Design of a Cascade Fire Apparatus for Testing Countermeasure Effectiveness

A cascade fire apparatus was designed to be used in the evaluation of agent effectiveness and application techniques in suppressing accidental aircraft ground fires involving fuels which are cascading, spraying, or pouring. The apparatus provides for (1) a controllable burning rate, (2) a reproducible fire, (3) a flame geometry that minimizes wind effects, and (4) an adjustable size by virtue of its modular nature. One of the two fuel supply nozzling options yields a smokeless fire; however, the other option has better fire characteristics for evaluating some of the countermeasures. Suppression tests were conducted using PKP and Monnex dry chemical agents and gaseous Halon 1211. It was not possible to compare the effectiveness of Halon 1211. It was not possible to compare the effectiveness of Halon 1211 and the powder agents because of the different application rates and capacities of the extinguishers tested and, therefore, the different required fire size. The apparatus appeared to be well suited for evaluation of agent effectiveness against the kinematic fires and also for training firemen in fighting these fires. (Author)