Fire Dynamics: Fundamentals of Fire Phenomena, ENFP Course, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland

ENFP 415 - Fire Dynamics: Fundamentals of Fire Phenomena (3 credits)

Flame test courtesy of Søren Wedel Nielsen (June 13, 2005)

Prerequisites:

Textbooks:

Course Description:

Introduction to premixed and diffusion flames; ignition, flame spread and rate of burning; fire plumes; flame radiation.

Course Objectives:

To give the student quantitative ability to predict aspects of combustion and fire behavior.
To develop concepts and theory from first principles that will lead to useful formulas and methods for problem solving.

Topics Covered:

Introduction: Nature of the course, text, style.
Thermochemistry: Combustion reaction, Stoichiometry, Equivalence ratio, as mixtures, Perfect gas, First law of thermodynamics. Constant pressure combustion, Heat of formation, Heat of combustion, Adiabatic flame temperature, Examples.
Conservation Laws For Control Volumes: Mass, Species, Momentum, Energy.
Premixed Flames: Reaction Rate, Ignition, Flammability limits, Flammability diagrams, Critical-adiabatic flame temperature, Flame speed, Quenching diameter.
Spontaneous Ignition: Frank-Kamenetskii theory thermally-thick, Critical Damkohler number, Time for spontaneous ignition.
Ignition Of Liquids: Flashpoint, Piloted and auto-Ignition Temperatures, Evaporation, Clausius-Clapeyron.
Ignition Of Solids: Ignition times, Ignition temperature concept, Thermally thin solid, Thermally thick solid.
Flame Spread On Solids: Steady spread theory, Thermally-thin solid, Thermally-thick solid.
Burning Rate: Heat of gasification, Diffusive burning of Liquids, Convective burning, B-number, Generalized burning rate.
Fire Plumes: Buoyant plumes, Entrainment, Temperature and velocity, Combusting plumes, Flame length.
Compartment Fires: Zone model concept, Vent flows, Energetics and layer temperature, Vent-limited fires.