Navy recognizes Mississippi State, CAVS for safety model
June 19, 2007
STARKVILLE, Miss- Mississippi State University and the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) has earned Verification, Validation, and Accreditation for their fire and smoke simulation model. The model allows officials to simulate fire conditions, enabling them to predict behaviors and develop more efficient emergency procedures to lessen the costs of on-board fires.
Developed in conjunction with the Naval Research Laboratory and Hughes Associates, the model is the first of its kind. The technology allows designers to input specific ship designs and elements to simulate all possible scenarios.
“This has never been done before,” Dr. Frederick Williams, director of the Navy technology Center for Safety and Survivability, said. “It was the unique capabilities of MSU, the Navy and Hughes Associates that made this development possible.”
Officials believe that because the system evaluates situations faster that they occur in real-time it can be an important training tool.
“This system is used for three things: design, training and it serves as a tactical tool,” Williams said. “It acts as a crystal ball and allows for resources to be reallocated as necessary.”
One full-scale test on a ship can cost $250,000, but MSU’s fire and smoke simulation model can simulate hundreds of situations quickly and economically. Though much of the funding for this project came from the Navy, this technology has the potential to help with fire safety on ships, submarines, aircrafts and in buildings.