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Author
Fernandez-Pello, A. C.
Title
Fire Propagation in Concurrent Flows. Final Progress Report. June 1, 1983-May 31, 1984.
Coporate
California Univ., Berkeley
Sponsor
National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
Report
NBS GCR 84-471, August 1984, 84 p.
Distribution
Available from National Technical Information Service
Contract
NB83NADA4020
Keywords
compartment fires | convection | fire spread | heat transfer | polymethyl methacrylate | walls | oxygen concentration
Abstract
Experimental and theoretical studies of the process of flow assisted fire spread over the surface of combustible surfaces have been carried out. Research efforts have concentrated on two aspects of this mode of fire spread: 1) Fire spread in a concurrent forced (or mixed) flow; and 2) Fire spread along the walls of an enclosure in natural convection. During this reporting period a series of experiments of the dependence on the velocity and oxygen concentration of the concurrent forced flow of the rate of flame spread over thick PMMA sheets have been completed. The results indicate that this form of fire spread is primarily controlled by heat transfer from the flame to the unburnt combustible. Experiments with thin paper sheets are currently underway. Efforts on the second task have concentrated on the numerical analysis of the structurew of a diffusion flame, established oer a burning fuel surface. The results indicate the existence of significant longitudinal diffusion of heat and species ahead of the flame front. An analysis on the spread of flames in an enclosure is currently in progress.