Flame Heat Release Research Articles

Exhaust gas recirculation effects on flame heat release rate distribution and dynamic characteristics in a micro gas turbine

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is an option proposed to augment the CO2 content in the exhaust gas for the efficient removal of CO2. In the field of micro-gas turbine (MGT), EGR is also a feasible solution to improve the part-load performance and fuel flexibility. This research combined EGR with an adjustable fuel feeding combustor to assess the part-load performance of a 300 kW MGT and the flame spatiotemporal characteristics. The radical chemiluminescence intensity of hydroxyl is selected to represent the heat release rate (HRR) in natural gas flames. The influence of EGR on HRR was investigated experimentally under various load ratios (50%–100%) and EGR ratios (0–20%). In addition, the temperature at the combustion chamber outlet is also measured. The results show that EGR can effectively reduce OTDF when the load ratio is high. Both the spatial distribution non-uniformity and fluctuation amplitude of HRR are suppressed after applying EGR. And EGR can also reduce the influence of mixing on HRR spatiotemporal characteristics. At last, the frequency characteristics of HRR are analyzed. The result shows that the flame frequency has a strong correlation with the characteristic frequency of turbulence.

Research on application of asymmetrical Pre-chamber in Air-Assisted direct injection kerosene engine

• Effects of asymmetric jet pre-chamber on combustion process of kerosene AADI engines were studied. • The simulation of jet pre-chamber schemes was conducted for combustion optimization. • Engine test on combustion comparison of different ignition schemes was performed. • The asymmetric jet pre-chamber was found to be advantageous to improve combustion performance. Aiming at the power improvement of the aviation kerosene engine caused by the mixture preparation, and slow combustion rate, this paper introduced the design and application of the asymmetric jet pre-chamber on a spark ignition piston-type aviation engine equipped with the kerosene low-pressure air-assisted direct injection (AADI) system. Simulation calculation was conducted on combustion differences between the asymmetric pre-chamber and the traditional symmetrical pre-chamber. Meanwhile, the impacts on the flame combustion duration and heat release process in the main combustion chamber, which was divided into zone A and zone B, by the different jet nozzle orifice diameters and spatial distribution angles in the asymmetric jet pre-chamber were analyzed in the paper; and engine bench tests were performed on the influence of the combustion characteristics and power performance by the asymmetric jet pre-chamber ignition scheme under different control strategies. The simulation results showed that the asymmetric pre-chamber could further improve the combustion reaction rate by 7% and the cumulative heat release rate by 17%, thereby effectively promoting the engine combustion efficiency. And an optimal orifice diameter by 2.00 mm of the two jet nozzle in the zone B existed. Compared with the spatial angle α of these two jet nozzle in zone B by 80°, the spatial angle α of 50° can further be helpful to strengthen the heat transfer between the jet flame in the pre-chamber and the mixture in the main combustion chamber. The test results showed that the asymmetric pre-chamber was beneficial to improve the engine combustion performance by 11.4% under low load and by 16.7% under heavy load conditions. The optimal combustion performance can be obtained by the asymmetric pre-chamber at the condition of λ = 0.7, which resulted in higher jet flame ignition energy and faster combustion progression at the condition of richer mixture. As a conclusion, it is benefit to increase the initial heat release and enhance heat work transfer efficiency in the main combustion chamber of the AADI aviation kerosene engine.

Insight into flickering/shedding in buoyant droplet-diffusion flame during interaction with vortex

The interaction of incident vortex with buoyant diffusion flame of a pendant fuel droplet (n-dodecane) is investigated in the present study. The flame stretching/shedding events occur depending on vortex strengths, which are characterized using vortex Reynolds number (Rev). Different flame response regimes have been identified for different vortex strengths. The velocity scale associated with the vortices is higher when compared to natural convection velocity leading to forward extinction, followed by flame lift-off. The flame lift-off increases with Rev, and partial extinction occurs at very high Rev. In all the cases, the flame oscillates/sheds during the vortex interaction, which causes a momentary increase in the flame heat release rate. As the vortex moves past the flame, the oscillations dampen gradually, and the flame regains the natural buoyant behavior. The high-velocity scales imposed during vortex interaction make the flow momentum-dominant, resulting in a low Richardson number (Ri). Since, the flickering frequency scaling valid for Ri>>1 is not obeyed, a new scaling has been proposed to incorporate the vortex momentum effect by using vortex circulation instead of gravity. Only a portion of the incident vortex circulation contributes to the shedding as some of it is lost to forward extinction and lift-off events. Thus, the reduced vortex velocity scale is used to estimate the critical circulation. The flame shedding height calculated using new scaling in the critical circulation equation agrees with experimental observations.

