Flame In Space

Flames act differently in space so fire safety is also different.

Flame in space. This causes as flame in space to burn blue and much cooler. In space a flame is shaped like a sphere instead of a teardrop and it doesn t flicker. In space flames burn at a lower temperature and use less oxygen whose move randomly before becoming the source of fire.

Cool flames burn at the relatively low temperature of 500k to 800k says williams. Ordinary visible fire burns at a high temperature between 1500k and 2000k. Now a new experiment designed built and managed at nasa s glenn research center will ignite an understanding of microgravity fire on a much larger scale.

Without the hot gases rising due to the lack of gravity the flame takes the. Since no flow of air replaces the oxygen that is burnt only random oxygen molecules make it to the flame. But odd things happen in space where gravity loses its grip on solids liquids and gases.

A scientist at nasa explained. In space molecular diffusion draws oxygen to the flame and combustion products away from the flame at a rate 100 times slower than the buoyant flow on earth said dan dietrich flex project. If you see a fire on earth you might run over and stomp it out or use a fire extinguisher.

In orbit rushing over and stomping on a flame might accelerate combustion at least temporarily because you are creating an airflow that did not exist before. The slow flow of air from the fans mixing the air in a spacecraft can make the flames burn even faster. The spacecraft fire experiment known as saffire is a series of experiments to be launched on three different flights beginning in march.

This means that materials used to extinguish the fire must be present in higher concentrations. Such orbs are called flame balls a term that is. Flames in space burn with a lower temperature at a lower rate and with less oxygen than in normal gravity.