Initial Burn Pan (JMTF) Testing Results

The goal of this series of tests, described in this report, was to re-establish the in-situ burn ISB capabilities at the Joint Maritime Test Facility JMTF with the intent to provide a test bed for future research and equipment development. The capability was originally established in 1998 to develop an American Society of Testing and Materials ASTM standard for fire-resistant boom. It had not been used for over 15 years and was almost completely destroyed when hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005. To achieve the goal to restore the facility, the USCG Research and Development Center RDC, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement BSEE, and the US Naval Research Laboratory NRL assembled a team with the needed diverse experience covering full scale fire testing, in-situ burning and the spectrum of navigational aspects of performing these burnsfunctions at sea. The burn pan was refurbished by repairing, re-leveling, plugging potential leaks and painting. A system to deliver fuel to the pan for testing was developed and installed. Sensors and video cameras connected to a data collection system were also installed and a test plan based on the ASTM standard was developed. Three burns increasing in size were conducted lasting about 10 minutes, 35 minutes and 60 minutes respectively. Data was recorded using video, still cameras, thermocouples and air monitoring sensors. Support was supplied by the Gulf Strike Team GST and other partners including Sector Mobile, Station Dauphin Island and the Alabama Port Authority. The burns were completed without any problems or mishaps. The information collected will be used to complete the refurbishment and develop test plans and operating procedures for future use of the facility to meet USCG and BSEE objectives.