Combined effect of intake angle and chamber structure on flow field and combustion process in a small-scaled rotary engine

This work aims to reveal combined effect of intake angle and chamber structure on flow field, flame propagation, combustion characteristics and pollutants formation of a small-scaled rotary engine by using numerical simulation. For this reason, a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model was established by using a reasonable turbulent model and choosing a reduced reaction kinetic mechanism and was also validated by the experimental data. Simulation results showed that intake angle is more significant to the influence of flame propagation, in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) in the front baffle combustion chamber (FBCC) and the rear baffle combustion chamber (RBCC) compared to that in the middle baffle combustion chamber (MBCC), but is an opposite trend for effect of flow field. The differences in the in-cylinder velocity field and turbulent kinetic energy magnitude were the intrinsic mechanism of combined influence of intake angle and chamber structure. Under larger intake angle, for the MBCC and the RBCC, higher pressure, HRR and power output were obtained, meanwhile the decreased HC and CO formations were obtained, while showed a contrary tend for the FBCC. And the amount of HC formation for these three combustion chambers at 15°intake angle is relatively small. To sum up, considering combustion characteristics, engine cooling and pollutants formation, it can be concluded that the combination of 15°intake angle and combustion chamber with a middle baffle was the optimum configuration for a small-scaled RE in engineering application. • The recess shape of rotor and intake angle are optimized. • Intake angle is more significant to the influence of combustion in FBCC and RBCC. • Recess shape plays a more significant role in effect of flow field and combustion. • Larger flow velocity and TKE near the spark plugs improve initial flame development. • The optimal scheme is the combination of 15° intake angle and MBCC or RBCC.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Laser-Ignited Direct Injection Gasoline Spray for Emission Control

Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) of a gasoline spray, where the mixture was ignited rapidly during or after injection, were performed in comparison to a previous experimental study with quantitative flame motion and soot formation data [SAE 2020-01-0291] and an accompanying Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulation at the same conditions. The present study reveals major shortcomings in common RANS combustion modeling practices that are significantly improved using LES at the conditions of the study, specifically for the phenomenon of rapid ignition in the highly turbulent, stratified mixture. At different ignition timings, benchmarks for the study include spray mixing and evaporation, flame propagation after ignition, and soot formation in rich mixtures. A comparison of the simulations and the experiments showed that the LES with Dynamic Structure turbulence were able to capture correctly the liquid penetration length, and to some extent, spray collapse demonstrated in the experiments. For early and intermediate ignition timings, the LES showed excellent agreement to the measurements in terms of flame structure, extent of flame penetration, and heat-release rate. However, RANS simulations (employing the common G-equation or well-stirred reactor) showed much too rapid flame spread and heat release, with connections to the predicted turbulent kinetic energy. With confidence in the LES for predicted mixture and flame motion, the predicted soot formation/oxidation was also compared to the experiments. The soot location was well captured in the LES, but the soot mass was largely underestimated using the empirical Hiroyasu model. An analysis of the predicted fuel–air mixture was used to explain different flame propagation speeds and soot production tendencies when varying ignition timing.

Experimental Investigation on Nonlinear Response of a Low-Swirl Flame to Acoustic Excitation With Large Amplitude

Abstract Thermoacoustic instability is a major issue in developing high-efficiency low emission gas turbine combustors. In order to predict the amplitude of limit cycle oscillation, an understanding of the amplitude-dependent response of the flame, i.e., the nonlinear response, to large acoustic excitation is needed. In the present study, the nonlinear response of a low-swirl CH4/air premixed flame to acoustic excitation is experimentally studied. Amplitude dependences of flame dynamic at 75 Hz and 195 Hz are discussed in detail over a wide range of excitation levels. Experimental results show the gain of flame describing function of the low-swirl flame has a peak value at 65 Hz and a local minimum at 105 Hz which is caused by the destructive (out of phase) and constructive (in-phase) of the axial and azimuthal velocity fluctuation. At low perturbation level, flame heat release fluctuation is in linear relationship with the normalized velocity driving level. Heat release fluctuation begins to saturate at a certain level which depends on the driving frequency. The low-swirl flame oscillates mainly in the axial direction at 75 Hz while it is in the radial direction at 195 Hz. The nonlinear flame heat release response is a result of combination effect of flame rollup process and harmonic responses.

