Experimental Study of Fire Containment Using Fabric Curtains in a Reduced-Scale Deck of a Ro–Ro Ship

Abstract

The possibility to subdivide a deck of a ro-ro ship to contain heat and smoke by means of a fabric curtain descending from the ceiling (i.e., the deckhead) is studied experimentally using a reduced-scale experimental setup. As an important part of the study, the requirements of the international convention of Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) are investigated for so-called ‘open ro-ro decks’ in comparison with ‘closed ro-ro decks’. To analyse the experiments, sensors are used to measure the opacity levels as well as the gas temperatures and concentrations. These measurements helped quantify the degree of stratification of the smoke, its concentration of soot, and carbon monoxide levels, making it possible to analyze the effects of containment induced by the fabric curtain. The results show that the fabric curtain considerably reduces the gas temperatures and the soot concentration upstream of the curtain if it descends completely (i.e., to the floor level), while it does not disturb the stratification of smoke. The containment of smoke is more enhanced when multiple fabric curtains are used, and a comparison with a water curtain shows that the fabric curtain offers better smoke containment. Finally, the most optimal containment effect is achieved using a system that combines a fabric curtain with a water curtain.