Ignition and flame spread over thermal aging electrical wires in subatmospheric pressure

2019 ◽  
pp. 089270571986686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Jun Fang ◽  
Jingwu Wang ◽  
Luyao Zhao ◽  
Yongming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Kinetics ◽  
Flame Spread ◽  
Thermal Aging ◽  
Ignition Delay ◽  
Pyrolysis Temperature ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Heating Time ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Scanning Calorimetry ◽  
Pressure Region

Thermal aging affects polymer ignition and flame spread process by changing the polymer kinetic parameters. Polyethylene (PE) with 0.15 mm thickness insulated by copper core of 0.5 mm diameter was used in this experiment. The PE was preheated under different temperature and heating time. Wires which have experienced thermal aging at 130°C for 30 and 200 h display higher crystallinity and pyrolysis temperature. However, the crystallinity and pyrolysis temperature decrease of wires, which experienced thermal aging at 150°C for 30 and 200 h by the results of thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry tests. The ignition experiment results highlight the ignition delay exhibiting “U” type with pressure. Chemical kinetics controls the ignition delay in lower pressure region, and the heat transfer controls the ignition delay in higher pressure region. The region controlled by chemical kinetics is larger for the wire with higher crystallinity and pyrolysis temperature. The flame spread experiment results show that the flame area relays more on flame length for the wires with lower crystallinity and pyrolysis temperatures, while wires with greater crystallinity and higher pyrolysis temperature depend more on flame height.

Experimental study of the width effects on self-induced buoyant blow off in upward flame spread over thin fabric fuels

2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1404-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoqing Zhu ◽  
Yunji Gao ◽  
Guoqiang Chai ◽  
Jinju Zhou ◽  
Shuai Gao
Keyword(s):  
Flame Spread ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Spread Rate ◽  
Fire Control ◽  
Constant Length ◽  
Flame Spreading ◽  
Upward Flame Spread ◽  
Flame Thickness ◽  
Induced Velocity

In this paper, a series of upward flame spreading experiments were conducted on thin flax fabric with various widths ranging from 3.0 to 8.0 cm and length of 1.6 m. Symmetric ignition at the entire bottom edge of samples led to two-sided upward flame growth initially. A very interesting behavior of flame blown off was observed in upward flame spreading and an explanation was provided based on the increased buoyancy-induced velocity at the flame base. When the sample width is 6 cm or less, the flame length increases to a critical value and, correspondingly, the buoyancy-induced velocity reaches the blow off velocity, which results in a flame being blown off on one side. The remaining flame on the other side would shrink in length and propagate to the end of the sample with an asymptotically constant length and steady spread rate. For samples wider than 6 cm, the two-sided flame continues to spread to the end of samples and the self-induced blow off phenomenon is not observed. Moreover, the width effects on the flame height, flame thickness and flame spread rate are analyzed and explained in this paper. The results of this study may help advance better understanding of flame blow off behaviors over solid surfaces and have implications concerning fire control of flame spread over solid fuels.

Experimental study of welding region effects on upward flame spread over textile membranes

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 2041-2053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunji Gao ◽  
Guoqing Zhu ◽  
Mengwei Yu ◽  
Feng Guo ◽  
Yu Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flame Spread ◽  
Ignition Time ◽  
Flame Temperature ◽  
Air Entrainment ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Spread Rate ◽  
Pyrolysis Gas ◽  
Upward Flame Spread ◽  
Pyrolysis Spread Rate

Textile membranes are used widely as a main architectural material in membrane structure buildings. However, very few studies have been conducted to investigate the flame spread characteristics of textile membranes, especially in the case of upward flame spread. In this paper, the effects of welding region on upward flame spread were investigated experimentally using sample sheets of textile membranes 60 cm tall and 6 cm wide with and without welding region. The corresponding observations are as follows: the width of flame with welding region is narrower than that without welding region; flame height, pyrolysis height, preheating length, flame length, and pyrolysis spread rate decrease significantly in the presence of a welding region, while ignition time increases; flame temperature decreases in the presence of a welding region, and temperature along the welding region is higher than that near the edge. The welding region effects are as follows: in presence of a welding region, the thickness of welding region increases and, accordingly, ignition time shows an increase, leading to relatively low pyrolysis gas generated per unit time and relatively less heat released; in addition, a relatively larger pyrolysis gas concentration gradient over the width for welding membranes results in a relatively stronger air entrainment occurring at the sample sides, taking away part of the heat flux and narrowing the flame width. Thus, the presence of a welding region has negative effects of increasing ignition time and reducing preheating length on upward flame spread over textile membranes, eventually decreasing the pyrolysis spread rate.

