Emulation of Condensed Fuel Flames Using a Burning Rate Emulator (BRE) in Microgravity

The Burning Rate Emulator (BRE) is a gaseous fuel burner developed to emulate the burning of condensed phase fuels. The current study details several tests at the NASA Glenn 5-s drop facility to test the BRE technique in microgravity conditions. The tests are conducted for two burner diameters, 25 mm and 50 mm respectively, with methane and ethylene as the fuels. The ambient pressure, oxygen content and fuel flow rate are additional parameters. The microgravity results exhibit a nominally hemispherical flame with decelerating growth and quasi-steady heat flux after about 5 seconds. The BRE burner was evaluated with a transient analysis to assess the extent of steady-state achieved. The burning rate and flame height recorded at the end of the drop are correlated using two steady-state purely diffusive models. A higher burning rate for the bigger burner as compared to theory indicates the significance of gas radiation. The effect of the ambient pressure and oxygen concentration on the heat of gasification are also examined

A Review of Sociological Issues in Fire Safety Regulation

This paper presents an overview of contemporary sociological issues in fire safety. The most obviously social aspects of fire safety—those that relate to the socioeconomic distribution of fire casualties and damage—are discussed first. The means that society uses to mitigate fire risks through regulation are treated next; focusing on the shift towards fire engineered solutions and the particular challenges this poses for the social distribution and communication of fire safety knowledge and expertise. Finally, the social construction of fire safety knowledge is discussed, raising questions about whether the confidence in the application of this knowledge by the full range of participants in the fire safety design and approvals process is always justified, given the specific assumptions involved in both the production of the knowledge and its extension to applications significantly removed from the original knowledge production; and the requisite competence that is therefore needed to apply this knowledge. The overarching objective is to argue that the fire safety professions ought to be more reflexive and informed about the nature of the knowledge and expertise that they develop and apply, and to suggest that fire safety scientists and engineers ought to actively collaborate with social scientists in research designed to study the way people interact with fire safety technology

The Effects of Angular Orientation on Flame Spread Over Thin Materials

Data were taken to show the flame spread characteristics of thin materials burning on an insulating substrate. Metalized polyethylene terephthalate (0.20 mm) and paper (0.17 mm) were burned on the surface of glass fiber insulation. Flame spread was measured in the upward or downward facing orientation for the material and in the directions of gravity assistance (up) or gravity opposition (down). Measurements were taken at various angles ranging from a vertical to a horizontal orientation

Enclosure fire dynamics

Enclosure Fire Dynamics provides a complete description of enclosure fires and how the outbreak of a fire in a compartment causes changes in the environment. The authors-both internationally renowned experts in fire safety and protection engineering-offer a clear presentation of the dominant mechanisms controlling enclosure fires and develop simple analytical relationships useful in designing buildings for fire safety. They show readers how to derive engineering equations from first principles, stating the assumptions clearly and showing how the resulting equations compare to experimental data. The details and the approach offered by this text provide readers with a confidence in and the applicability of a wide range of commonly used engineering equations and models. Enclosure Fire Dynamics will enhance the knowledge of professional fire protection engineers, researchers, and investigators and help build a strong foundation for engineering students.Includes bibliographical references and index.Enclosure Fire Dynamics provides a complete description of enclosure fires and how the outbreak of a fire in a compartment causes changes in the environment. The authors-both internationally renowned experts in fire safety and protection engineering-offer a clear presentation of the dominant mechanisms controlling enclosure fires and develop simple analytical relationships useful in designing buildings for fire safety. They show readers how to derive engineering equations from first principles, stating the assumptions clearly and showing how the resulting equations compare to experimental data. The details and the approach offered by this text provide readers with a confidence in and the applicability of a wide range of commonly used engineering equations and models. Enclosure Fire Dynamics will enhance the knowledge of professional fire protection engineers, researchers, and investigators and help build a strong foundation for engineering students