Ignition, Flame Spread and Mass Burning Characteristics of Liquid Fuels on a Water Bed.
Ignition, Flame Spread and Mass Burning Characteristics
of Liquid Fuels on a Water Bed.
(1786 K)
Wu, N.; Baker, M.; Kolb, G.; Torero, J. L.
Environment Canada. Arctic and Marine Oilspill Program
(AMOP) Technical Seminar, 20th. Volume 2. Proceedings.
June 11-13, 1997, Alberta, Canada, Environment Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario, 769-793 pp, 1997.
Sponsor:
National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD
Keywords:
crude oil; oil spills; liquid fuels; ignition; flame
spread; mass burns; methodology; equations; extinction;
regression rate; lateral ignition
Abstract:
An experimental technique has been developed to
systematically study the ignition, flame spread and mass
burning characteristics of liquid fuels spilled on a
water bed. The final objective of this work is to
provide a tool that will serve to assess a fuels ease to
ignite, to spread and to sustain a flame, thus helping
to better define the combustion parameters that affect
in-situ burning of oil spills. A systematic study of
the different parameters that affect ignition, flame
spread and mass burning has been conducted in an attempt
to develop a bench scale procedure to evaluate the
burning efficiency of liquid fuels in conditions typical
of oil spill scenarios. To study ignition and flame
spread, the Lateral Ignition and Flame Spread (LIFT)
standard test method (ASTM E-1321) has been modified to
allow the use of liquid fuels and a water bed.
Characteristic parameters such as the critical heat flux
for ignition, ignition delay time and flame spread
velocity as a function of the external heat flux have
been obtained. A series of "fire properties"
corresponding to the fuel can be extrapolated from these
tests and used to assess the tendcy of a fuel to ignite
and to sustain flame spread. Mass burning has been
studied by determining the burning efficiency of
different fuels under conditions where a simple
one-dimensional heat conduction model describes the
surface regression rate.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899