Relative Effects of Velocity- and Mixture-Coupling in a Thermoacoustically Unstable, Partially Premixed Flame

Abstract Combustion instability, which is the result of a coupling between combustor acoustic modes and unsteady flame heat release rate, is a severely limiting factor in the operability and performance of modern gas turbine engines. This coupling can occur through different pathways, such as flow-field fluctuations or equivalence ratio fluctuations. In realistic combustor systems, there are complex hydrodynamic and thermo-chemical processes involved, which can lead to multiple coupling pathways. In order to understand and predict the mechanisms that govern the onset of combustion instability in real gas turbine engines, we consider the influences that each of these coupling pathways can have on the stability and dynamics of a partially premixed, swirl-stabilized flame. In this study, we use a model gas turbine combustor with two concentric swirling nozzles of air, separated by a ring of fuel injectors, operating at an elevated pressure of 5 bar. The flow split between the two streams is systematically varied to observe the impact on the flow and flame dynamics. High-speed stereoscopic particle image velocimetry, OH planar laser-induced fluorescence, and acetone planar laser-induced fluorescence are used to obtain information about the velocity field, flame, and fuel-flow behavior, respectively. Depending on the flow conditions, a thermoacoustic oscillation mode or a hydrodynamic mode, identified as the precessing vortex core, is present. The focus of this study is to characterize the mixture coupling processes in this partially premixed flame as well as the impact that the velocity oscillations have on mixture coupling. Our results show that, for this combustor system, changing the flow split between the two concentric nozzles can alter the dominant harmonic oscillation modes in the system, which can significantly impact the dispersion of fuel into air, thereby modulating the local equivalence ratio of the flame. This insight can be used to design instability control mechanisms in real gas turbine engines.

Linear control of thermoacoustic oscillations with flame dynamics modeled by a level-set method

This article focuses on co-simulation of the coupled nonlinear dynamics of flame heat release rate, acoustics, and feedback control in an active thermoacoustic oscillation control system. This work is motivated by an extensive existing body of literature showing the potential of closed-loop active control to suppress thermoacoustic oscillation. Linear algorithms such as linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control are often used for thermoacoustic oscillation control, with the important caveat that flame heat release rate oscillation is often highly nonlinear. This creates a need for a tool that can co-simulate the coupled nonlinear thermoacoustic dynamics with linear control. The main contribution of this article is the development of a tool capable of co-simulating nonlinear heat release dynamics using a level-set formulation, together with linear acoustics plus a linear feedback controller. The article demonstrates this framework on an LQG-controlled wedge flame in a unidimensional Rijke tube. The nonlinear thermoacoustic model is formed in a modified level-set solver by connecting the linear acoustics to the original nonlinear flame dynamics via a velocity convection equation. This framework succeeds in preserving the nonlinearity of the thermoacoustics in the Rijke tube without the LQG control. For the flame-driven Rijke tube in this article, LQG control is successful in suppressing the nonlinear thermoacoustic oscillation. In addition, the simulation based on the framework is useful in elucidating the impact of factors such as flame location, flame temperature rise, and the timing of the onset of LQG control on the instability suppression performance and energy needs.

Combustion Instability of Swirl Premixed Flame with Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma

The effects of plasma on the combustion instability of a methane swirling premixed flame under acoustic excitation were investigated. The flame image of OH planar laser-induced fluorescence and the fluctuation of flame transfer function showed the mechanism of plasma in combustion instability. The results show that when the acoustic frequency is less than 100 Hz, the gain in flame transfer function gradually increases with the frequency; when the acoustic frequency is 100~220 Hz, the flame transfer function shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing with acoustic frequency. When the acoustic frequency is greater than 220 Hz, the flame transfer function gradually decreases with acoustic frequency. When the voltage exceeds the critical discharge value of 5.3 kV, the premixed gas is ionized and the heat release rate increases significantly, thereby reducing the gain in flame transfer function and enhancing flame stability. Plasma causes changes in the internal recirculation zone, compression, and curling degree of the flame, and thereby accelerates the rate of chemical reaction and leads to an increase in flame heat release rate. Eventually, the concentration of OH radicals changes, and the heat release rate changes accordingly, which ultimately changes the combustion instability of the swirling flame.

