CATALOG
SPICE DUCT GROUP/SOLID FUEL/BASS
Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS)
PreventionSuppression
Spacecraft cabinSpace stationLunar baseAI summary
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Generated from the curated record only. The model is instructed not to invent numbers; verify all values against the source before engineering use.
Experimental setup
FUEL
- Phase
- Solid
- Material
- SIBAL cotton-fiberglass fabric, Nomex, Ultem, PMMA, wax-saturated fiberglass, paraffin and Japan wax candles
- Shape
- Thin and thick flat samples, solid spheres, and candles inside thin ceramic tubes
- Size
- Thin flats 120 x 10-20 mm; thick flats 50 x 10 x 1-2 mm; PMMA spheres 10-20 mm diameter; candles 6 mm diameter x 25 mm
CONDITIONS
- O2 concentration
- 21%
- Pressure
- 14.7 psi
- Airflow
- 50 cm/s
Single values are documented test conditions, not flammability limits. Ranges appear under variables tested.
OBJECTIVES
Test whether solid materials burn as well in microgravity as in normal gravity when ventilation is adequate, and identify how suppressant application and fuel geometry change extinction behavior in a crewed spacecraft.
Sensors & measurements
- Video and still cameras with telemetry overlay
- Radiometer for flame output
- Anemometer for duct airflow
- Nitrogen mass flow controller
Variables tested
- Fuel material, geometry and thickness across 41 samples
- Duct airflow from 5 to 50 cm/s
- Nitrogen suppressant flow from 0 to 500 cc/min ramp to extinction
- Front versus back ignition on PMMA spheres
Key findings
- 01Burned 41 fuel samples across 89 test points inside the sealed MSG work volume.
- 02Nitrogen suppressant was ramped from 0 to 500 cc/min until extinction, linking the experiment directly to spacecraft extinguisher practice.
- 03Flame shape, spread rate, pulsation and time to extinction were recorded against airflow, fuel geometry and suppressant flow.
- 04The data feed flame-spread and suppression models used to design spacecraft fire detection and suppression systems.