2019-07-032019-07-032019-07-07ICES_2019_188https://hdl.handle.net/2346/84955Rosa Padilla, Universities Space Research Associates (USRA), USADaniel Dietrich, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USAKelly Lynch, University of Kentucky, USAAlfredo Juarez, Jacobs Engineering Group, USASusana Harper, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USAChristopher Nagel, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USAGary Ruff, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USADavid Urban, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), USAICES509: Fire Safety in Spacecraft and Enclosed HabitatsThe 49th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 07 July 2019 through 11 July 2019.An accidental fire involving the Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) battery in a laptop computer is one of the most likely fire scenarios on-board a spacecraft. These fires can occur from a defect in the battery that worsens with time, over-charging the battery and leading to failure or accidental damage caused by thermal runaway. While this is a relatively likely fire scenario, very little is known about the how a laptop computer fire would impact a sealed spacecraft. The heat release would likely cause a pressure rise, possibly exceeding the pressure limit of the vehicle and causing a relief valve to open. The combustion products from the fire could pose a short-term and long-term health hazard to the crew and the fire itself could cause injury to the crew and damage to the spacecraft. Despite the hazard posed by a laptop fire, there is little quantitative data on the fire size, heat release and toxic product formation. This paper presents the results of initial attempts to quantify the fire resulting from a failed laptop battery tested at the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF). The fire size and characteristics such as maximum heat release rate, total heat release, maximum temperatures and fire duration are determined. Using existing models and correlations for fires, the measured fire characteristics are extrapolated to laptop fires on a vehicle the approximate size of the Orion spacecraft.application/pdfengFire SafetyLaptop FireLithium-Ion Battery FirePresentation