NIST Large Fire Facility

Burn Research

Unwanted fires result in greater than 4,500 deaths and nearly $9 billion in property damage annually in the United States. The fire research program conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BRFL) works to reduce these losses by developing measurement methods, running test fires and evaluating data that broaden our understanding of fire causes and processes. The research leads to improved fire safety systems, more environmentally friendly fire suppression agents, safer and more effective firefighting strategies, and increasingly fire-resistant materials.

The 27-meter (90-foot) by 37-meter (120-foot) Large Fire Facility at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md. is one of the few centers in the United States with the capability of conducting room-size fires in a controlled laboratory environment. Some 400 large-scale burns each year provide vital information on fire characteristics such as heat release rates, combustion products and smoke. Data also is used to validate computer models of smoke and fire behavior that can help researchers virtually simulate fires under various conditions.

Measuring Heat Release

The facility features four instrumented hoods, or calorimeters, for measuring heat release rate. Heat release rate is the amount of energy given off by a burning object. Measured in kilowatts, the heat release rate is the primary means by which engineers can evaluate fires. For example, a small trash can loaded with paper has a heat release rate of approximately 50 kilowatts.

The smallest calorimeter is used to measure the heat release rate of small objects or samples removed from larger objects. The second calorimeter is sized for burning individual pieces of furniture or other objects of similar dimensions. The two large calorimeters can handle several items burned at once such as a mockup of a furnished room.

The facility has a variety of instrumentation for measuring temperature, mass, pressure, thermal radiation, real-time gas concentrations and smoke concentration. It also offers a furnace for evaluating the fire endurance of small samples of wall, ceiling and floor materials.

Stringent Emissions Control

The NIST Large Fire Facility features a state-of-the-art emission control system that allows the facility to meet and exceed all federal, state and local emission regulations.

Major burn products include air, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor and soot (the particulate matter in smoke). In some experiments, there also may be acid gases and unburned hydrocarbons.

At the NIST Large Fire Facility, exhaust carrying these products is collected as it rises from a test fire. Entering scrubbers, it is mixed with lime slurry to neutralize gases. Concurrently, fine filters capture the particulate soot and used lime powder. The treated material then is removed to an EPA-approved disposal site off the NIST campus.

A 30-meter (100-foot) stack at the NIST Large Fire Facility is where the last stage of the elaborate cleaning operation occurs. Emissions from this stack contain mostly condensed water vapor. Any remaining burn products released to the atmosphere are at minute levels significantly lower than those from fireplace chimneys.

Research Partners

The NIST Large Fire Facility is available on a collaborative or cost-reimbursable basis for use by industry, university and government representatives.

For more information, contact the facility manager at (301) 975-6564.

Date created: 3/05/01
Last updated: 2/6/04
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov