Application of thermodynamic and detailed chemical kinetic modeling to understanding combustion product generation in enclosure fires

Abstract

Experiments in idealized two-layer fire environments have demonstrated that concentrations of carbon monoxide and other gaseous combustion products can be correlated in terms of the global equivalence ratio. In this paper the results of detailed chemical kinetic modeling and equilibrium calculations are used to gain insight into the chemical stability of the gases observed within the upper layers of such fires. It is demonstrated that the production of upper-layer gases is kinetically controlled and that for rich conditions concentrations of the upper-layer gas components are far from those expected for thermodynamic equilibrium at the layer temperatures. Criteria are provided for determining whether or not the correlations can be employed to predict the generation of combustion products in enclosure fires.