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Author
Patterson, E. M. | Duckworth, R. M. | Powell, E.A. | Gooch, J. W.
Title
Measurements of the Emissions Properties of Burning Plastic Material for Nuclear Winter Studies. Technical Report. September 30, 1986-September 15, 1989.
Coporate
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Sponsor
Defense Nuclear Agency, Alexandria, VA
Report
DNA-T6R-90-98; G-35-684; DNA001-86-C-0310
May 1, 1991
54 p.
Distribution
Available from National Technical Information Service
Keywords
nuclear winter | smoke | aerosols | optical properties
Abstract
We have measured optical and microphysical properties and emission factors of smoke from burning plastic materials and other components of the urban fuel mix, including hydrocarbons, rubber, and wood, to provide information on the source term for possible smoke aerosol clouds produced by large scale urban fires. These measurements were made under a variety of conditions to investigate the range of variation of these optical parameters, to relate observed differences in smoke properties to differences in fuel composition and fire conditions, to investigate the effect of scaling, and to investigate effects of mixtures of combustible and non-combustible materials. B(e) values for these fuels were close to expected values, while B(a) values were somewhat less than expected; emission factors are quite variable. Emission factors and absorption effects appear to be enhanced when the fuel is mixed with non-combustible material. Little effect was seen for combustion in the presence of aerosols or for the larger fuel amounts that we tested.