scholarly journals Thermodynamic and Kinetic Characteristics of Combustion of Discrete Polymethyl Methacrylate Plates with Different Spacings in Concave Building Facades

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
Weiguang An ◽  
Lujun Peng ◽  
Minglun Cai ◽  
Kaiyang Hu ◽  
Song Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymethyl Methacrylate ◽  
Flame Spread ◽  
Structure Factor ◽  
Turning Point ◽  
Fire Risk ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Hazard Evaluation ◽  
Spread Rate ◽  
Building Facades ◽  
Flame Spread Rate

Polymethyl methacrylate plates are widely applied to buildings, producing significant fire hazards. It lacks a theoretical basis for the fire risk assessment of polymethyl methacrylate in concave building facades. Therefore, experimental methods are used to investigate combustion characteristics of discrete polymethyl methacrylate plates in a concave building facade. Influences of fuel coverage and structure factor are investigated, which is scant in previous works. When structure factor is invariable, average flame height increases first and then decreases as fuel coverage increases, and the turning point is between 0.64 and 0.76. In total, three different patterns of pyrolysis front propagation are first observed for different fuel coverages. Flame spread rate first increases and then decreases as fuel coverage rises, and the turning point is also between 0.64 and 0.76. When fuel coverage is invariable, the flame spread rate first increases and then decreases with increasing structure factor, and the turning point is 1.2. A model for predicting the flame spread rate of discrete polymethyl methacrylate is also developed. The predicted values are consistent with experimental results. Fuel spread rate of discrete polymethyl methacrylate rises as the fuel coverage increases. The above results are beneficial for thermal hazard evaluation and fire safety design of polymethyl methacrylate used in buildings.

The Influence of Singlet Oxygen and Ozone on the Combustion in Methane-Air Mixture

2013 ◽  
Vol 699 ◽  
pp. 111-118
Author(s):  
Rui Shi ◽  
Chang Hui Wang ◽  
Yan Nan Chang
Keyword(s):  
Singlet Oxygen ◽  
Chemical Kinetics ◽  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Ignition Delay ◽  
Delay Time ◽  
Ignition Delay Time ◽  
Laminar Flame ◽  
Combustion Products ◽  
Flame Speed ◽  
Air Mixing

Based on GRI3.0, we study the main chemical kinetics process about reactions of singlet oxygen O2(a1Δg) and ozone O3 with methane-air combustion products, inherit and further develop research in chemical kinetics process with enhancement effects on methane-air mixed combustion by these two molecules. In addition, influence of these two molecules on ignition delay time and flame speed of laminar mixture are considered in our numerical simulation research. This study validates the calculation of this model which cotains these two active molecules by using experimental data of ignition delay time and the speed of laminar flame propagation. In CH4-air mixing laminar combustion under fuel-lean condition(ф=0.5), flame speed will be increased, and singlet oxygen with 10% of mole fraction increases it by 80.34%, while ozone with 10% mole fraction increase it by 127.96%. It mainly because active atoms and groups(O, H, OH, CH3, CH2O, CH3O, etc) will be increased a lot after adding active molecules in the initial stage, and chain reaction be reacted greatly, inducing shortening of reaction time and accelerating of flame speed. Under fuel rich(ф=1.5), accelerating of flame speed will be weakened slightly, singlet oxygen with 10% in molecular oxygen increase it by 48.93%, while ozone with 10% increase it by 70.25%.

The effects of wind on the flame characteristics of individual leaves

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Cole ◽  
McKaye H. Dennis ◽  
Thomas H. Fletcher ◽  
David R. Weise
Keyword(s):  
Froude Number ◽  
Flame Length ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Combustion Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Single Leaf ◽  
Small Branch ◽  
Flame Burner ◽  
Broadleaf Species ◽  
Semi Empirical

