1. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
28 August 2010
FAMA SUBCOMMITTEE FOR PUMPS AND PLUMBING
JOHN HAWK, P.E. (AFRL-TYNDALL AFB, FLORIDA)
KRIS COZART (APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES)

2. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DOUGLAS DIERDORF, PH.D. (ARA)
MICHAEL MCDONALD, P.E. (ARA)
JENNIFER SCHROEDER (Fire Science Solutions, LLC )

3. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
CAVEATS:
AFRL does not set standards or performance requirements for the Air Force or DoD.
All of the data presented are for JP8 pool fires, and the results should not be extrapolated to wild land, structure, or other class A fires.
AFRL does not endorse any specific equipment or manufacturer.
19 November 2018

4. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
Outline of this Presentation 1st Comparative evaluation of agents done in Fire Extinguishing Effectiveness Tests. 2nd Data from field evaluations of modified P-19 ARFF vehicles equipped with UHP. 3rd Data from running fuel fire tests comparing UHP to Halon 1211.

5. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
AFRL Fire Extinguishing Effectiveness Tests (FEET)
Objective: Develop a science based methodology to compare the effectiveness of compressed air foam (CAF), combined agent fire fighting system (CAFFS*), and ultra high pressure (UHP) technologies with the existing AFFF crash rescue technology. (*Compressed air foam combined with dry chemical in a William’s Hydro-Chem™ nozzle.)
Location: Tyndall Air Force Base (FL).
Measure of Performance: gallons of agent to extinguish a pool fire per square foot of fire surface area.

6. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
METHODS & PROCEDURES:
JP8 pool fires on water.
Surface areas of 880, 3500, 5200 and 6600 square feet.
Fuel depth of ¼ inch.
Pre-burn until fully involved over entire area.
Wind from the rear of the vehicle +/-30 degrees and speed ≤7 mph.

7. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
METHODS & PROCEDURES:
Flow Rates: Baseline AFFF/water* 250 gpm 500 gpm CAF gpm 220 gpm CAFFS Foam gpm 220 gpm Dry Chem 3lb/sec 7.5 lb/sec UHPS gpm 100 gpm
* Baseline AFFF/water tests were done using a P-19 (NFPA compliant ARFF vehicle)

8. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
METHODS & PROCEDURES:
The CAF system was adjusted to an expansion ratio of six to eight at high and low flow.
For CAFFS tests, both agents were discharged simultaneously and continuously. The nozzle was modified to maintain system pressure while operating at low flow.
The nozzles on the UHP system were designed at AFRL. Turret capability was achieved by mounting the nozzle on an Elkhart Brass Sidewinder® turret.

9. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
METHODS & PROCEDURES:
CAF and CAFFS trials were randomized by system as well as by flow rates.
UHPS trials were randomized by flow rates.
Randomizing fire sizes and vehicles would have required a significant amount of additional time and labor and therefore were not arbitrary from trial to trial.

10. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
CAF/CAFFS
P-19
UHP

11. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
DATA AND RESULTS
Application Rate g a l / s q . f t F r e u n c y 1 2 8 6 4 C A S P - 9 U H 7 3 D v 5 N M o m i b : h d ( w )

12. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
DATA AND RESULTS
Extinguishing Method
Number of Tests
(minus outliers)
Quantitative Agent Requirement
(P 19 = 100%)
Application Rate for Extinguishing
(gal/ft2)
98% Confidence Level
P 19 AFFF Standard 22
100 %
0.044
± 0.030
Ultra High Pressure 20
29 %
0.014
± 0.006
Compressed Air Foam 26
57 %
0.028
± 0.011
Combined Agent Fire Fighting System 27
67 %
0.027
± 0.019

13. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF CENTRIFUGAL ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE (UHP) P-19s
AFRL Report number AFRL-RX-TY-TR available from Google search or DTIC at
Objective: demonstrate reliability, fire fighting effectiveness, and ease of operation of centrifugal pump UHP technology for firefighters in the field.
Locations: Davis-Monthan (AZ), Dyess (TX), Ellsworth (SD), Mountain Home (ID) and Tyndall (FL) Air Force Bases. (Various sizes of pool fires and weather conditions.)
Measure of Performance: gallons of agent to extinguish a pool fire per square foot of fire surface area.

14. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
Five prototype trucks were made for field evaluations. USAF P-19s were modified to include:
300 gpm / 1300 psi UHP turret
300 gpm CAF/CAFFS turret
20 gpm UHP handline, and
45 gpm CAF/CAFFS handline.

15. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
DATA AND RESULTS
Extinguishing Method
Application Rate for Extinguishing
(gal/ft2)
Prototype P-19
Handline
Turret
FEET
P 19 AFFF Standard -
±0.030
Ultra High Pressure
±0.004
±0.026
±0.006
Compressed Air Foam
±0.005
±0.051
±0.011
Combined Agent Fire Fighting System
±0.007
±0.044
±0.019

16. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
THREE DIMENSIONAL RUNNING FUEL FIRES
Objective: Evaluate UHP AFFF as a potential replacement for the current 150 lb flight line extinguisher, which is filled with HALON 1211 and is used at both DoD and civil aviation facilities.
Location: Tyndall Air Force Base (FL).
Measure of Performance: Percent of fires extinguished by UHP AFFF extinguisher comparable in size to the existing Halon 1211 flight line extinguisher.
UHPS flight line extinguisher designed by AFRL holds 10 gallons of premixed AFFF in a 20 gallon tank and discharges at a rate of about 7 gpm at a regulated pressure close to 1100 psi.

17. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
DATA AND RESULTS
Extinguishing Method
Fires Extinguished
Average Extinguishing Time
Average Agent Used
Number of Trials
Halon lb Flight Line Extinguisher
92%
14 sec
47 lbs 25
UHP (1100 psi) AFFF 20 gal Flight Line Extinguisher
60%
62 sec
60 lbs 5

18. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
SUMMARY
In controlled laboratory tests, UHP extinguished JP-8 pool fires using about one-third of the agent as compared to conventional turret application.
USAF P-19’s retrofitted with 300 gpm UHP turret and tested under field conditions performed comparably to the UHP system tested in the laboratory.
In controlled laboratory tests, UHP AFFF at 7 gpm extinguished 60% of the JP-8 three dimensional fires as compared to a success rate of 92% for a comparable Halon 1211 extinguisher.
AFRL has conducted no controlled laboratory evaluations of UHP on class A or structure fires, but there are plans to conduct evaluations in the future.

19. ULTRA HIGH PRESSURE TEST AND EVALUATION ON CLASS B (JP8) FIRES
Contact Information
Craig Mellerski or John Hawk, AFRL
Steven Wells or Kris Cozart, Applied Research Associates, Inc