2020
Completed
Razim Refai (Lead)
University of Alberta
The U.S. Forest Service’s Qualified Product List (QPL) provide guidance on the range of permissible mix ratios that can be used for water-enhancing products. Due to the proprietary nature of these water-enhancing products, there are several unknowns about the rheology of these products within the stipulated mix ratio bounds.
This study focuses on mapping the viscosity of various suppressant products as a function of their product mix ratios. Results from this study show an enormous range of viscosities that can be obtained from different products, each showing different non-linear relationships with mix ratios.
Insight from this data can help understand what an optimum viscosity range is for desired drop characteristics during aerial operations.