Date of Award

5-29-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2021.

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Godfrey Mungal

Abstract

The Bay area community has continually been at threat to wildfires. The current trend showed that wildfires would be an even more prevalent threat in the near future. Despite this, there still exists a lack of knowledge involving wildfire safety and protection for people’s property. Current systems were found to be too expensive, needed constant maintenance, or access to isolated storage of 1,000+ gallons of water. Through research of misting systems, the effectiveness of mist as a radiation shield, and working with members of CalFire, it was determined that the system needed to meet the following parameters to be effective and meaningfully implemented: (1) cost under $5,000 to develop, (2) The ability to maintain a minimum of 40% relative humidity, (3) ease of use and setup, (4) independent from main electrical and water sources. This report explores the development and tests of a wildfire prevention and suppression (WIPS) system solution for Santa Cruz homeowners. Tests were conducted to determine defensible coverage, humidity increase rate, ideal mister size, and a complete WIPS system was developed and tested at a CalFire site. The proof of concept system was capable of delaying and mitigating damage to property and met the parameters listed above. The design was made from schedule 40 ¾ ID PVC pipe, with the system delivering 2.5 gallons per minute, capable of bringing the air surrounding the property to 80% humidity, for a cost of under $1,500.

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