Response of Autoignition-Stabilized Flames to One-Dimensional Disturbances: Intrinsic Response

Abstract Burning carbon-free fuels such as hydrogen in gas turbines promises power generation with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. A two-stage combustor architecture with an autoignition-stabilized flame in the second stage allows for efficient combustion of hydrogen fuels. However, interactions between the autoignition-stabilized flame and the acoustic field of the combustor may result in self-sustained oscillations of the flame front position and heat release rate, which severely affect the stable operation of the combustor. We study one such 'intrinsic' mode of interaction wherein acoustic waves generated by the unsteady flame travel upstream and modulate the incoming mixture resulting in flame front oscillations. In particular, we study the response of an autoignition-stabilized flame to upstream traveling acoustic disturbances in a one-dimensional configuration. We first present a numerical framework to calculate the response of autoignition-stabilized flames to acoustic and entropy disturbances in a one-dimensional combustor. The flame response is computed by solving the energy and species mass balance equations. We validate the framework with compressible direct numerical simulations. Lastly, we present results for the flame response to upstream traveling acoustic perturbations. The results show that autoignition-stabilized flames are highly sensitive to acoustic temperature fluctuations and exhibit a characteristic frequency-dependent response. Acoustic pressure and velocity fluctuations constructively or destructively superpose with temperature fluctuations, depending on the mean pressure and relative phase between the fluctuations. The findings of the present work are essential for understanding the intrinsic feedback mechanism in combustors with autoignition-stabilized flames.

Thermal performance investigation of a premixed surface flame burner used in the domestic heating boilers

This study investigated a premixed surface flame burner using chemiluminescence and image analysis. The burner was experimentally analyzed in equivalence ratios of 0.4−1.3 and operating heating capacities of 11.74−17.14 kW. The OH∗ emission showed a peak in the range of 0.77−0.83. The flame temperature variations were measured to adapt the results of OH∗ emission to the flame heat release, showing a peak in the lean range of 0.76−0.85. The air/fuel mixture was affected by flame height and preheated by the surface. Consequently, maximum heat release occurred in the lean range. Flame stability was studied using image analysis. The stable flame was in the same equivalence ratio range of the maximum OH∗ in operating burner powers. A gas analyzer determined the pollutant concentrations. The NOx and CO were detected below 20 ppm in the equivalence ratio of 0.77−0.83. Finally, a performance map was provided for the burner that showed thermal stable areas of flame regimes. The proposed operation can be derived by a performance diagram for the input burner power. The satisfactory operating zone of heat release (82% higher OH∗ intensity compared to stochiometric condition), pollutants, and the stable flame includes an equivalence ratio range of 0.77–0.83.

Numerical and experimental study of flow structure and heat release distribution in a stratified swirl flame with high-speed PIV and OH* measurements

Stratified swirled flame is widely used in gas turbines and aero engines to achieve low emissions. However, the limitation of implementing laser diagnostic in real combustors acquires more accurate measurements of field information in the flame, especially the unsteady heat release, which relates to a lot of important phenomena, such as combustion instability and blow-off. The present study employs large eddy simulation (LES) combined with a detailed OH* chemiluminescence reaction mechanism to validate the chemiluminescent image of OH* in a stratified swirled flame at the atmosphere condition. 10 kHz particle image velocimetry images and OH* filtered images are recorded during the experiment. The heat release and flow structure of the stratified swirled flame at two different fuel stratification ratios show distinguished flame shapes. In general, the velocity results of LES have good agreement with the measurement. The numerical OH* and heat release comparison reveals a strong dependence on the local strain rate and turbulence level of OH* emissions. It is also noticed that the wrong flame shapes may be deduced from the Abel inversed OH* image since the signals are weak in the outer recirculation zone. This indicates that the strain rate in different regions of stratified swirl flame has a significant impact on OH* signal distribution. The results provide insight into the ability of chemiluminescent emissions, such as OH*, to indicate heat release in more complex industrial flames.

