- Author
-
Hietaniemi, J.
|
Kallonen, R.
|
Mikkola, E.
- Title
- Fires at Chemical Warehouses: A Cone Calorimeter Study on the Burning Characteristics and Fire Effluent Composition of Selected Chemical Compounds.
- Coporate
- VTT-Technical Research Center of Finland, Espoo
- Report
-
VTT Research Notes,
1997,
149 p.
- Keywords
-
warehouses
|
cone calorimeters
|
combustion
|
toxicity
|
FT-IR
|
gas chromatography
|
chemical plants
|
controlled atmospheres
- Abstract
- The cone calorimeter technique was employed to investigate the burning characteristics and composition of fire effluents of selected chemicals, including pesticides, compounds used in chemical industry, a liquid solvent and polymers. A controlled-atmosphere apparatus was utilised, allowing to vary the ventilation conditions in the test chamber. The quantities measured to determine of the burning properties were time to ignition, rate of heat release, mass of the sample and its rate of change and the smoke production. Also several derived quantities characterising e.g. the combustion efficience are presented. The composition of the fire effluents was determined by FTIR spectroscopy and GC/MS analysis. With some substances the influence of extinction with a water spray was studied. A comprehensive survey on the correlations between several quantities is presented.