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Author: Sarzina Hossain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 203
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Book Description
The opposed flow flame spread over flat solid fuels is of fundamental importance to the field of fire safety. Several features of opposed flow flame spread are experimentally, numerically and analytically investigated.Thermally thick slab of PolyMethylMethAcrylate (PMMA) was used to study the effects of opposed flow velocity (8-58 cm/s) and fuel thickness (6.6, 12.1 and 24.5 mm). The experiments were conducted with a Narrow Channel Apparatus (NCA) at Michigan State University (MSU). The flame spread rate results show that the maximum flame spread occurs at a lower flow velocity for relatively thicker fuel. The peak flame spread rate for 6.6 mm, 12.1 mm and 24.5 mm occurs at 18.5 cm/s, 12.1 cm/s and 10.3 cm/s, respectively. Several flame spread regimes: thermal, chemical and regressive burning are identified from the results. Flame spread regimes are usually depend on the opposed flow velocity. However, the flame spread rate for newly found regressive burning regime is independent of flow velocities. Visual observation of the flame indicates that the flame intensity augments with flow velocity for all thicknesses of PMMA. The comparison between NCA data and legacy data for similar material (PMMA) and thickness (12.1 mm) demonstrated excellent agreement, subject to the extension of the numerical and theoretical analysis to include relevant features of the flame spread stretch rate theory. The results also demonstrated the effectiveness of the stretch rate theory for markedly different experimental configurations. Although thick slab is used to perform tests, complete burn out of the samples for thickness 6.6 and 12.1 mm are observed at high opposed flow velocities (30 ℗ł 5 cm/s and higher). On contrary, the thickest sample (24.5 mm) did not go through complete burning. This indicates the nature of surface regression and its impact on flame spread rate.Based on the results, it can be emphasized that the factors controlling the flame front advancement involves both flame spread and surface regression. So, the burnt samples at different opposed flow velocities of 24.5 mm thickness from flame spread study is measured for surface regression depth experimentally. A semi-empirical correlation is developed to relate the flame spread and regression and to determine the mass loss rate from the burnt fuel surface. Mass loss rate is also a key aspect of characterizing the flammability of materials. Results show that the power law dependency of mass loss rate changes with opposed flow velocity. A comparison of power law exponents of current results and results from literature are made. Results demonstrate that the power law dependency at flow velocity 8.2, 10.3 and 12 cm/s is -0.5 which show excellent agreement with legacy work.Next, another study is conducted on the post-flame-spread 24.5 mm PMMA sample, burnt at opposed flow velocity 15 cm/s. Visual observation of post-burn sample shows the formation of significant number of internal bubbles. Three samples of similar thickness burnt at similar condition were investigated for bubble count and size. Results indicate higher and smaller bubble presence near the leading edge of the flame compared to the trailing edge side. Comparison of bubble size distribution with several distribution function demonstrates that the bubble size shows good agreement with Log-normal distribution function.Finally, the transient regression rate has been investigated analytically and numerically. The effect of external heat flux simulating flame heat flux is analyzed for PMMA considering it as an ideal-vaporizing solid. Results indicate a strong dependency of heat flux on material regression for a time duration. After a certain time period, the regression rate became insensitive to heat flux change. A scale analysis is performed to compare the analytical-numerical regression rate results with experimental surface regression depth. The predicted regression followed a similar pattern as the experimental surface regression.
