Species Formation and Burning Characteristics of Scaled Propane Compartment Fires

Published

October 12, 2021

Author(s)

C J. Wieczorek, U Vandsburger, J E. Floyd

Abstract

Fires occurring in dense occupancies such as hospitals, dormitories, and nursing homes pose a serious threat to occupants due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. This risk is becoming increasingly important as the population demographics of developed nations shifts toward the elderly who are more likely to reside in dense occupancies. Poisoning due to carbon monoxide is an issue that affects not only the occupants present in the rooms containing the fire, but also to those at adjacent and remote locations away from the fire. Before an assessment of the carbon monoxide poisoning risk to people in dense occupancies can be made, the formation of carbon monoxide in compartment fires must be fully understood and its levels, rates of formation, and transport fully quantifiable. Results from a series of tests have indicated that the products of complete combustion, oxygen and carbon dioxide, correlate well with the model for complete combustion for all three ventilation conditions tested. Examination of the products of incomplete combustion indicates results that differ from those of previous studies. Carbon monoxide levels appear to collapse to a single curve for all three ventilation conditions; however, the measured levels are approximately 30 % higher than those observed previously. The unburned hydrocarbon levels appear to be a more complicated function of both the GER and the door width.

Citation

Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

carbon monoxide, compartment fire, propane, species formation

Citation

Wieczorek, C. , Vandsburger, U. and Floyd, J. (2021), Species Formation and Burning Characteristics of Scaled Propane Compartment Fires, Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology (Accessed April 25, 2024)