Professional Documents
Culture Documents
P. H. THOMAS
Building Research Establishment, Fire Research Station, Borehamwood, Herts. WD6 2BL (Gt. Britain)
(Received May 26, 1980; in revised form August 18, 1980}
~°~" 2
10:
\,
\
\ .......
IA
y = ma{l+l/r) 10 -1 1 133 10
o<
Fig. 1. Stoichiometric solutions (eqn. (8)). Fig. 2.0~,~ Regimes (r = 2). The numbers in the spaces
refer to the number of intersections of rnf(ma) on the
stoichiometric line.
+ Cg (Og -- Of
m f, - pgDgAf lNox/a r InAf (3)
5 Qf _
mf
hw is strictly n o t i n d e p e n d e n t o f 0, b u t in a s t e a d y state or in a fire a f t e r a long t i m e [4] t h e
main resistance t o h e a t f l o w is in t h e walls and a c o n s t a n t c o e f f i c i e n t m a y t h e n be t a k e n as a first
approximation.
T h e c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f o x y g e n , relative t o the e x t e r n a l c o n c e n t r a t i o n , is readily s h o w n t o be
Nox m*~ + rm*f if m : ,
- - - >mr
gox/a ma + m~ r
= 0 if ma
< : m f, .
r
T h e t e r m in b r a c k e t s is t h e c o n v e n t i o n a l mass t r a n s f e r n u m b e r c o r r e c t e d f o r a n e t r a d i a t i o n flux
In o n t o t h e fuel surface.
In t e r m s o f dimensionless variables these e q u a t i o n s are r e w r i t t e n f o r m*f < m*/r as
(1 + ma + m f ) ¢ = m~ (4)
and
mf . . . . . +~ + -- (5)
r \ ma + ~~f ] r
69
where, for simplicity, we have neglected the difference between fuel surface temperature and
ambient temperature by comparison with other temperature differences and have taken an ap-
proximation form for radiation in terms of the temperature rise to a power p where p is of order
4. We shall n o t restrict the initial discussion to mf < ma/r but any solutions found outside this
condition are, of course, invalid physically.
For mf > ma/r the equations are taken as
(1 + ma + mf)¢ = mJr (6)
mf = ~b + ~ Cp.
-- (7)
r
Likewise, any solutions f o u n d outside the condition mf > m Jr are invalid.
All these equations can be discussed analytically. Babrauskas and Wickstrom [5] have dis-
cussed a version of the above w i t h o u t vitiation and w i t h o u t wall loss other than a temperature
d e p e n d e n t radiation loss through the window. They, like Thomas [6], only included the last
term in eqns. (5) and (7). For a constant m~ the second, ventilation-controlled pair give only one
value of ¢ and, hence, of mf. The mf(ma) characteristic is tangential to a line through the original
having a slope a.
On the stoichiometric line mf = mJr we m u s t have from eqns. (6) and (7) (or from eqns. (4)
and (5))
+ a ~ ¢p-1 = 1
r 1 - - ¢ ( I + r)
(~/~ _ ( I
v 1)P-i[1--a +ma(1 + 1 ) ] . (8)
rP(l + r) p-1 ~ ma(1 + 1/r)
where
Equations (10i) and (10ii) are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3 and depend on whether the
m i n i m u m of the left hand side of eqn. (10i) is greater or less than the m i n i m u m of the right hand
side, a condition that defines a saddle point
70
Little vitiation
Radiation High
fne;dibga• Ike ; aed~jal~'a°~
1 [(r 2V~.+r))(p_~_l)]P
/~s - +1+ (11)
p--1 P ~-
i.e.,
(p -- 1)p-I
This is s h o w n in Fig. 2 f o r r = 2.
A t t h e saddle p o i n t , s,
where
x = x/~(1 + l/r).
