A comparative analysis of shielding of thermal radiation of fires using mist curtains containing droplets of pure water or sea water

The paper is focused on comparative computational modelling of the attenuation of fire radiation by water mists of pure water or sea water. The use of sea water in fire protection could be a more convenient and practical choice in coastal areas, on offshore installations or transported ships. The spectral absorption and scattering properties of both water droplets and salt particles formed by evaporation of sea water droplets are considered. A combined heat transfer problem is based on a combination of the spectral radiative transfer in a mist curtain, the kinetics of water evaporation, and convective heat transfer along the curtain. The developed computational model is used to analyze the radiative heating and evaporation of droplets of pure water and more complex multi-phase processes in droplets of sea water at all stages of the process. The numerical results for the case problem indicate sufficiently good shielding quality of a sea-water mist curtain. The suggested approach is expected to be useful for important engineering applications in fire protection. •A model for attenuation of fire radiation by water mists is modified.•An approach for behaviour of pure and sea water droplets is suggested.•Heat transfer problem for heated and evaporated water mist is solved.•The shielding properties of a sea-water mist curtain are analyzed.•Computational results for the case problem are presented.