FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
PUBLICATIONS
AVIATION MEDICINE REPORTS

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-95/17

Title and Subtitle: The Potential for Pulmonary Heat Injury Resulting From the Activation of a Cabin Water Spray System to Fight Aircraft Cabin Fires, N95-29224

Report Date: May 1995

Authors: Garner, R.P.

Abstract: A cabin water spray system (CWSS) has been suggested as a means of attenuating the severity of smoke and fire commonly associated with aircraft accidents. All aspects of passenger and cabin safety must be considered when evaluating a new safety system or concept. The purposes of this report are to briefly review the pathophysiological changes occurring in the respiratory system as a result of thermal injury and to quantitatively estimate the risk of creating a more hazardous cabin environment by activation of CWSS. Changes in the heat content of the cabin atmosphere resulting from CWSS activation were calculated using parameters consistent with current aircraft and proposals for CWSS design. The results suggest that only a very small volume of the aircraft cabin would have an increase in heat content that could result in thermal injury.

Key Words: Aviation, Thermal injury, Respiratory system, Cabin water spray system

No. of Pages: 11