Browse Topic: Fire
The design, testing, and analysis of a Guided Autorotative Delivery System (GADS) for suppression of incipient wildfires is described. The GADS consists of an unpowered 1 m diameter rotor, a control unit, and a payload of 2.2 kg of fire suppressant powder. On release from a fixed-wing UAV, the rotor passively deploys and enters autorotation, decelerating the payload and allowing precise delivery of the suppressant using cyclic pitch control. A numerical model of the system was developed to calculate the trajectory of the GADS during rotor deployment and descent, in the presence of ambient wind and cyclic pitch inputs. A reduced-scale model of the rotor was tested in a wind tunnel, and an uncontrolled full-scale, 1.5 kg prototype of the GADS was fabricated and tested by dropping from a hovering quadcopter as well as a fixed-wing UAV. The full-scale drop experiments validated the deployment and autorotation stability of the system, and demonstrated that the GADS maintains descent velocities suitable for incipient fire suppression (≈ 5 m/s). Numerical predictions indicate that the GADS descent trajectory can be controlled with cyclic pitch in an ambient crosswind of at least 5 m/s (10 kts). Measurements captured during the drop tests using onboard instrumentation show good qualitative agreement with numerical predictions. Future work will include drop tests with remotely controlled cyclic pitch, followed by fully autonomous controlled descent. The study establishes design guidelines for guided autorotative systems and illustrates their potential for scalable UAV-based wildfire suppression or emergency response.
Flight simulations are critical for aerial firefighting training, but realistic modelling of aircraft-atmosphere interactions within fire scenarios is particularly challenging. To this end, a two-way-coupled flight simulation system, the Daedalus I framework, has been developed at the University of Glasgow for helicopter firefighting research applications. This paper presents the initial results from flight experiments conducted with different coupling schemes between the rotorcraft model and the GPU-accelerated Lattice Boltzmann atmosphere model within the system. The two-way coupling scheme was first validated using an isolated, transient rotor case. To quantify differences in pilot control and strategy between the two-way, fully-coupled rotor-atmosphere method and two (2) one-way, superposition-based coupling methods, a series of flight experiments were conducted using the bimodal modification of the McRuer pilot model representing human pilot controls, in conjunction with objective performance metrics. The results highlighted noticeable changes in helicopter behaviours and pilot responses across the three tested coupling methods, with the two-way coupling method showing the most resistance to the generated fire disturbance.
In response to the 42nd (2025) Annual VFS Student Design Competition, the Graduate Student Design Team from the University of Maryland introduces Wyvern, a novel hydrogen-powered electric compound rotor-craft engineered for maximum loiter and operational safety. Named after a mythical dragon that defies convention by not breathing fire, Wyvern only breathes water vapor by forgoing hydrocarbon combustion in favor of the quiet and clean power of hydrogen. This design reflects not only an aeronautical solution to an engineering challenge but a greater aspiration to reshaping how practical and clean vertical flight can be achieved.
New research from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering has solved a major battery mystery that has led to capacity degradation, shortened lifespan and, in some cases, fire.
This paper carried out the fire failure analysis of valve-regulated lead-acid battery in communication equipment room. Through disassembly and observation of the battery and iron frame of battery cabinet in the area of fire origin, we obtained the key residual traces and used the physical and chemical analysis methods such as macroscopic/microscopic morphology, EDS, X-ray and metallographic, it was finally judged that the leakage of the battery electrolyte lead to the connection of the battery electrode plate and the iron frame and subsequently the electric heating fault caused the fire accident. Furthermore, we put forward some suggestions according to the existing problems, which may contribute to the prevention of similar failures.
