FPE Research - Potomac Laboratory

Compartment Fire Experiment

This figure shows a configuration of the compartment fire experiment conducted at the Potomac Lab. Measurement comprises of fuel mass loss, temperature, pressure difference near vents, incident heat flux, and gas concentrations. Inner Size: 0.4x0.4x1.2 m3 Fuel: Heptane (C7H16) Total Vent Area: 2.0 - 240.0 cm2 Pan Diameter: 6.5, 9.5, 12.0, 19.0 cm		This figure shows an example of the ventilation controlled burning of a heptane pool in a 0.4 m cubic compartment with two wall vents adjacent to the ceiling and the floor (top and bottom). The fuel pan diameter is 0.19 m., and each vent has the size of 3 cm x 40 cm (height x width). The fuel mass loss rate attains 6.7 time of its free burning value.

These figures show an example of the ventilation controlled burning of heptane in a 0.4 m x 0.4 m x 1.2 m compartment with two wall vents adjacent to the ceiling and the floor (top and bottom) Each vent has the size of 3 cm x 40 cm (height x width). Fuel pans are distributed evenly over the floor. The flame was ignited from the back (right hand side) of the compartment. Initially the flame quickly spread through all fuel pans as shown in the left figure. Later on, the flame burns all the incoming air at the vent when the ventilation controlled condition is reached (right figure).

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