From eqns. (12) and (13), the saddle point lies on or above the stoichiometricline only
when
~ > (1 + x ) 1
( x)
-- . (14i)
p 1
This c o n d i t i o n is i n v a r i a b l y satisfied if ~ > p 2 / 4 ( p - - 1), i.e., 1.33 a p p r o x . I f ~ < 1 t h e c o n d i t i o n
e a n n o t be satisfied i f x < 2, i.e., if r < g1. H e n c e , f o r ~ < 1 a n d n o r m a l fuels n o t c o n t a i n i n g t h e i r
o w n o x y g e n , t h e saddle m a y lie on, or b e l o w , t h e s t o i c h i o m e t r i c line a n d so in t h e *valid' fuel-
c o n t r o l l e d region. I t d o e s so if ~ is less t h a n a value r e a d i l y e v a l u a t e d f r o m eqn. (14i) as
(l+rna+rnf)q)= Heatloss
" ~ IStn°'Cmh;°=me:r}rc /
m~ Heatgeneration
Invald ~ion /'
m,l // q~
Fig. 5. Stability of ventilation-controlled fire.
\ va,,ro0,oo
~ ° n C : t ~ ~ m f =rna/r~
rna (1÷ma÷mf}q~= ~
(a) mf
~ U nSaetbls t a b l . ~ _ e
Invalidregi /
Fig. 6. Stability of fuel-controlled fires.
a(ma--r¢) a
mf = (1 -- 4) + -- ~.P (15)
r \ m a +~ r
/ We note that in fuel controlled fires ~ < m~,
// Validregion so, necessarily, ma > r#. The comparison in
Fig. 6 of heat loss and generation shows that if
there are three equilibria for a given ma (irres-
Illa pective of whether or not m~ < m J r ) , the
middle one only is unstable.
(b) If there is only one equilibrium, it is stable.
In Babrauskas and Wickstrom's [5] model
Fig. 4. Fuel-controlled fires. (a) ~ < ~s, (b) ~ > ~s- the upper invalid regime is suppressed, and
the lowest solution excluded. They, like
Thomas [6], found only the unstable fuel-
controlled regime and a stable ventilation-
controlled one. The upper fuel-controlled
STABILITY equilibrium is associated with high tempera-
tures. It normally does n o t exist in a valid
Since m a is taken as independent of # and regime, but if it does, it can be shown t h a t it
mf increases with 4, all ventilation¢ontroUed is associated with low values of r, i.e., fuels
equilibria are stable. This is seen from the requiring little added oxygen.
heat balance (Fig. 5). A small shift from equi-
librium restores equilibrium. For fuel-
controlled fires we substitute for mf in terms
of ¢ on the right hand side of eqn. (5) and DISCUSSION OF m f ( m a ) EQUILIBRIA
obtain the heat generation explicitly in terms Consider fuel-controlled equilibrium with
of ¢ m f < ma/r.
72
/
Invalid branch of solution
/// /~
mf
........."i'" mf
o:
ma
ma
(a)
(a)
Ventilation
i
~// ~/~
controlled , / / /~uel controlled
mf
rnf
~'" /j /
ma
ma
(b)
(b)
Fig. 7. Typical relationships between mf and rna, Fig. 8. Typical relationships between mf and rn a
< ~s and not between ~u and ~L. (a) O~> 1, (b) (~ < 1. (~s > ~ > ~ L ) ' ( a ) ( ~ > 1 , ( b ) 0 < a < 1.
Firstly we consider the/3(~) plane, shown calities, and weak feedback effects, e.g., w o o d
in Fig. 2 as ~ vs. ,* for r = 2. It is possible to cribs as the fuel.
show algebraically that for ~ < 1, ~s has a If ~s > ~ > ~L the m ~ ( m a ) characteristics
minimum value with respect to 'r' and that are as previously described, with the addition
these minima are never less than ~L. Seven of a detached zone produced by the second
regimes are identifiable plus an eighth on the and middle (unstable) equilibrium lying below
limit ~ -* 0. According to the value of r,/3~ the stoichiometric line (see Fig. 8). The point P
m a y pass above or below the cusp where ~L is an invalid non-stoichiometric c o m m o n solu-
and ~u meet. tion to both fuel- and ventilation-controlled
We will first consider the 'weak' feedback regimes: the equality of the two expressions
fires/~ </~s. For these, there is a region of ¢ for m~ in eqns. (5) and (7) (with ¢ defined
b e t w e e n the valid and the invalid region differently in the two equations) can be
where there are no solutions, and if ~ lies out- factorised by m a - - rm~. If 'r' is sufficiently
side the region between/~u and ~L, m ~ ( m a ) is small there is an upper stable fuel-controlled
as sketched in Fig. 7. regime, see Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 9.
