An assessment of recent thermal radiation model performance for propane gas fire experiments

Abstract

In this article, the performance of five radiation models is investigated, including one conventional radiation model, that is, single-point source model, as well as four recently developed models, that is, a weighted multipoint source model, a cuboid flame model, a multicuboid flame model and a multicylinder flame model. The models are assessed in terms of the height of a target above flame base, the horizontal distance of target from flame source, heat release rate and size of burner. The estimations of the theoretical models are compared with propane-based experimental data with heat release rate ranging from 100 to 300 kW and assessed through numerical and graphical analysis. From the results obtained, the single-point source model outperformed the recently developed radiation models in estimating radiant heat received by an object located at a distance from the fire source, albeit it does exhibit some sensitivity to modifications in input parameters.