Experimental studies of the effect of burner location on the development of building fires

Abstract

Building-related safety design and assessment requires precise and quantifiable fire laws. However, the effect of fire source location on flame behavior and combustion products has not been fully elaborated leading to a lack of precision in the corresponding risk assessment. The experiments were carried out in a 1/2-scale compartment to investigate the effect of burner location on the self-extinguishing behavior. Six burner positions were used and combustion conditions were varied by adjusting the opening factor and total heat release rate (HRR). Flame behavior, temperature, critical HRR, oxygen and carbon monoxide concentrations were recorded and analyzed. Results showed that the burner location could change the flame behavior and its critical conditions. The effect of burner position on the roof temperature could be quantified by the newly proposed position factor. The oxygen and carbon monoxide concentrations in the smoke layer were significantly higher when the burner was near a wall or corner than in other positions. The critical HRR for flame extinction varied with burner position because the process by which the flame entraining air and air into the opening was changed. Experimental results in this study provide accurate data support and physical mechanisms for predicting building fire development.