Author: Sarzina Hossain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 203
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Book Description
The opposed flow flame spread over flat solid fuels is of fundamental importance to the field of fire safety. Several features of opposed flow flame spread are experimentally, numerically and analytically investigated.Thermally thick slab of PolyMethylMethAcrylate (PMMA) was used to study the effects of opposed flow velocity (8-58 cm/s) and fuel thickness (6.6, 12.1 and 24.5 mm). The experiments were conducted with a Narrow Channel Apparatus (NCA) at Michigan State University (MSU). The flame spread rate results show that the maximum flame spread occurs at a lower flow velocity for relatively thicker fuel. The peak flame spread rate for 6.6 mm, 12.1 mm and 24.5 mm occurs at 18.5 cm/s, 12.1 cm/s and 10.3 cm/s, respectively. Several flame spread regimes: thermal, chemical and regressive burning are identified from the results. Flame spread regimes are usually depend on the opposed flow velocity. However, the flame spread rate for newly found regressive burning regime is independent of flow velocities. Visual observation of the flame indicates that the flame intensity augments with flow velocity for all thicknesses of PMMA. The comparison between NCA data and legacy data for similar material (PMMA) and thickness (12.1 mm) demonstrated excellent agreement, subject to the extension of the numerical and theoretical analysis to include relevant features of the flame spread stretch rate theory. The results also demonstrated the effectiveness of the stretch rate theory for markedly different experimental configurations. Although thick slab is used to perform tests, complete burn out of the samples for thickness 6.6 and 12.1 mm are observed at high opposed flow velocities (30 ℗ł 5 cm/s and higher). On contrary, the thickest sample (24.5 mm) did not go through complete burning. This indicates the nature of surface regression and its impact on flame spread rate.Based on the results, it can be emphasized that the factors controlling the flame front advancement involves both flame spread and surface regression. So, the burnt samples at different opposed flow velocities of 24.5 mm thickness from flame spread study is measured for surface regression depth experimentally. A semi-empirical correlation is developed to relate the flame spread and regression and to determine the mass loss rate from the burnt fuel surface. Mass loss rate is also a key aspect of characterizing the flammability of materials. Results show that the power law dependency of mass loss rate changes with opposed flow velocity. A comparison of power law exponents of current results and results from literature are made. Results demonstrate that the power law dependency at flow velocity 8.2, 10.3 and 12 cm/s is -0.5 which show excellent agreement with legacy work.Next, another study is conducted on the post-flame-spread 24.5 mm PMMA sample, burnt at opposed flow velocity 15 cm/s. Visual observation of post-burn sample shows the formation of significant number of internal bubbles. Three samples of similar thickness burnt at similar condition were investigated for bubble count and size. Results indicate higher and smaller bubble presence near the leading edge of the flame compared to the trailing edge side. Comparison of bubble size distribution with several distribution function demonstrates that the bubble size shows good agreement with Log-normal distribution function.Finally, the transient regression rate has been investigated analytically and numerically. The effect of external heat flux simulating flame heat flux is analyzed for PMMA considering it as an ideal-vaporizing solid. Results indicate a strong dependency of heat flux on material regression for a time duration. After a certain time period, the regression rate became insensitive to heat flux change. A scale analysis is performed to compare the analytical-numerical regression rate results with experimental surface regression depth. The predicted regression followed a similar pattern as the experimental surface regression.
Author: Luca Carmignani
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 130
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Book Description
Several aspects of opposed-flow flame spread are experimentally investigated because of their relevance in fire safety studies. Different burning regimes based on the intensity of the opposed flow velocity are identified for acrylic fuels. In downward flame spread, where the flow around a flame is only naturally induced by gravity, the spread rate is highly dependent on fuel size and geometry. The fuel cross-sectional shape is experimentally varied, and a formula which takes into account geometrical effects is proposed by extending previous solutions for two-dimensional flames. The burning region of a solid fuel shows a consistent slope due to the competition between flame spread and surface regression. The angle at the vertex of the pyrolysis region, called burn angle, can be used to indirectly calculate the fuel burning rate. The burn angle depends on fuel thickness; a numerical model and a scale analysis are used to explore the reasons for this behavior. Next, the effect of a forced flow is investigated. The extreme case of blow-off extinction over thin fuels is considered, with flames extinguishing at locations determined by the flow velocity. Results suggest that the interaction between fuel and flow field is more important than the dependence on fuel thickness. The evolution of flame structure and pyrolysis also appear to be driven by flow interactions. A scale analysis is used to explore these dependencies. Finally, previous microgravity experiments are used to explore differences and similarities with ground-based results. By suppressing the buoyant flow, flame radiation becomes essential for the flame spread process. The experimental conditions are simulated numerically to describe the importance of a developing boundary layer in this regime. A numerical parametric study of the radiative emission of flames in microgravity, inspired by the experimental data, shows its dependence on flame area, mass burning rate and flame temperature by changing the burning conditions. For these small flames, soot does not seem to dominate flame radiation, although its generation increases with fuel thickness, oxygen concentration and flow velocity. The experiments in microgravity considered in this work showed flame extinction in a quiescent environment. However, two acrylic cylinders at higher oxygen concentrations from a previous investigation can burn vigorously. To clarify whether these flames are stable, a scale analysis is used to study the influence of surface curvature on radiation losses.
