- Author
- Sensenig, D. L.
- Title
- Oxygen Consumption Technique for Determining the Contribution of Interior Wall Finishes to Room Fires. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Armstrong Cork Company, Lancaster, PA
- Report
- NBS TN 1128, July 1980, 87 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20401-0003. Telephone: 202-512-1800. Website: http://www.gpo.gov
- Keywords
- fire tests | flame spread | flashover | heat release rate | ignition | interior finish | room fires | oxygen concentration | oxygen consumption
- Abstract
- An oxygen consumption technique was developed for determining the total rate of heat production in a room fire. This was accomplished by measuring the volume flow rate and the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gases flowing through a collection hood. This method can be used with unknown combinations of burning materials including both interior finish and furnishings. By simultaneously measuring the rate of oxygen consumption and the rate of mass loss the effective heat of combustion of the wall linings were determined in a reduced-scale model room fire test. The average heat release rate per unit area of the wall linings was determined by recording the area of involvement during the test and dividing this area into the total rate of heat production at that time. The enthalpy of the exhaust gases passing out of the doorway was determined with the aid of an array of thermocouples located at the entrance to the exhaust duct. By subtracting the enthalpy flow through the doorway from the total rate of heat production in the room, the heat losses through the bounding surfaces were determined. Reduced-scale and full-scale room fire tests and a bench test for heat release rate using the oxygen consumption technique are discussed in this report. Lateral flame spread rates on vertical surfaces measured in the model room fire tests and in a laboratory bench test are also described.