Ventilation Controlled Fires: Smoke Obscuration and Venting in Cable Fire Tests

The U.S. Navy has accumulated over 211 years of experience coping with ship fires. Despite this history and a strong tradition of fire fighting, some of the simple questions about fire characteristics and the suppression of compartment fires still defy the experts. This report is concerned with three of these areas of uncertainty. How do fires in forced ventilation compartments behave when extemporaneous holes are introduced in the bulkheads andor decks by enemy action or the efforts of fire fighters trying to ventilate the space or apply an agent to the fire When should ship compartment fires be sealed and when should they be ventilated to remove smoke and heat so the firemen can reach the seat of the fire How do smoke and the hot combustion products behave during fire suppression efforts with water, particularly how do drop size and spray pattern disturb the fire environment and alter the thermal insult experienced by the fire fighters