The objective is to study the effect of low gravity on the flammability diagrams of combustible materials used in spacecrafts and the fire properties derived from them as well as develop a new test method that describes conditions expected in space facilities. This method could provide NASA with an alternative test to rank and classify the fire hazard characteristics of materials to be used in spacecraft. The microgravity tests were approved to be conducted in the International Space Station.

NSF-Tackling CFD Modeling of Flame Spread on Practical Solid Combustibles

This 3-year project (Sep. 2007-Sep. 2010) involves further development of a generalized pyrolysis model and associated material property estimation techniques to determine the solid-phase parameters needed to facilitate CFD-based fire growth modeling. Additionally, NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) will be used to simulate fire development (flame spread/fire growth) at hazardous scales. Several intermediate to large scale fire tests will be conducted to develop an experimental data set to assess FDS's predictive cababilities for flame spread/fire growth. Various subroutines may be modified to assess their impact on predictive capabilities. Emphasis is on "practical" materials and fires at hazardous scales (room to building scale).

The objective of this project is to examine smoldering and the transition to flaming of foams, composite and cellulose materials in space and normal environments. The project is separated into two efforts: an experimental effort and a modeling and simulation effort. The experimental part includes normal-gravity and microgravity tests. The computational portion involves the development of numerical models and kinetic decomposition mechanisms to model smolder combustion in both one and two-dimensions and transition to flaming.

Firebrand (ember) spotting is a primary mechanism for the spread of both wildland and wildland-urban-interface fires (WUI). Spotting can spread fires rapidly because firebrands generated by the burning vegetation are blown upwards in the fire plume and transported downwind where they ignite secondary fires or structures far from the fire front.

This project aims to design a reliable solid propellant micro-rocket thrust sensor capable of detecting small amounts of thrust.

The objective of the research is to experimentally and computationally study CO and soot processes in laminar, inverse diffusion flames, which is a special case of underventilated combustion. An understanding of noxious gas formation and flame soot signatures during underventilated fires in spacecraft will be obtained, a goal in line with the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) objective of achieving earlier, more sensitive fire detection systems for use in microgravity scenarios.

The overall project objective is to increase the fundamental understanding and the predictability of smoldering combustion, which will aid in the prevention and control of smolder originated fires, under normal- and micro- gravity conditions. The specific objective is to determine the smolder characteristics of a polymeric, porous, combustible material, in quiescent and convective oxidizing environments, at normal- and micro- gravity.

Research aimed to develop a rotary internal combustion micro-engine of MEMS scale (mm) and of meso-scale (cm), that would be capable of delivering power using liquid fuels. Potential applications include propulsion of small devices and portable power generation.

The goal of the MEMS Rotary Engine Power System (MEMS REPS) is to develop an autonomous, commercially viable, portable power system based on an integrated AC generator and rotary internal combustion engine.