Selection of Appropriate Clean Fire Suppression Agents in Aircraft Cargo Compartments by Ranking System

Appropriate Halon-free fire suppression agents for aircraft cargo compartments are important in civil aviation safety. There are many products available and selecting an appropriate agent for civil aircraft cargo compartments under specific requirements is important and will be discussed. An in-depth analysis of the technical characteristics and updated research achievements of clean fire suppression agents are reviewed first. Advantages, limitations, and application feasibility of clean fire suppression agents for cargo compartments are included with quantitative evaluation of their comprehensive attributes. A ranking system is proposed to select appropriate suppressants by considering their environmental impact, fire extinguishment efficiency, airworthiness, and safety. Two approaches were introduced with the first quantitatively evaluating all four performance areas of agents through weight allocations. The second approach excludes environmental performance as Halon is to be substituted. Only the remaining three areas are included and compared with Halon. The integrated application of a ranking system provides a reference example for selecting fire suppression agents for aircraft cargo compartments. Based on the above selected approaches, the optimal substitute suppression agents are Novec 1230/N2, 2-BTP/CO2, and Novec 1230/(CF3CF2)3N for this example. Future development will also be guided by the dynamically updatable ranking system, which provides a pathway from technical screening to engineering design. Theoretical guidance for selecting suitable clean fire suppression agents can be achieved for aircraft cargo compartments.