The bilge sprinkling system is located in the
tanks by manually dumping AFFF concentrate from
5-gallon containers via a fill connection.
main and auxiliary machinery spaces with the sprinkler
heads installed below the lower level deck plates.
AFFF TESTING EQUIPMENT
Overhead sprinkling is installed in the overhead of helo
and hangar bays, well decks, vehicle cargo holds, and
AFFF concentrate and AFFF/seawater solution
fuel pump rooms. Some diesel-powered ships have the
must be tested periodically to ensure that the fire party
overhead sprinkler system installed in the main
has an effective agent to combat class BRAVO fires. To
machinery space.
a c c o m p l i s h t h e t e s t , y o u m u s t h ave a b a s i c
The flush-deck system uses the countermeasure
understanding of the equipment used to conduct the
test. The testing equipment includes the hand
washdown flush-deck nozzles to discharge AFFF/water
refractometer and the quantab chloride titrator strip.
solution during flight deck and helo deck fires. This
capability is currently available to all aircraft carriers,
Refractometer
helicopter carriers, and some auxiliary and combatant
ships.
The hand refractometer gives accurate readings of
The deck-edge sprinkler sprays AFFF/water
total dissolved solids in aqueous solutions. If an AFFF
generating system is tested according to procedures,
solution over the flight deck of aircraft carriers and
the refractometer reading indicates the percent of
helicopter carriers. The system consists of spray nozzles
solids present. For the readings to be meaningful, you
that are positioned at the deck-edge combing of the port
must draw samples from the same water source and
and starboard sides on helicopter and flight decks. The
AFFF concentrate service tank that were used to
nozzles project the AFFF/water solution across the deck
generate the AFFF/water solution. For example, if a
in an arc pattern to spray over the top of the burning fuel
ship has 20 AFFF generating systems, then you must
and aircraft.
take 20 AFFF concentrate samples and 20 AFFF/water
solution samples.
AFFF TRANSFER SYSTEM
Use the refractometer to determine the percent of
AFFF generating stations use large volumes of
solids present in the aqueous solution samples. Once
AFFF concentrate during fire fighting. The service tank
you have the readings, you can determine the percent
alone may not contain enough concentrate to combat a
of AFFF concentrate that is being proportioned with
conflagration-type fire. Transfer capabilities are
water by using the following formula:
available to replenish the AFFF concentrate service
tanks. The installed system consists of a reserve transfer
RS - RW = A
p u m p ( p o s i t ive d i s p l a c e m e n t , s l i d i n g va n e , o r
centrifugal), reserve storage tanks, and associated
RT - RW = B
piping and valves. The transfer system can deliver AFFF
A
x 100 = Percent of AFFF concentrate
concentrate to on-station service tanks via a transfer
B
main. The transfer main consists of a large pipe with
smaller branch connections interconnecting the AFFF
RS = the hose sample (AFFF/water solution)
service and storage tanks. This feature gives the
RT = the service tank sample (AFFF concentrate)
on-station concentrate pump the capability of delivering
AFFF concentrate into the transfer main. Once the
RW = the water sample
transfer main is pressurized, either by the reserve pump
or by the on-station pump, all AFFF generating station
Quantab Chloride Titrator
service tanks can be replenished. On-station pumps
used in conjunction with jumper hoses and hose
Quantab chloride titrator strips are used to measure
connection valves may be used to transfer AFFF
concentrate. Some ships can replenish the service tanks
salt (chloride) in aqueous solutions. Seawater contains
with 55-gallon containers located near the generating
approximately 20,000 ppm (parts per million) of
station. They do this with an installed hand-operated
c h l o r i d e . T h e a l l owa b l e l i m i t f o r c h l o r i d e
pump or air-regulated transfer system. The air-regulated
contamination of AFFF concentrate is 2,000 ppm,
transfer system may be used to replenish reserve storage
tanks. Ships may replenish service tanks or storage
which equates to a 10 percent contamination.
6-11
