Aqueous Based Automatic Fire Extinguishing System

Vehicle fires from FEM/IED attacks present multiple threats to personnel; an initial short duration fire from combustion/explosion of FEM/IED and a secondary, longer duration fire from ignition of vehicle fuel, tires, engine, or the surrounding environment. Existing fire suppression systems for military ground vehicles provide satisfactory extinguishing abilities for initial, short-duration fires, but do not address longer-term fire protection from re-flash fires and external fires that heat the vehicle cab. Under this Phase II SBIR effort, we propose the development of two technologies: (1) An aqueous system that fills the cab uniformly with moisture and protects the vehicle occupants for up to 5 minutes from thermal burn injuries. This system is activated by the existing vehicle fire detectors and lowers the rates of radiation and convection heat transfer to the skin of vehicle occupants. The moisture is also extremely effective in scrubbing smoke and fire gases. (2) Criteria for second degree thermal burn injury to the vehicle occupants due to skin exposure to heat in a humid environment. The proposed deliverables include a prototype fire suppression hardware and charts for burn injury criteria.