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Author
Peacock, R. D. | Ruix, E. | Torres-Pereira, R.
Title
Fire Safety of Wood-Burning Appliances. Part 1. State of the Art Review and Fire Tests. Volume 2. Final Report.
Coporate
National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
Sponsor
Department of Energy, Washington, DC
Report
NBSIR 80-2140, November 1980, 252 p.
Distribution
Available from National Technical Information Service
Keywords
chimneys | fire models | fire safety | fire tests | flues | heating equipment | heat transfer | literature reviews | radiant energy | stoves | wood
Abstract
A series of 18 full-scale tests was conducted in an instrumented test room using five different wood-burning appliances. These tests were designed (1) to establish typical operating conditions including temperatures on the appliances, chimneys, and adjacent combustible surfaces; (2) to study the effects of a variety of combinations of appliances design, clearance to combustibles, and room construction on temperatures on adjacent combustible surfaces; and (3) to compare these measured values with theoretical predictions of wall surface temperature. Additional tests were conducted to compare a standardized fuel source with typical oak logs. A review of literature related to wood-heating safety included in this study revealed that current codes are based on data almost 40 years old. The results of these tests point out some areas where the codes should be modernized to accurately reflect the newer appliances and construction techniques.