Author: Indrek S. Wichman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 408
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Book Description
Author: Jeffrey S. West
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Combustion
Languages : en
Pages : 842
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Book Description
A detailed numerical model of opposed-flow flame spread over solid fuels is developed. The model is used to study flame spread in three regimes of flame spread; the Thermal, Chemical Kinetic and Near Quiescent Regimes. Simplifying assumptions that have been historically applied to this problem are investigated and their effect on the flame spread rate and flame structure are quantified in each regime. A semi-empirical flame spread formula for thermally thick fuels is developed from knowledge of the dominant simplifying assumptions in this regime. Spread rate predictions compare well to experimental and computed results. This semi-empirical model provides field variables which previous theories are unable to predict. Mechanisms of heat transfer ahead of the flame are studied in each regime. Forward heat transfer though the solid fuel becomes more important in the Chemical Kinetic and Near Quiescent Regimes, a previously unknown result. The rate and path of forward heat transfer is found to depend strongly on simplifying assumptions and the flame anchor location. These results explain the relationship between previous analytical and experimental forward heat transfer results. A dimensionless criterion predicting the fuel thickness at which transition from thermally thick to thermally thin is developed which compares well with experimental and computed results. Finite-rate gas-phase chemical kinetics are found to be the cause of the super-thin regime of flame spread. A formula for the limiting flame spread rate in this regime is developed. Correlation of computed spread rates with the Damkohler number is revisited. Uncertainty in residence time due to uncertainties in characteristic velocity and gas-phase properties is found to be the cause of spread in the correlation. The Damkohler number alone explains variations in many parameters although it alone cannot explain changes in gas-phase activation energy. The boundary between the Near Quiescent and Thermal Regime is quantified using a dimensionless radiation number. A new extinction limit for thick fuels in the Near Quiescent Regime is discovered. Radiative losses cause the flame to grow small and spread so slowly that sufficient oxygen is not available to sustain the flame. Recent experimental results confirm this conclusion.
Author: Ameya Subodh Udgaonkar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 146
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Author: Douglas A. Seaton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Combustion
Languages : en
Pages : 280
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Author: Amit Kumar (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 392
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Author: Shmuel Link
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 112
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The ignition of and flame spread over solid fuels is of fundamental importance to the field of fire safety. Knowing how, why, and when a material will ignite informs how dangerous a materials use may be. Luckily, there have been no fatal spacecraft based fires beyond the tragedy of the Apollo 1 mission in January 1967. And baring the February 1997 fire aboard the Russian Mir Space Station, there have been very few spacecraft fires in the decades since. This fact can be primarily attributed to the extraordinary caution exercised in design, planning, use of materials, and rigorous fire safety testing. To that end, the effects of environmental variables and material properties on the time to ignition of and opposed flow flame-spread rate over cast cylindrical thermoplastic rods has been investigated. The stated goal of this work being to assess the importance of environmental variables and experimental parameters on the time to ignition or flame spread of a common laboratory thermoplastic, and to gain a better understanding of the lower bounds of material flammability in both 1g and micro-gravity environments. In the case of time to ignition over cast PMMA rods it is found that clear PMMA rods exhibit longer times to ignition than do black PMMA rods for similar experimental conditions. Additionally, mass flux at ignition, as determined during time to ignition experiments, does not exhibit a discernible trend as a function of external radiant heat flux given the available experimental data and corresponds very well to the theoretically predicted range of mass fluxes. As a part of the BASS-II campaign of micro-gravity combustion experiments conducted aboard the ISS, it