same effects of gravity as you have here on Earth allows us to make new discoveries,” Dawn Tilbury, assistant director for engineering at the National Science Foundation, said in a video released by the ISS National Lab.
According to Tilbury, flames on Earth have a buoyant effect because of the differences in air temperature — hot air rises. However, in space, there is nowhere hot air to “rise.”
This buoyant effect plays a large role in the propagation of flame in fires on Earth, Tilbury said. The flames in the Confined Combustion experiment will spread in a confined environment, allowing researchers to better understand how flames spread.
According to NASA, flame spread in confined spaces, such as buildings and vehicles, can “pose a more serious fire hazard than flame spread in open spaces because of acceleration caused by radiative heat feedback from the surrounding walls and a tunnel flow acceleration effect.”
The Confined Combustion was launched aboard the CRS-19 Dragon spacecraft in December 2019. According to Spaceflight Now, the package included solid fuel samples that are to be ignited inside a protective enclosure on the ISS — inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox.
As recently as last week, Expedition 61 astronauts installed samples via instruction from ground teams and set airflow and various other parameters.
According to a Jan. 17, 2020, update, NASA said “crew members continued ongoing operations for the experiment, including ignition of different samples without baffles and with different types of baffles installed. Baffles change the airflow path and alter the radiated heat environment around the flame.”
The ultimate goal, according to researchers, is to develop better building codes in order to design safer structures should a fire occur.
