Test Fire Signatures and the Fire-Emulator/Detector-Evaluation (NISTIR 6030)

Published

June 1, 1997

Author(s)

William L. Grosshandler, Thomas G. Cleary

Abstract

Existing methods for evaluating the performance of smoke and thermal detectors are reviewed. The levels of combustion gases, smoke, temperature and velocity likely to be produced in the European standard detector test fires are discussed, and this information is used to establish the operating conditions for a fire-emulator/detector-evaluator (FE/DE). The first generation FE/DE being developed by BFRL will handle multi-criteria spot-type detectors over the anticipated range of realistic operating conditions. Measurements in non-flaming test fires (TF 2 and TF 3) are described and example signatures are proposed for training the FE/DE to evaluate combination smoke/heat/gas detection systems.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 6030

Report Number

6030

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.ir.6030v1

Keywords

fire safety, fire research, fire detection, fire tests, fire detectors, smoke detectors, gas detectors, heat detectors, smoldering

Citation

Grosshandler, W. and Cleary, T. (1997), Test Fire Signatures and the Fire-Emulator/Detector-Evaluation (NISTIR 6030), NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.ir.6030v1 (Accessed October 18, 2025)