TO
EXTINGUISH A HOT FLAME, DARPA STUDIED COLD PLASMA
DARPA
performers demonstrate techniques to manipulate and extinguish small flames
locally using electric and acoustic suppression; results could benefit
combustion research
Fire in
enclosed military environments such as ship holds, aircraft cockpits and ground
vehicles is a major cause of material destruction and jeopardizes the lives of
warfighters. For example, a shipboard fire on the aircraft carrier USS George
Washington in May 2008 burned for 12 hours and caused an estimated $70 million
in damage. For nearly 50 years, despite the severity of the threat from fire,
no new methods for extinguishing or manipulating fire were developed. In 2008,
DARPA launched the Instant Fire Suppression (IFS) program to develop a
fundamental understanding of fire with the aim of transforming approaches to
firefighting.
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