Assessing smoke toxicity of burning combustibles by four expressions for fractional effective dose

Toxicity of smoke generated in a fire is difficult to measure accurately. That is because gas sensors for measuring rapidly varying concentrations of toxic gases are not yet developed. Simple expressions are searched for quick measurement in assessing smoke toxicity practically. Four equations on calculating fractional effective dose (FED) related to toxic effluents were reported in the literature, each based on different assumptions. FED value was proposed to be calculated based on peak carbon monoxide concentration and peak carbon dioxide concentration, and transient carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations. The four values were compared in this article using literature data on toxic gases from different materials measured by (i) cone calorimeter; (ii) full-scale burning tests; and (iii) tunnel full-scale tests. Measured carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen concentrations by standard equipment of oxygen consumption calorimeters were used to calculate the four FED values. It is found that the values of FED based on peak carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide concentrations (denoted as FED₂) are similar to the average values of FED calculated from the updated equation in the literature using the oxygen consumption calorimeters. Putting the values of FED₂ in fire safety design guides is then recommended.     

New approaches to determine the interface height of fire smoke based on a three-layer zone model and its verification in large confined space

Large confined space has high incidence of fires, which seriously threatens the safety of people working there. Understanding the distribution of smoke in such large space is critical to fire development prediction and smoke control. Three improved methods for the stratification interface prediction of fire smoke are developed, including of improved intra-variance, integral ratio and N-percentage methods. In these methods, the interface height is determined by the vertical temperature distribution based on a three-layer smoke zone model, which is an improvement of a two-layer zone model. Thereafter, the three improved methods are applied to several typical fire cases simulated CFD to predict the smoke interface, and their applicability and reliability are verified by comparison of the smoke stratification results with the filed simulation results. Results show that the three improved methods can effectively determine the location of the three-layer zone model's interface, and they have the ability to predict smoke interface for fires with different fire source types and ventilation conditions.     

Mechanism of smoke suppression by melamine in rigid polyurethane foam

The smoke suppression of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) modified by melamine was investigated based on three sections: the condensed phase, the carbon layer, and the gas phase. In the condensed phase, the results of thermogravimetry, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) N1S spectrum, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that melamine could suppress the degradation of RPUF by reacting with the aromatic hydrocarbons. It also reduced the smoke generation because the volatilizable aromatic hydrocarbons were the principal smoke precursors in a fire. In the carbon layer, the decrease from 38.50% to 24.76% of the inner layer oxygen content identified by XPS full‐spectrum and C1S spectrum indicated that melamine could prevent oxygen from transferring into the inner foam by the formation of an enhanced surface carbon layer, and the enhanced carbon layer could also block the release of smoke precursors. In the gas phase, the content of total aromatic hydrocarbons declined to 59.12% according to pyrolysis gaseous chromatography mass spectroscopy and indicated that melamine could reduce the smoke precursors. The results of smoke density chamber and cone calorimeter tests revealed that the addition of the melamine could decrease the smoke density of burning RPUF. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

某型柴油机排烟温度异常故障排查与分析

针对某油船主推进柴油机排烟温度异常升高的故障,从引起柴油机排烟温度异常升高的可能因素着手进行排查.结果表明:排烟波纹管内衬套开裂脱落,堵塞排烟管是导致排烟温度异常升高的直接原因.指出:案例中的这个因素虽比较少见,但还是有迹可循;可为船舶柴油机的使用管理与维修实践提供一定借鉴.     

火源横向位置对隧道烟气分布的影响

依托工程实际,采用数值模拟方法研究隧道火源位于不同车道时,隧道临界风速、温度、烟雾分布扩散规律。结果表明:纵向通风速度不大于临界通风速度时,火源下游段隧道棚顶温度呈e函数下降,当通风速度大于临界通风速度时,该规律不再适用。火源位于侧壁面时,由于隧道侧壁面的限制作用,其近火源区烟气运移呈“之”字形向隧道出口处蔓延,隧道棚顶不同纵向温度线呈滚动式交替变化。     

Experimental study of the combustion characteristics of methanol‐gasoline blends pool fires in a full‐scale tunnel

The combustion characteristics of methanol‐gasoline blends pool fires were studied in a series of full‐scale tunnel experiments conducted with different methanol and gasoline blends. The parameters were measured including the mass loss rate, the pool surface temperature, the fire plume centerline temperature, the ceiling temperature, the smoke layer temperature profile, the flame height, and the smoke layer interface height. The gasoline components were analyzed by GC‐MS. The effects of azeotropism on the combustion characteristics of the different blends were discussed. On the basis of the results of the fire plume centerline temperature, the ceiling temperature, and the flame height, it shows that the tunnel fire regime gradually switches from fuel controlled to ventilation controlled with increasing gasoline fractions in the blends. The fire plume can be divided into 3 regions by the fire plume centerline temperature for the different blends. The N‐percentage rule to determine the smoke layer interface height is found to be applicable for tunnel fires with different blends for N = 26.     

Experimental study on the effect of lateral concentrated smoke extraction on smoke stratification in the longitudinal ventilated tunnel

Smoke is the main cause of death in tunnel fires. It is one of the important measures to maintain smoke stratification in the early stage of tunnel fire. This article focused on experimentally studying the combined effect of lateral concentrated smoke extraction and longitudinal ventilation on the smoke stratification, which never be revealed before. The velocity of the smoke layer and air layer, vertical temperature distribution, and the flow patterns of the smoke were measured. It was found that the longitudinal ventilation and lateral concentrated smoke extraction would affect the flow of the smoke and change the shear velocity between the smoke layer and air layer, then, the patterns of the smoke layer will be affected. And the flow patterns with Froude (Fr) number can be classified into three categories: (a)Fr < 0.6 , with stable smoke stratification; (b) 0.6 < Fr < 0.85 , with a stable smoke stratification but the blurring interface; and (c) Fr > 0.85 , the smoke layer is completely unstable. The result can provide a reference for ventilation design of immersed tube tunnels.     

Influence of modern plastic furniture on the fire development in fires in homes: large‐scale fire tests in living rooms

About 80% of all fire fatalities in Germany occur because of fires in homes. It has been known for some time that modern materials (synonym for materials consisting mostly of synthetic polymers) tend to burn differently from older materials (synonym for materials consisting mostly of fibrous cellulosic substances) and it has been acknowledged that the amount of combustible plastics in homes has increased significantly over the last decades. To investigate the influence of modern furniture and ventilation conditions of fires in homes, a series of four large‐scale tests in two living rooms (LRs) with adjacent rooms (ARs) was performed by BAM and the Frankfurt fire service. Two LRs, one with older furniture and one with modern furniture, were tested twice each. Each test started with the ignition of a paper cushion on an upholstered chair. The influence of modern materials on the fire development was investigated, as well as the influence of the ventilation on the fire development. In all settings, an upholstered chair was the first burning item. Results of the test series show that fires in rooms with modern furniture develop faster than fires in rooms with older furniture. This is true for temperature development in the rooms as well as for smoke production.     

“烟塔合一”内衬防腐技术的研究

结合采用“烟塔合一”排放技术的火力发电厂烟气腐蚀介质及腐蚀环境特点,对混凝土材质冷却塔内衬防腐蚀技术进行了比较,介绍了防腐蚀衬里或涂层对新钢筋混凝土设备基体表面的要求及对原有钢筋混凝土设备的影响,提出了冷却塔内防腐蚀方案为：采用厚膜型鳞片涂料,衬层厚度设计为1.2mm。