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WARREN, Mich.-- Engineers at the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) have tested and evaluated an alternative, environmentally friendly, fire-suppression agent that shows noteworthy promise in protecting Soldiers in Army ground vehicles against fire and explosions caused by combat threats.
The GVSC Fire Protection Team, with funding from the DEVCOM Safer Alternative for Readiness (SAFR) program and additional support from the National Defense Center for Energy & Environment, researched alternative extinguishing agents for automatic fire-extinguishing systems (AFES) used on U.S. Army vehicles. AFES are used to detect and suppress fuel explosions or fires to prevent Soldier injuries and vehicle damage. GVSC’s effort focuses on replacing current crew AFES agents, which are halon or hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based, with a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative.
The need to replace HFCs in the ground vehicle portfolio stems from an international agreement and legislative efforts to phasedown the production of high global warming potential (GWP) chemicals across the globe. As future availability of these chemicals decelerates, the sustainment of AFES for Army ground vehicles is uncertain, leading the GVSC Fire Protection Team to proactively act on a solution. The unique nature of military vehicle fire protection, which includes explosion protection in occupied spaces, required the GVSC team to evaluate all potential alternatives to extinguish fires quickly while considering the health and safety impacts to Soldiers in addition to the environmental impact of the extinguishing agent.
The alternative agent, a dry chemical known as potassium bicarbonate, was tested with a novel system integration on several test vehicles, using standard test procedures and evaluated for crew safety measures. It is an environmentally friendly, commercially available solution that can replace current AFES configurations with little adjustment. As the phasedown of HFCs continue, the goal of this project is to provide a seamless transition between the two agents for sustaining the Army ground vehicle portfolio with no impact to the safety and survivability of its Soldier operators.
Josh Fritsch, team lead for GVSC’s Fire Protection Team, said the project is further propelling the safety standards of Soldiers across the Army’s ground vehicles.
“This project continues to advance technology that will enhance warfighter safety in our ground vehicle applications,” Fritsch said. “Continued evaluation in conjunction with the Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen (DCPH-A) and future implementation will ensure mission readiness through a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution that provides superior fire protection, meeting all stringent Army performance and safety requirements while being lighter weight, more cost effective and easier to support logistically.”
Following initial tests of this readily available agent using a novel integration technique, the next proposed step would be to develop a production solution for a selected military platform and continue the test and evaluation process. Before the agent can be implemented, further vehicle testing, modeling and simulation will be required to effectively integrate and distribute the alternative agent throughout the vehicle. Final evaluations will be conducted with live-fire testing of the agent onboard the vehicle, providing final recommendations to vehicle Program Offices.
The GVSC Fire Protection Team’s efforts is a prime example of how the protection of Soldier operators within the Army’s ground vehicles remains paramount to GVSC. Survivability and protection scientists, engineers and researchers at GVSC constantly evaluate current and future protection systems that place the warfighter out of harm’s way, further enabling success as GVSC delivers the next generation of ground vehicle systems.
“With nearly all Army ground vehicles relying on high global warming potential chemicals or ozone-depleting substances for fire protection, GVSC is proud to be able to deliver a potential alternative solution that will continue to save the lives of our warfighters while being environmentally friendly and sustainable for the foreseeable future,” Fritsch said.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.25.2024 16:39 |
| Story ID: | 477046 |
| Location: | WARREN, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 273 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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