Computational analysis of the effect of hydrogen peroxide addition on premixed laminar hydrogen/air flames

In the current work, the effect of H2O2 addition on the flame structure, laminar flame speed and NOx emissions is investigated in the context of 1D laminar premixed H2/air flames at Tu = 300 and 600 K, p = 1 and 30 atm, ϕ = 0.5. Mathematical tools from the computational singular perturbation approach are used in order to identify the key chemical and transport mechanisms. The H2O2 addition causes a significant increase to the laminar flame speed (sL), heat release (Q) and NOx emissions. Indicatively, 10% H2O2 addition (per fuel volume) at Tu = 300 K, p = 1 atm results in 72% increase of sL, 100% increase of Q, and 140% increase of the mass fraction of NO. Depending the conditions the flame structure is altered through the chain carrying reaction 10f (H2O2 + H → H2O + OH) or the chain branching 9f (H2O2 (+M) → 2OH (+M)); the first is favored at low temperatures/pressures while the latter is favored at sufficiently high temperatures/pressures. Both reactions boost the radical pool generation, therefore contributing to the broadening of the reaction zone. The reaction with the largest contribution to Q that is mostly affected (decreased) by the addition of H2O2 is reaction 21 (H + O2 (+M) ↔ HO2 (+M)). Moreover, the H2O2 addition enhances the stability of the flame. Finally, the increased production of NO is mainly associated with the increased temperature that is reached with the addition of H2O2.

Effect of Hydrogen on Steady-State and Transient Combustion Instability Characteristics

AbstractThis paper examines the effects of steady-state and transient hydrogen enrichment on thermoacoustic instability in a model gas turbine combustor. Combustion instability, a feedback loop between flame heat release rate oscillations and combustor acoustics, is characterized in a swirl-stabilized flame operated at a range of hydrogen–natural gas fuel blends and heat rates. Measurements of combustor chamber pressure fluctuations and CH* chemiluminescence imaging are used to characterize instability at a range of operating conditions. Steady-state tests show that both mixture heat rate and hydrogen content affect system stability. At a given heat rate, higher levels of hydrogen result in unstable combustion. As heat rate increases, instability occurs at lower concentrations of hydrogen in the fuel. Transient operation was tested in two directions—instability onset and decay—and two hydrogen-addition times—a short time of 1 ms and a longer time of 4 s. Results show that instability onset processes, through the transient addition of hydrogen, are highly repeatable regardless of the timescale of hydrogen addition. Certain instability decay processes are less repeatable, resulting in cases that do not fully transition from unstable to stable combustion despite similar changes in hydrogen fuel flow rate. Flame behavior before, during, and after the transient is characterized using high-speed CH* chemiluminescence imaging. Analysis of the high-speed images shows changes in flame stabilization and dynamics during the onset and decay processes. The results of this study can have implications for systems that experience variations in fuel composition, particularly in light of growing interest in hydrogen as a renewable fuel.

The effect of inlet boundaries on combustion instability in a pressure-elevated combustor

The effect of inlet boundaries on combustion instabilities in a spray combustor is investigated experimentally in this paper. The combustor is operated at pressure-elevated conditions and fueled with aviation kerosene. Three different inlet conditions, choked diffuser, open diffuser, and no diffuser are tested. Thermoacoustic instabilities are seen only in the case with no diffuser, where significant flame heat release oscillations with periodic flame liftoff-reignition are found. Rayleigh index maps are plotted to illustrate the thermoacoustic coupling in three cases. Then, a low order network model is used to explain the observed behaviors. The predicted system stabilities and mode shapes agree well with the experimental results. Further analysis shows that, in the considered parametric range, the stability of the thermoacoustic system is very sensitive to the length of the diffuser but not sensitive to its cross-sectional area. This reveals the possibilities of using diffuser optimization to suppress combustion instabilities in real combustors.

Impact of Fuel Injection Distribution on Flame Holding in a Cavity-Stabilized Scramjet

This study investigated the impact of fuel injection distribution on flame stabilization and heat release in a cavity-stabilized scramjet. Experiments were conducted using a hydrogen air heater that provided vitiated air at an average stagnation temperature of 1570 K and stagnation pressure of 12.7 atm, accelerated to a Mach number of 2.2 at the combustor entrance. Ethylene was injected using two fuel injection locations, one upstream of the cavity and another in the cavity. Three different fuel injection distributions were studied for global equivalence ratios of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. Measurements included high-speed chemiluminescence and shadowgraph, as well as wall-mounted pressure transducers. It was found that when the cavity fuel flow rate was low, the flame stabilized on the cavity shear layer and resulted in a gradual pressure rise in the combustor. A sufficiently high fuel flow rate in the cavity led to flame stabilization upstream of the cavity, in the fuel jet wake, and a more confined combustion zone. Shadowgraph imaging showed that injection of the fuel from the cavity floor at a sufficient momentum penetrated the shear layer over the cavity and enabled flame propagation upstream of the cavity. It was concluded that the heat release distribution and pressure profile in the combustor could be significantly influenced by the fuel injection distribution through its impact on the flame stabilization mode.

