- Author
- Wighus, R.
- Title
- Active Fire Protection: Extinguishment of Enclosed Gas Fires With Water Sprays.
- Coporate
- Norwegian Fire Research Lab., Trondheim, Norway
- Report
- STF25 A91028, June 1989, 97 p.
- Keywords
- fire protection | extinguishment | water sprays | droplet size | experiments
- Abstract
- Experiments with water spray against enclosed gas fires has been performed in a 2.5 x 2.5 x 5 [m³] model of an offshore process module. The scale is 1:4, the fire is 1 [MW] and the enclosure is naturally ventilated through openings at floor and ceiling level. Various nozzles producing droplets of mean diameters from 0.6-1.6 [mm] has been examined, and the critical water application rate is found to extinguish this propane fire. The experimental results are presented in a form of a Spray Heat Absorption Ration, SHAR, which is a characteristic fraction of heat absorbed by a certain spray at a certain fire/enclosure configuration. A sharp limit for extinguishment is found for the experimental conditions, and a set of scaling criteria is proposed. The effect of a water spray on the mean temperature, heat fluxes, soot production rates and heat transfer to the different sectors of the fire environment is described.