Individual cuttings from five shrub species were burned over a flat-flame burner under wind conditions of 0.75–2.80 m s–1. Both live and dead cuttings were used. These included single leaves from broadleaf species as well as 3 to 5 cm-long branches from coniferous and small broadleaf species. Flame angles and flame lengths were determined by semi-automated measurements of video images. Additional data, such as times and temperatures corresponding to ignition, maximum flame height and burnout were determined using video and infrared images. Flame angles correlated linearly with wind velocity. They also correlated with the Froude number when either the flame length or flame height was used. Flame angles in individual leaf experiments were generally 50 to 70% less than flame angles derived from Froude number correlations reported in the literature for fuel-bed experiments. Although flame angles increased with fuel mass and moisture content, they were unaffected by fuel species. Flame lengths and flame heights decreased with moisture contents and wind speed but increased with mass. In most cases, samples burned with wind conditions ignited less quickly and at lower temperatures than samples burned without wind. Most samples contained moisture at the time of ignition. Results of this small-scale approach (e.g. using individual cuttings) apply to ignition of shrubs and to flame propagation in shrubs of low bulk density. This research is one of the few attempts to characterise single-leaf and small-branch combustion behaviour in wind and is crucial to the continued development of a semi-empirical shrub combustion model.

Effect of Sample Width on Downward Flame Spread over Typical Energy Conservation Material at a High Elevation Area

2014 ◽  
Vol 664 ◽  
pp. 199-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Guang An ◽  
Lin Jiang ◽  
Jin Hua Sun ◽  
K.M. Liew
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Flame Spread ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Mass Loss Rate ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Spread Rate ◽  
Flame Spread Rate ◽  
Sample Width ◽  
Downward Flame Spread

An experimental study on downward flame spread over extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam at a high elevation is presented. The flame shape, flame height, mass loss rate and flame spread rate were measured. The influences of width and high altitude were investigated. The flame fronts are approximately horizontal. Both the intensity of flame pulsation and the average flame height increase with the rise of sample width. The flame spread rate first drops and then rises with an increase in width. The average flame height, mass loss rate and flame spread rate at the higher elevation is smaller than that at a low elevation, which demonstrates that the XPS fire risk at the higher elevation area is lower. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis. This work is vital to the fire safety design of building energy conservation system.

scholarly journals Large scale experimental study on the fire hazard of buildings’ U-shape façade wall geometry

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weigang YAN ◽  
Lin JIANG ◽  
Weiguang AN ◽  
Yang ZHOU ◽  
Jinhua SUN
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Flame Spread ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Fire Hazard ◽  
Residential Building ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Geometrical Factor ◽  
Insulation Material ◽  
Upward Flame Spread ◽  
Wall Geometry

Buildings have U-shape façade designs for certain purposes such as lighting. However, such designs may lead to a higher fire hazard. In this paper, large scale experiments of upward flame spread over XPS insulation material were conducted to investigate the fire hazard of building’s U-shape façade wall geometry. Comparison to previous labora­tory scale experiments were also presented. Theoretical analysis was performed to reveal the mechanism of the U-shape geometry’s influences. It is found that such geometry design would increase the fire hazard of buildings: flame spread rate and flame height increased with U-shape’s geometrical factor. The results agreed with theoretical analysis. It is ex­pected that the buildings’ U-shape façade wall geometry would greatly benefit flame spread for full scale applications and increase the fire hazard. Thus engineers should be careful with such façade wall designs, especially for residential building designs.

Experimental study of moisture content effects on horizontal flame spread over thin cotton fabric

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (15) ◽  
pp. 3189-3200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunji Gao ◽  
Guoqing Zhu ◽  
Hui Zhu ◽  
Weiguang An ◽  
Yu Xia
Keyword(s):  
Moisture Content ◽  
Cotton Fabric ◽  
Flame Spread ◽  
Extreme Values ◽  
Ignition Time ◽  
Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient ◽  
Flame Height ◽  
Spread Rate ◽  
Untreated Cotton ◽  
Flame Spread Rate

In this paper, moisture content effects on horizontal flame spread were experimentally investigated using 0.245 mm thick, 28 cm tall and 28 cm wide untreated cotton fabric sheets with various moisture contents varying from 0 to 34%. The pyrolysis spread rates, flame heights and ignition times were obtained and analyzed. The corresponding results are as follows: as moisture content increases, the flame height and spread rate first increase and then decrease. In contrast, the ignition time shows an opposite trend with moisture content. The extreme values are observed in cases of 2% moisture content samples. Moreover, the flame spread rate in the warp direction is larger than that in the weft direction. For horizontal flame spread, the moisture content has the effect of consuming part of the heat feedback, which can play a role in reducing the flame spread rate; simultaneously, the moisture content can enlarge flame size and increase the convective heat transfer coefficient, thereby resulting in an increase in flame spread rate. The non-monotonous trend in pyrolysis spread rate is the result of competition between these effects.

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