Acoustically Enhanced Water Mist Suppression of Heptane Fueled Flames

Abstract

Recent research has shown that acoustics can be used to suppress flames from a liquid fuel source. The results of these experiments indicated that acoustics alone are insufficient to control flames beyond the incipient stage. Recent research has also shown that variations in the delivery of water mist to a fire can enhance the mist’s efficiency. Therefore, the addition of acoustics to water mist may be an effective means of enhancing an established fire protection technology. For the first time, acoustics and water mist have been combined and studied as a flame suppression strategy. A series of experiments were conducted that explored the potential for coupling acoustics with water mist as means of flame suppression. Heptane fueled flames were created from two different sized ceramic fiber wicks: 30 mm × 50 mm with 5 mL of fuel, and 60 mm × 100 mm with 20 mL of fuel. The flames were then exposed to water mist delivered at a constant rate, which was found to be incapable of suppressing the flames. Next, low frequency sound waves at 62 Hz and 80 Hz were used to suppress flames from both wicks, with each frequency being generated by a different resonator. Finally, acoustics from both resonators were combined with water mist, and used to suppress flames from both wicks. The results showed that a combination of acoustic waves and water mist suppressed the flames more effectively than each individual technique on its own. This finding opens the possibility of developing more efficient ways to use water mist technology.