Global Combustion Behavior of 1 MW to 3 MW Hydrocarbon Spray Fires Burning in an Open Environment (NISTIR 7013)

Published

June 1, 2003

Author(s)

Anthony P. Hamins, Alexander Maranghides, George W. Mulholland

Abstract

A series of experiments were conducted in order to determine the global combustion behavior of a number of liquid fuels burning in a 1 MW to 3 MW spray fire in an open environment. The experiments described here provide a characterization of the global fire characteristic of the liquid spray burner, which is a standard fixture in the NIST Large Fire Laboratory. The fuels tested include n-heptane, toluene, heptanes, Jet A, and a heptane/toluene fuel mixture. The fuel flow was controlled. Measurements were made of the radiative emission to the surroundings, the heat release rate, and the emission of soot, CO2, and CO. These measurements were normalized by the mass burning rate to determine the radiative heat loss fraction, the combustion efficiency, and the yields of soot, CO2 and CO.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 7013

Report Number

7013

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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Keywords

CO, CO yield, combustion efficiency, heat release rate, hydrocarbon fuels, radiative fraction, soot, soot yield, spray fire

Citation

Hamins, A. , Maranghides, A. and Mulholland, G. (2003), Global Combustion Behavior of 1 MW to 3 MW Hydrocarbon Spray Fires Burning in an Open Environment (NISTIR 7013), NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=861239 (Accessed May 12, 2026)

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