Review of Fire and Explosion Hazards of Flight Vehicle Combustibles

摘要

This report is on the fire and explosion hazards associated with combustibles and other gases likely to be found in aircraft and missile systems. It presents experimental results pertinent to inhibition of gaseous detonation, ignition of solid oxygen-liquid hydrogen mixtures, and flammability characteristics of halogenated hydrocarbons. The halogenated hydrocarbons do not appear to be particularly effective inhibitors of gaseous hydrogenoxygen detonation. Combustibles such as methane and hydrogen were found to be superior to the halogenated hydrocarbons on a weight basis. Cryogenic mixtures of solid oxygen and liquid hydrogen can be ignited by 0.5-ounce projectiles moving at speeds as low as 1310 ft/sec (400 meters/sec). Ignition appears to occur at shock strengths of 1.5 to 3.0 kilobars. Although the halogenated hydrocarbons considered here do not appear to be flammable in air at atmospheric pressure and ordinary temperatures, some are flammable in oxygen under these conditions. Flame speeds and maximum explosion pressures associated with the flammable mixtures were found to be considerably lower than those of the corresponding hydrocarbon-oxygen mixtures. (Author)