Lidar measurements of solid rocket propellant fire particle plumes

Abstract

This paper presents the first, to our knowledge, direct measurement of aerosol produced by an aluminized solid rocket propellant (SRP) fire on the ground. Such fires produce aluminum oxide particles small enough to loft high into the atmosphere and disperse over a wide area. These results can be applied to spacecraft launchpad accidents that expose spacecraft to such fires; during these fires, there is concern that some of the plutonium from the spacecraft power system will be carried with the aerosols. Accident-related lofting of this material would be the net result of many contributing processes that are currently being evaluated. To resolve the complexity of fire processes, a self-consistent model of the ground-level and upper-level parts of the plume was determined by merging ground-level optical measurements of the fire with lidar measurements of the aerosol plume at height during a series of SRP fire tests that simulated propellant fire accident scenarios. On the basis of the measurements and model results, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) team was able to estimate the amount of aluminum oxide (alumina) lofted into the atmosphere above the fire. The quantification of this ratio is critical for a complete understanding of accident scenarios, because contaminants are transported through the plume. This paper provides an estimate for the mass of alumina lofted into the air.

NADPH Oxidase 3: Beyond the Inner Ear

“…A similar research topic was investigated by Shahtaheri et al The group investigated the effects of white noise in combination with aluminum oxide (Al 2 -O 3 ) nanoparticles (AO-NPs) on the cochlear structure in rats [769]. AO-NPs are widely used as thermal insulation material [770], and the exposure to workers that are involved in AO-NPs manufacturing [771][772][773] is correlated with many harmful effects on workers' health [774][775][776]. Additionally, workers are often exposed to extreme noise levels.…”

Critical Review on Toxicological Mechanisms Triggered by Inhalation of Alumina Nanoparticles on to the Lungs

“…Al 2 O 3 NPs are produced in huge quantities as by-products of water treatment (water treatment residuals), bauxite processing (red mud), and hard and brown coal burning in power plants (fly ash) [ 2 ]. Welding fumes and propellant combustion residues also seem to be the main sources of Al 2 O 3 NPs occupational exposures [ 3 , 4 ]. Nanoparticle forms are particularly studied in toxicological research because of their increasing use and the concerns they raise.…”

Black carbon aerosol number and mass concentration measurements by picosecond short-range elastic backscatter lidar

“…Generally, EBL instruments are rarely used for short-range applications due to an incomplete overlap between the outgoing laser beam and the receiver field-of-view. Environmental and air quality applications [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] have recently raised a need for aerosol characterization close to the emission source, which is driving a decreasing to the minimal measurement-range in EBL technology.…”