Modeling study of water-mist as flame suppressant

Presence of buoyancy in terrestrial experiments intricately links fluid mechanics with the chemistry of the fire suppression agent operation. Decoupling these two factors allows for the chemical effects to be understood. The objectives of this study are to use the unique, non-buoyant properties of microgravity to discern the fundamental governing parameters involved in the selection and use of post-Halon generation fire suppression agents. One such fire suppression agent is the fine water mist (less than 200 μm). The information on the effects of water mist on combustion is limited to the study of large-scale fire systems developed for specific practical applications. Little fundamental information exists on interaction of a water mist and the propagating flame. We have studied the water mist interaction with a premixed CH4/Air flame using the CHEMKIN code. Our mechanism consists of over 200 elementary reactions most of which come from the GRI 2.1 mechanism for methane combustion. Water droplet evaporatio...