ISSN: 1546-962X
CODEN: JAIOAD
Published Online: 31 August 2009
Page Count: 5

Electrical Arc Ignition Testing for Common Handheld Electrical Devices in Oxygen-Enriched Atmosphere

Sparks, Kyle
Mechanical Engineer, NASA Test and Evaluation Contract, Las Cruces, NM

Gallus, Timothy
Chemical Engineer, NASA Test and Evaluation Contract, Las Cruces, NM

Smith, Sarah
Project Manager, NASA Test and Evaluation Contract, Las Cruces, NM

(Received 11 December 2008; accepted 12 June 2009)

Abstract

Electrical arc ignition is a concern for materials used in low pressure oxygen-enriched environments such as inside spacecraft. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center requested that the NASA White Sands Test Facility conduct arc ignition tests to evaluate the hazard of electrical arc ignition of materials that could be in close proximity to batteries for the Constellation Program. Wire-break electrical arc tests were performed to determine the current threshold for ignition of generic cotton with a fixed voltage of 3.7 V, a common voltage for handheld electrical devices. These tests were performed in 34 % oxygen at varying pressures.

Keywords:
oxygen, electrical arc ignition, flammability materials testing, handheld electrical devices

Paper ID: JAI102284
DOI: 10.1520/JAI102284
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