is seen that increasing oxygen concentration or opposed flow velocity acts to increase the flame-spread rate for all three rod diameters within the range of environmental variable values tested. In conjunction with the BASS-II experiments, ground based experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of oxygen concentration, external radiant heating, and sample diameter on flame spread over cast black and clear PMMA rods under earth standard gravity. Similar to the micro-gravity BASS-II experiments, it was found that flame-spread rate increases with increasing oxygen concentration or eternal radiant heat flux, but increased with decreasing sample diameter. It was also found that with the use of external radiant heating, the effective LOI, or oxygen concentration at which sustained flame-spread was possible, could be reduced. In comparing the BASS-II micro-gravity flame-spread results to those obtained in 1g, it is clear that flame-spread in micro-gravity is faster if one accounts for the fact that the flow velocities tested in both cases are near the lower bound of what are feasible or relevant flow velocities in each case. Similar trends in flame-spread rate with sample diameter, oxygen concentration, and flow velocity (beyond the natural convection break-point in 1g) were observed, but for the tested conditions, flame-spread in micro-gravity is categorically faster than in 1g. Lastly, numerical modeling of flame-spread over cast PMMA rods as a function of ambient oxygen concentration, external radiant heating, and gravitational acceleration was undertaken with NIST's FDS. FDS does effectively model increases in flame-spread rate with increasing externally applied radiant heating (at 21 percent oxygen by volume), as well as an increase in flame-spread rate with an increase in ambient oxygen concentration, both for 1g and micro-gravity conditions. Yet, the magnitude of the flame-spread rates calculated from these simulations is approximately an order of magnitude greater than the experimental results for both 1g or micro-gravity conditions. The exact cause of this difference is hypothesized to be attributable to a combination of the numerical mesh resolution and the solid and gas phase kinetic parameters employed. Additionally, in all cases investigated the numerical simulations correctly predicted the fact that micro-gravity flame-spread was faster than flame-spread under earth standard gravity.
Author: Yang Long
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cellulose
Languages : en
Pages : 348
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Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic books
Languages : en
Pages : 69
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The research presented below intends to investigate the role of Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) fuel thickness on the spread rate of a downward spreading flame, the thermal radiation being emitted by the flame, and to compare results for both microgravity and normal gravity. To simplify the complex problem of flame spread over solid fuels, the concept of the thermal regime is used to find a constant spread rate for a given fuel thickness. In the thermal regime the opposed flow velocity is high enough to neglect losses due to radiation from the flame but still small enough to not affect the flame through finite rate kinetics. The microgravity results were performed on the International Space Station in the Bass-II Microgravity Science Glove box. This 7.62 cm square duct allows the variation of opposed flow velocity while holding pressure, oxygen and nitrogen constant during each run. The runs are recorded using a digital video camera for spread rate analysis and thermal radiation is read using a radiometer. For normal gravity, SDSU's Flame Stabilizer was used to acquire the downward spread rate from video analysis and thermal radiation is read by a radiometer developed here at SDSU. With the use of a Matlab image analysis code, the videos are analyzed to obtain the spread rate for each fuel thickness. When compared, these results show good experimental agreement for spread rate and thermal radiation. These results, along with known thermodynamic properties and scaling analysis are used to refine the de Ris-Delichatsios formula for the thermal regime. With very few examples of the de Ris-Delichatsios formula being matched to experimental results it is hard to define where the thin regime ends and where the thick regime starts. The refined formula is applied to both the thin and thick regimes to show approximately where the transition lies between the two and compared to experimental results. This transition zone in both microgravity and normal gravity is of great interest for researchers trying to predict the behavior of flame spread both here on earth and in space aboard the International Space Station.
