The Use of Infrared Thermograph Technique to Investigate Welding Related Industrial Fires

This paper investigates the root cause of an industrial fire that occurred within a high airflow rate, duct system connected to a metal inert gas (MIG) welding operation. A full-scale experiment was conducted, with the aid of an infrared thermographic recording system to monitor the thermal behavior (cooling rates) of the flying welding spatters and splashes, and visualize their interaction with cellulose filter banks. Several operational scenarios were duplicated and the fire critical conditions were identified. This study also provided new information about the welding spatters size, speed, splash angle and distribution. The findings from current work might lead to effective fire mitigation strategies for industrial welding ventilation systems containing cellulose filters.