India's electric 2-wheeler (E2W) market has witnessed fast growth, driven by lucrative government policies. The two-wheeler segment dominates the Indian automotive market, accounting for the largest share of total sales. Consequently, the manufacturers of 2-wheelers are developing new electric vehicles (EV) tailored for the Indian market. However, the Indian EV market has witnessed multiple fire accidents in recent years, raising safety concerns among consumers and industry stakeholders. These incidents highlight key weakness in battery thermal management systems (BTMS), particularly during charging. Most existing E2W BTMS relies on passive (natural) air cooling, which has been associated with fire incidents due to its inefficiency in heat dissipation, particularly during charging in India's high-temperature environment. Therefore, it is imperative to build thermally viable and economical BTMS for the growing E2W vehicles with fast charging capability. FEV is actively developing the thermally efficient and cost-effective BTMS solutions tailored for Indian E2Ws operating in extreme climatic conditions. The present study evaluates a novel approach of integrating heat carrier plates into the E2W with 3.6 kWh battery pack, which is analyzed under natural and forced air cooling system. The airtight battery pack is located under the floorboard region. The multiple internal heat carrier plates models are developed and integrated with aligned and staggered cell arrangement to evaluate heat dissipation and temperature uniformity with the battery pack. The study further proposes a concept of duct and fan placement for the application during forced air cooling. The simulations are performed at a high ambient temperature of 45 °C, representing a worst-case scenario in India, using charging rates of 0.2 C for natural cooling and 0.35 C for forced cooling. The results show that the aligned cell model with 4-heat carrier plates achieve superior temperature distribution across cells, with a lower average module temperature of 49.6 °C, minimal temperature gradient of 1.3°C and reduced maximum cell temperature of 50 °C, under natural cooling. In forced air-cooling mode, the split air duct model provides better cooling over the battery cover surfaces with maximum temperature of 55 °C with ΔT of 4°C. The study also presents comprehensive details of modelling approaches and outlines the scope of further research for developing thermally efficient BTMS for E2Ws.
A panel of four battery testing experts from different fields agreed that large scale fire testing, as called for in a proposed update to testing standard UL 9540A, could help address confusion among consumers, battery companies and insurers. Moderated by LaTanya Schwalb, principal engineer for energy and industrial automation at UL Solutions, the panel discussion held at the Battery Show North America underscored the need for a current standard and for standards to adapt more quickly to new battery chemistries and technologies.
Direct current (DC) systems are increasingly used in small power system applications ranging from combined heat and power plants aided with photovoltaic (PV) installations to powertrains of small electric vehicles. A critical safety issue in these systems is the occurrence of series arc faults, which can lead to fires due to high temperatures. This paper presents a model-based method for detecting such faults in medium- and high-voltage DC circuits. Unlike traditional approaches that rely on high-frequency signal analysis, the proposed method uses a physical circuit model and a high-gain observer to estimate deviations from nominal operation. The detection criterion is based on the variance of a disturbance estimate, allowing fast and reliable fault identification. Experimental validation is conducted using a PV system with an arc generator to simulate faults. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method in distinguishing fault events from normal operating variations. The method is compared with a recursive least squares estimator, showing improved performance in terms of sensitivity. The approach offers a cost-effective and robust solution to improve safety in DC power systems, particularly in PV and electric mobility applications.
NASA has developed a new technology to track the status of, and changes to, enterprise level programmatic operations. Enterprise decision making and operations rely on management of non-traditional configuration management (CM) components like estimates, agreements, goals, policies, etc. Additionally, enterprise operations have unique and diverse contexts/ environments such as reviews, workshops, fire drills, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congressional actions, procurements, etc.
Author turns classroom quest into a tome for anyone who wants to engineer safer cars. A seasoned engineer with a multi-discipline background in electronics, manufacturing systems, and forensic analysis, Erbis Biscarri brought decades of experience to the topic of automotive safety in his latest work. Biscarri's book, Fires in Conventional and Electrified Vehicles: Theory, Prevention, and Analysis, published by SAE International, offers a comprehensive guide to one of the industry's most pressing challenges: vehicle fire safety. In addition to technical analysis, Biscarri said, the book helps clarify common misconceptions, especially those surrounding electric vehicle fires, by grounding the discussion in documented incident data and established technological principles.
From a quick access port to help firefighters fight EV battery fires faster to preventing public charger vandalism, here are some safety developments that haven't made the big headlines. Most of the news surrounding EV technological development in the past year has been around batteries and charging capacity. But engineers have also been busy working on security and safety issues, from charging stations to finding ways for firefighters to better douse fires. We've rounded up a few of the most notable and novel efforts below.
New smart sensors can help detect dangerous internal failures in lithium-ion batteries before they escalate into fires or explosions, say researchers from the University of Surrey. Lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of the global shift to electric vehicles and renewable energy — but when they fail, the results can be devastating.
Forest fire prevention and control agencies in São Carlos, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, will soon have help from the sky to detect fires more quickly and combat them before they grow out of control and cannot be extinguished.
This document is reissued for application to helicopters.
