The fire toxicity of polyurethane foams [Review]

Polyurethane is widely used, with its two major applications, soft furnishings and insulation, having low thermal inertia, and hence enhanced flammability. In addition to their flammability, polyurethanes form carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other toxic products on decomposition and combustion. The chemistry of polyurethane foams and their thermal decomposition are discussed in order to assess the relationship between the chemical and physical composition of the foam and the toxic products generated during their decomposition. The toxic product generation during flaming combustion of polyurethane foams is reviewed, in order to relate the yields of toxic products and the overall fire toxicity to the fire conditions. The methods of assessment of fire toxicity are outlined in order to understand how the fire toxicity of polyurethane foams may be quantified. In particular, the ventilation condition has a critical effect on the yield of the two major asphyxiants, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanid

Investigation on fire detection technologies for road tunnels

NRC publication: Ye

Syst\ue8mes de d\ue9tection incendie de tunnels routiers enseignements tir\ue9s d'un projet international de recherches

Also available in English: Fire detection systems in road tunnels - lessons learnt from the International Research ProjectPeer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Fire detection systems in road tunnels - lessons learnt from the International Research Project

Today?s increase in road traffic, changes in vehicle mix, and new rolling stock have resulted in an increase in the incidence of fatal fires in tunnels. In Europe, recent catastrophic tunnel fires have resulted in loss of life and severe property damage. Reliable and early fire detection in tunnels insures an early warning of a fire incident, allowing for timely activation of emergency systems. As such, detection can make the difference between a manageable fire and one that gets out-of-control [1, 2]. The Fire Protection Research Foundation recently completed an international research project, with the support of private and public-sector organizations to evaluate the performance of various types of detection [3]. The project studied the detection performance of nine fire detection systems representing five types of currently available fire detection technologies (Table 1), including their response times to a fire and ability to locate and monitor a fire in a tunnel, with both laboratory and field fire tests combined with computer modeling studies. In addition, the project also studied the reliability of the detection systems in harsh tunnel environments, such as their nuisance alarm immunity and requirements for maintenance.L'augmentation des d\ue9bits de circulation et du camionnage ainsi que la diversit\ue9 des mati\ue8res transport\ue9es selon les m\ue9thodes du \uab juste \ue0 temps \ubb ont augment\ue9 de fa\ue7on significative les risques d'incendie majeur aux cons\ue9quences potentiellement mortelles en tunnel. En Europe, plusieurs incendies r\ue9cents en tunnel ont \ue9t\ue9 d'une ampleur catastrophique. Une d\ue9tection h\ue2tive fait toute la diff\ue9rence entre un incendie rapidement circonscrit et une d\ue9flagration impossible \ue0 ma\ueetriser. La \uab Fire Protection Research Foundation \ubb (FPRF) vient de terminer un projet de recherche internationaldont le but \ue9tait d'\ue9valuer les performances de divers types de syst\ue8mes de d\ue9tection. Le projet a \ue9valu\ue9 les temps de r\ue9ponse, la pr\ue9cision de la d\ue9tection, la capacit\ue9 \ue0 localiser des incendies, et la r\ue9sistance \ue0 l'environnement routier, de neuf syst\ue8mes de d\ue9tection relevant de cinq types de technologies.Aussi disponible en fran\ue7ais: Syst\ue8mes de d\ue9tection incendie de tunnels routiers enseignements tir\ue9s d'un projet international de recherchesPeer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Analytical and experimental evaluation of solid waste drum fire performance volumes I and II

Fire hazards associated with drum storage of radioactively contaminated wastes are a major concern in DOE facilities design for long term storage of solid wastes in drums. These facilities include drums stored in pallet arrays and in rack storage systems. This report details testing in this are