Abstract
Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) carries a high fire risk. In this paper, a cone calorimeter is used to carry out radiation ignition experiments, and the heat release rate (HRR), mass loss rate (MLR) and other combustion parameters of XLPE cables under three kinds of radiation intensity are measured. By comparing the ignition time and HRR of samples under different conditions, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) The ignition time of XLPE cables decreases significantly with the increase in external thermal radiation intensity. The critical ignition heat flux (CHF) is about 16.24 kW/m2. (2) The HRR curve of XLPE is consistent with the characteristics of hot, thick material. The HRR rises rapidly to the first peak after ignition and then rapidly decreases. Then, it slowly rises to the second peak. Finally, it slowly decays until the combustion stops. (3) The first peak values of HRR of XLPE under different radiation intensities are almost the same. The time for the second peak of HRR is shorter, and the value is larger with the increase in external thermal radiation intensity. (4) The cable ignition model is established, which can simulate the cable ignition time well under different radiant heat flow conditions. (5) Based on the mathematical model, the ignition time trend with the thickness of sheath layer and conductive core layer as variables is deduced.
Highlights
With the increasing demand for electric energy in social and economic sectors and industrial production, the use of cables has increased significantly
The time for the second peak of heat release rate (HRR) is shorter, and the value is larger with the increase in external thermal radiation intensity
The specific parameters are mainly reflected in the thermal reaction parameter (TRP) and critical heat flow for ignition (CHF)
Summary
With the increasing demand for electric energy in social and economic sectors and industrial production, the use of cables has increased significantly. The cone calorimeter is a laboratory-scale device that has been proven to be useful in the estimation of full-scale fire behaviors of various products, such as cables [2–4]. Hirschler [5] and Barnes [6,7] used a cone calorimeter to study the combustion behaviors of a series of cables based on ISO 5660 and ASTM d5424 [8]. During the experiments, these cables had the same layout, but the sheath or insulation composition was different. Most scholars believe that the use of a conical calorimeter is a very standard experiment to study cable fire behavior [10]
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