- Author
- Johnsson, E. L.
- Title
- Study of Technology for Detecting Pre-Ignition Conditions of Cooking-Related Fires Associated With Electric and Gas Ranges and Cooktops. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC
- Report
- NISTIR 5950, January 1998, 130 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- CONTRACT-CPSC-IAG-95-1145
- Keywords
- stoves | appliances | fire detection | fire prevention | ignition prevention | kitchen fires | residential buildings | sensors | smoke detectors | smoke measurement
- Abstract
- A significant portion of residential fires stem from kitchen cooking fires. Existing fire data indicate that cooking fires primarily are unattended and most often involve oil or grease. Previous study has determined that strong indicators of impending ignition for several foods cooked on range surfaces are temperatures, smoke particulates, and hydrocarbon gases. The purpose of this experimental investigation was to determine the feasibility of utilizing one or more of these common characteristics of the pre-ignition environment as input to one or more sensor(s) in a pre-fire detection device. This device would detect approaching ignition and allow alarm or shutoff of the range for foods cooked on electric and gas ranges without generating false alarms during a variety of normal, or standard, cooking activities. The aspect of feasibility explored by the National Institute of Standards and Technolgy was the physical possibility of differentiating between the characteristics of broad ranges of pre-ignition and normal environments. The ultimate goal of the overall study being conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is to evaluate the overall feasibility of incorporating such a device into ranges that would react with alarm or shutdown to pre-ignition conditions and reduce the occurrence of unwanted kitchen fires without undue disruption of attended cooking. This evaluation of overall feasibility by the CPSC includes consideration of the reasonableness and magnitude of the social and economic costs and benefits in addition to the physical feasibility of a detection system.