Flammability testing of wool/cellulosic and wool/synthetic fiber blends: Vertical flame spread and heat release results

Wool is a natural fiber with lower heat release/flammability than some synthetic fabrics, but it has not been well studied for its heat release when other fibers such as cotton, linen, and nylon are present in the woven fabric. In this article, the heat release and vertical flame spread of six commercially available natural color fabrics is reported. This includes 100% wool, 80% wool/20% nylon, 70% wool/30% linen, 45% wool/55% cotton, and 40% wool/38% cotton/12% nylon/10% metallic thread fabric. Heat release was measured through cone calorimetry (ASTM E1354) as a function of the sample mounting method, through microscale combustion calorimetry (ASTM D7309), and flame spread was measured by ASTM D6413. The type of insulated backing used greatly affected the cone calorimeter results, and fabric types did show some effects in vertical flame spread and microscale combustion calorimeter testing.

Influence of Equation-of-States on Supercritical CO2 Combustion Mixtures

Abstract Fossil fuel based direct-fired supercritical CO2 (sCO2) cycles are gaining the attention of industry, academia, and government due to their remarkable efficiency and carbon capture at high-source temperatures. Modeling plays an important role in the development of sCO2 combustors because experiments are very expensive at the designed operating conditions of these direct-fired cycles. Inaccurate density estimates are detrimental to the simulation output. Hence, this work focuses on comprehensive evaluation of the influence and applicability of various equation-of-states (EOS) which are being used in the supercritical combustion modeling literature. A state-of-the-art supercritical combustion modeling methodology is used to simulate counter-flow supercritical CO2 flames by using various equation-of-states. The results show that using the corresponding state principle to evaluate compressibility factor is not accurate. Also, van der Waal type EOSs predictions can be as accurate as complex Benedict–Webb–Rubin EOSs; hence van der Waal EOSs are more suitable to simulate sCO2 combustor simulations. Non-ideal effects are significant under the operating conditions considered in this work. The choice of EOS significantly influences the flame structure and heat release rate. Also, assuming the binary interaction parameter as zero is reasonable in sCO2 combustion simulations.

Study on the Flammability Limits of Lithium-Ion Battery Vent Gas under Different Initial Conditions.

In this paper, the flammability limit of the battery thermal runaway vent gas (BVG) is studied numerically by using the CHEMKIN 2.0 code. The research content mainly includes the change of flammability limit with the state of charge, initial temperature, and initial pressure. The chemical reaction kinetics at the flammability limit is also analyzed. The results show that the flammability limit obtained by numerical simulation is in good agreement with that calculated by Le Chatelier’s mixing rule. The lean and rich limits increase with the increase of the initial pressure, and the increasing trend gradually slows down. As for the change of initial temperature, higher the temperature is, wider the limits are. In addition, according to the simulation results, the fitting formula of the flammability limit changing with the initial conditions is given. Furthermore, in order to reveal the important elementary reactions controlling the flammability limit, the sensitivity analysis with respect to the flame speed and heat release rate analysis of the elementary reactions are carried out at the flammability limit. Finally, the effect of CO2 and H2 content on the flammability limit of BVG is discussed.

Experimental investigation into the influence of ignition location on flame spread and heat release rates of polyurethane foam slabs

SummaryThis study presents the results from a set of 11 large‐scale open fire tests performed on flexible polyurethane foam slabs/mattresses. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of the ignition location on the fire behaviour of the foam slabs and to generate data on a highly characterised material that could be used for modelling work in the future. A method for obtaining spatially resolved flame spread data for this type of material was presented using a gridded array of 5 × 10 thermocouples placed on the underside the foam slab and from this, flame spread was examined using three different approaches. The heat release rate (HRR) results showed clear shapes forming that were dependent on the ignition location, with two distinct behaviours being observed between the various different ignition locations, this was also observed in the calculated flame spread rate (FSR) data. Results within an individual test, showed the calculated range of FSRs over the geometry of the slab varied between approximately 1 and 8 mm/s depending on the ignition location. The average FSR values between tests varied between 3 and 7 mm/s and the maximum and minimum values were calculated to be approximately 11 and 2 mm/s respectively.