Characterization of Medium-Scale Propane Pool Fires

• Published in: Fire technology Vol. 59; no. 4; pp. 1865 - 1882
• Main Authors: Falkenstein-Smith, Ryan L., Sung, Kunhyuk, Hamins, Anthony
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Carbon monoxide; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Civil Engineering; Classical Mechanics; Engineering; Enthalpy; Exhaust gases; Fires; Gas analyzers; Gas chromatography; Mixtures; Physics; Pool fires; Propane; Soot; Thermal conductivity; Time measurement; Propane flame structure; Mixture fraction analysis; Gaseous pool fires
• ISSN: 0015-2684; 1572-8099
• DOI: 10.1007/s10694-023-01412-9

A series of experiments are conducted in a 37 cm diameter gas burner situated in a quiescent environment. Time-averaged local measurements of the temperature, velocity, soot, and gaseous species are obtained in 21kW, 34kW, and 50 kW propane fires above the burner centerline. Global measurements of the radiative fraction, flame height, soot and CO yields, and total heat feedback to the burner are also obtained. Time-averaged gaseous species concentrations are measured using a gas chromatograph with mass selectivity and thermal conductivity detectors. The time-averaged soot mass fraction is measured simultaneously via a gravimetric technique. Additional gaseous species and soot measurements are obtained in the exhaust duct via gas analyzers and laser transmission measurements, respectively. A mixture fraction analysis shows that these propane fires exhibit similar trends in which the experimental data nearly matches the idealized state relationships. Carbon monoxide concentrations obtained throughout the fire are presented as a function of mixture fraction and compared among the different propane fire sizes. The dataset provides a comprehensive picture of the mean structure of the three propane fires.