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Experiments Using the MDCA

 
CFI
The CFI project scientists have devised a method to generate cool flames in the laboratory with a heated metal sphere held over evaporating Di-Ethyl Ether. This test method will allow the CFI engineering team to replicate certain aspects of the space flight test on the ground in order to test and verify the capabilities of the new CIR intensified camera before flight.

CFI

Cool Flames Investigation (CFI) Cool flames are a very unique chemical phenomenon that can occur when many hydrocarbons and related fuels are heated in the presence of air. Cool flames are especially unique in that their chemical reaction rate first increases and then decreases with increasing temperature; this is somewhat counterintuitive and means that these … Read the rest ⇢

FLEX
FLEX Chamber Insert Assembly Apparatus.

FLEX

Flame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX) The Flame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX) experiment was designed to assess and quantify the effectiveness of inert-gas suppressants in microgravity and obtain the most conservative estimate of the limiting oxygen index for steady combustion. FLEX is studying the behavior of near-limit diffusion flames examining in detail liquid- and gas-phase transport and chemical … Read the rest ⇢

FLEX-2
FLEX-2 – FLame Extinguishment Experiment 2 – monitors the burning process of small fuel droplets to study the unique characteristics of fire in microgravity. The experiments looks at the rate and manner the fuel burns and the conditions that are necessary for soot to form.

FLEX-2

Flame Extinguishment Experiment-2 (FLEX-2) The second in the FLEX series of experiments, the FLEX-2 investigation uses fuels and environmental conditions that mimic real combustor conditions. The investigation will extend and advance the research into droplet combustion, studying the influence of sub-buoyant convective flows on combustion rates, determining the influence of a second burning droplet on … Read the rest ⇢

FLEX-2J
NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren replaces items inside the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus found during the station’s Combustion Integration Rack (CIR)/FLame Extinguishment Experiment (FLEX)-2J Fiber Replace operations. The CIR houses hardware capable of performing combustion experiments to further research of combustion in microgravity.

FLEX-2J

Flame Extinguishment Experiment -2 JAXA (FLEX-2J) The FLEX-2J experiment is a joint effort between NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, as well as Nihon University and Yamaguchi University. Derived from the JAXA Group Combustion Experiment science objectives, the FLEX-2J will complement those goals using the NASA FLEX-2 hardware and combustion facilities on ISS. FLEX-2J … Read the rest ⇢

FLEX-ICE-GA
NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Expedition 34 flight engineer, services the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.

FLEX-ICE-GA

FLEX-Italian Combustion Experiment for Green Air (FLEX-ICE-GA) The FLEX-Italian Combustion Experiment for Green Air will test surrogate fuels as defined by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) within the CIR in the FLEX-2 configuration. A collaborative agreement between U.S. and Italian scientists from the Italian National Research Council–Istituto Motori will allow collaboration on research into biologically … Read the rest ⇢

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Contact Information

Project Manager: John M. Hickman, NASA GRC
john.m.hickman@nasa.gov
216-977-7105

Project Scientist: Dr. Daniel Dietrich, NASA GRC
daniel.l.dietrich@nasa.gov
216-433-8759

Principal Investigator Team: Prof. Forman Williams, UCSD (lead)
faw@ames.ucsd.edu

Prof. Frederick Dryer, Princeton
fldryer@princeton.edu

Prof. Mun Choi, Drexel University
choi@drexel.edu

Prof. Benjamin Shaw, UC-Davis
bdshaw@ucdavis.edu

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