- Author
- Mitler, H. E.
- Title
- Algorithm for the Mass-Loss Rate of a Burning Wall.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- International Association for Fire Safety Science. Fire Safety Science. Proceedings. 2nd International Symposium. June 13-17, 1988, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., New York, Tokyo, Japan, Wakamatsu, T.; Hasemi, Y.; Sekizawa, A.; Seeger, P. G.; Pagni, P. J.; Grant, C. E., Editors, 179-188 p., 1989
- Keywords
- fire research | fire safety | fire science | walls | combustion | algorithms | mass loss | pyrolysis rate | radiant heat flux | convection | oxygen concentration
- Abstract
- A derivation is given for a simple algorithm which yields the quasi-steady burning rate of a vertical penel of non-charring, non-melting material in an enclosure with stratification of temperature and oxygen concentration. The algorithm requires the solution of a transcendental equation. Among the thermophysical data wich are needed, are the mean flame temperature and the height-dependent absortpion coefficient, kappa(zeta). It is found from experiment that kappa(zeta) is well described for PMMA by a two-parameter expression linear in 1/(zeta). Comparison with a transient experiment yields good agreement for the mass-loss rate, over much of the range.