Hydrogen-electric vertical takeoff and landing (H2eVTOL) (or fuel cell-electric VTOL) aircraft technologies are poised to emerge in the next coming decades and start operating from existing heliports and new vertiports. This paper assesses how key H2eVTOL design features interact with the ground infrastructure and how facility designers can address H2eVTOL specific facility requirements–especially the supply of hydrogen to the aircraft. Vertiport design should maximize compatibility are important to facilitate the accommodation of hydrogen technologies, minimize the need for extensive capital investments, and promote safety and operational efficiency. Considerations should be given to factors such as general aircraft configuration, electric and hybrid propulsion systems, and refueling infrastructure. The definition of notional aircraft concepts representing the evolution of critical VTOL aircraft over the next coming decades can help aviation facility planners and designers understand the type of vehicles they need to account for and also evaluate the future hydrogen demand. The lack of aviation-specific standards, especially when it comes to fire prevention, might adversely impact vertiports. Strategies are proposed for mitigating the effects of hydrogen operations at space-constrained facilities.
The emergence of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) air vehicles is transforming how people and freight are moved in short distances. This transformation has a profound impact on surrounding infrastructure necessary to provide Aircraft On Ground support for eVTOLs. The hover capabilities of eVTOLs have similar operating characteristics within terminal and uncontrolled airspace. However, the need to conserve battery energy via rapid approaches and departures affects terminal airspace management. To attract eVTOL operators, existing airports, landing zones, and vertiports are modifying their infrastructure to include fixed electric charging stations, additional taxiways, upgraded fire suppression systems, separate hangers, and capable MRO facilities. Augusta Regional Airport (KAGS) is the base airport for the annual Masters Golf Tournament which experiences five times the normal airport traffic and some 40,000 commuting patrons. eVTOLs can offset land traffic issues associated with commuters and supplies. Since KAGS is centroid to 32,000 square miles of territory void of major highways, basing eVTOLs can offer expedited transit services for people and goods which will have a profound impact on the economic viability and quality of life in the area.
This study numerically investigates the relationship between airspeed, drop height, and ground water coverage during helicopter-based aerial firefighting. With the effect of global warming and human activities the threat of forest fires has increased and finding optimal water dumping strategies for effective suppression is a crucial part of the firefighting operations. How varying airspeed and water drop height influence water dispersion and ground coverage has been analyzed utilizing numerical simulations with the VOF model in STAR-CCM+. Findings show that to maximize firefighting efficiency, balancing two contradicting phenomena is essential. These are, minimizing ineffective mist formation due to high drop height/high airspeed and fueling of the fire from rotor downwash due to low height/low airspeed passing by over the fire zone.
With the exponential rise in drone activity, safely managing low-flying airspace has become challenging — especially in highly populated areas. Just last month an unauthorized drone collided with a ‘Super Scooper’ aircraft above the Los Angeles wildfires, grounding the aircraft for several days and hampering the firefighting efforts.
Conventional solid polymer electrolyte batteries perform poorly due to structural limitations that hinder an optimal electrode contact. This could not eliminate the issue of “dendrites”, where lithium grows in tree-like structures during repeated charging and discharging cycles. Dendrites are a critical issue, as an irregular lithium growth can disrupt battery connections, potentially causing fires and explosions.
Batteries in electric vehicles can fail quickly, sometimes catching fire without much warning. Sandia National Laboratories is working to detect these failures early and provide sufficient warning time to vehicle occupants.
Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have designed a pneumatic nail penetration trigger system that drives a Li-ion battery cell into thermal runaway using a tungsten nail. By creating a targeted rupture in a battery cell’s outer casing, researchers can initiate an exothermic chain reaction within the battery, much like a short circuit, causing a spike in temperature that can lead to battery failure, fire or explosion.
Nowadays, there are many technologies emerging like firefighting robots, quadcopters, and drones which are capable of operating in hazardous disaster scenarios. In recent years, fire emergencies have become an increasingly serious problem, leading to hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, and the destruction of property worth millions of dollars. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India recorded approximately 1,218 fire incidents resulting in 1,694 deaths in 2020 alone. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that fires account for around 265,000 deaths each year, with the majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The existing fire-extinguishing systems are often inefficient and lack proper testing, causing significant delays in firefighting efforts. These delays become even more critical in situations involving high-rise buildings or bushfires, where reaching the affected areas is particularly challenging. The leading causes of fires include electrical faults, open flames, and negligence, with a notable percentage stemming from cooking-related incidents. This research introduces a prototype of a quadcopter designed to extinguish fires, which is equipped with a mechanism for releasing balls. The prototype utilizes experimental items to mimic fire-suppressing balls, establishing a basis for potential applications in firefighting technology.
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