EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRES IN A REDUCED 1/10 SCALE ROAD TUNNEL USING DIFFERENT COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID POOLS

Ion ANGHEL, Octavian LALU, Silviu CODESCU, Dusica J. PESIC, Bogdan BRĂNIȘTEANU, Constantin POPA

Abstract


The article presents multiple 1/10 reduced-scale experiments using Froude scaling. These experiments were conducted in order to investigate to what extent the diesel, the gasoline and the ethanol can accurately produce the characteristics and the dynamics of a real automobile fire in a road tunnel. The article focuses on experiments (scaled 1/10) and calculation methods that can predict the value of the heat flux from a road tunnel fire (the Heat Release Rate – HRR). Application of the scaling method resulted in a 15 kW peak HRR for a reduced scale (1/10) automobile of 5MW. Also the dimensions of the rectangular fire pans were calculated, so as to feed such a peak value of HRR of 15 kW, with the three different liquid fuels. Validations of the experiments regarding the HRR were achieved by comparing the experimental values with calculated ones. The validation of the results regarding temperatures at the ceiling level above the fire was done by comparing the results obtained from reduced scaled experiments with the full scale experiments related values.

Key words: liquid pool fires, heat release rate, 1/10 reduced-scale, Froude scaling, mass loss rate


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