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Characteristics of a 1 m Methanol Pool Fire

Research Overview

A series of measurements were made to characterize the structure of a 1 m diameter methanol (CH3OH)
pool fire steadily burning with a constant lip height in a quiescent environment. The mass burning rate
was measured by monitoring the mass loss in the methanol reservoir feeding the liquid pool. The heat
release rate was measured using oxygen consumption calorimetry. Time-averaged local measurements of
gas-phase temperature were conducted using fine diameter, Type S, bare wire thermocouples, with a
bead that was approximately spherical with a diameter of about 0.15 mm. The thermocouple signals were
corrected for radiative loss and thermal inertia effects. The heat flux was measured in the radial and
vertical directions and the radiative fraction was determined.

Experiment Name Plot of Heat Release Rate Ignition Photo Date/Time Specimen Fuel Type Test Duration (min) Sort descending Total Heat Released (MJ) Peak HRR (kW)
Methanol_1m_Pool_R1
Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
Ignition
1 m diameter pool burner Methanol
48.82
753
282
Methanol_1m_Pool_R2
Plot of Fire Heat Release Rate with event markers. Uncertainty bar shown at peak value.
Ignition
1 m diameter pool burner Methanol
81.42
1,243
279

Bryant, R. and Bundy, M. The NIST 20 MW Calorimetry Measurement System for Large-Fire Research, Technical Note (NIST TN) 2077, 2019
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2077

NIST Fire Calorimetry Database (FCD)
https://doi.org/10.18434/mds2-2314

Last Updated May 14, 2021