- Author
- DeRosa, M. I. | Litton, C. D.
- Title
- Hydrogen Cyanide and Smoke Particle Characteristics During Combustion of Polyurethane Foams and Other Nitrogen-Containing Materials.
- Coporate
- Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA
- Report
- RI 9367, 1991, 19 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
- mine fires | hydrogen cyanide | smoke | combustion | polyurethane foams | textiles | fire tests | oxygen concentration | weight loss
- Identifiers
- hydrocyanic acid gas
- Abstract
- The U. S. Bureau of Mines performed experiments to determine the hydrogen cyanide (HCN) concentrations and smoke particle characteristics during the combustion of flexible polyurethane foams and other nitrogen-containing materials, for the development of a test parameter. The experiments were conducted in an approximately 20-L furnace at set furnace temperatures of 250 deg and 1,000 deg C for a 14-min duration, with an airflow through the furnace of 10 L/min. The variables studied as a function of time were the gaseous and aerosol HCN concentrations, the smoke particles average diameter (dg) and particle concentration (no), and the product of the smoke particle diameter and concentration (dgno). Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations, sample mass weight loss, and furnace temperatures were also studied; analyses of nitrogen and cyanate content of the material were carried out. Results show that dgno correlates directly with the HCN concentrations, which depend on the nitrogen and cyanate contents of the material.