There is no criticality for ~ > 1, this only For ~ > 1 and ~ > ~s, criticalities may
appears when ~ > /3~ (see Fig. 4). The fuel- appear as in Fig. 10(a) and (b).
controlled equilibrium shown is either the As before, a low 'r' modifies the m t ( m ~ )
only one or the lowest of three, it is therefore zone to include a stable fuel controlled region
stable. Figure 7(a) is the conventional relation (not shown).
for m a n y fires having t w o modes of behaviour The last main region, ~ < 1 and/~ >>/3~ is
(ventilation- and fuel-controlled), no criti- discussed in the next Section. Apart from this
73
\
\
/
.~Stable regime exists only
~/~j/; if 7' is small . . . . gh
7 / / /i
~// , / f l ~ Unstable
mf
ma
(a)
t h e o n l y o t h e r result we n o t e h e r e is t h a t f o r
= 0 and a~ finite (= ~) t h e r e is n o solution \
at all unless ~ e x c e e d s \
r (p(1 + r)lP-1
, //
w h e n t h e s o l u t i o n consists o n l y o f t h e / J /.~/-Unstable
d e t a c h e d z o n e . It is this z e r o ~ c o n d i t i o n t h a t //;/
T h o m a s [61 (with p ; 2) a n d Babrauskas and
W i c k s t r o m [ 5] c o n s i d e r e d earlier.
ma
DISCUSSION OF FLASHOVER
(b)
T h o m a s et al. [3, 4] have i d e n t i f i e d the
unstable f u e l - c o n t r o l l e d regime as o n e pos- Fig. 10. Typical relationships between mf and ma,
sible s o u r c e o f flashover. Figure 11 shows >~sand~> 1.(a)~u>/3>~sand1.33>~> 1,
h o w t h e r e m a y , in fact, be t w o t h e r m a l insta- (b) ~ > ~u-
bilities. If ~ > 1 t h e l o w e r p a r t o f t h e mt(ma)
curve with its criticality m a y be w h o l l y w i t h i n
t h e v e n t i l a t i o n - c o n t r o l l e d region and so is
e x c l u d e d f r o m physical c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
If t h e saddle lies b e l o w the s t o i c h i o m e t r i c / "//i ~ iI
kero(AHc) 3
{is - he c J~
ma
27
(r
1+--+2 (16)
Fig. 12. The double criticality.
256
where
heAHcAf heat transfer processes. However, the model
Ol--
QehwAw as described has identified several modes of
fire behaviour, which provide a basis for con-
and where we have written ducting such analyses and interpreting them.
Figure 2 suggests t h a t for high fl, the transient
cpgD
- hf growth though increasing ~ is a more complex
5 process than for low/~. The regime with two
pairs of criticalities is especially interesting.
a convection mass transfer coefficient to the We consider two mf(ma) curves of the same
fuel bed. /~ but, by virtue of a change in burning area
If we write two slightly different values of ~. We assume
ngo that/3 is greater than both the two values of
OA D -- /3s. If ma is in the region shaded in Fig. 12 the
(1 + r)c
increase in Ae leads to a 'jump' to the ventila-
for the adiabatic temperature rise we have, tion controlled regime.
for r = 5, In both cases the temperature rises and the
oxygen concentration eventually falls to zero.
kaO~e However, a possibly important distinction
- 8.07
he may be noted. 'Ignition' (B) is essentially as-
sociated with a reduction in ventilation and so
and 0.22 for a = 1 and for ~ = 5, respectively. in cooling, raising the temperature and hence
In the former case a ratio of radiation transfer the mf, as a result of greater radiation feed-
to local convection transfer of nearly 10 is back.
required for criticality, and in the latter case a 'Ignition' (A) is associated with an increase
relatively small feedback contribution from in ventilation, which suggests t h a t it acts by
the radiation is sufficient. initially increasing the oxygen concentration
A necessary condition for fires being in the - so raising the concentration-dependent term
-
region o f criticalities or growing through them and the heat release through the greater local
is t h a t fl exceeds fls (eqn. (11)). The movement effects on mass transfer. Eventually this in-
from wood to fuels with smaller effective Qf crease in mf leads to falling oxygen concen-
(and possibly larger AHc) and improved insu- tration.
lation {lower hw), raises a and lowers/3s, and A quasi-steady model will not make much
so allows the region of criticalities to occur more of a distinction between (A) and (B),
with smaller fires. but clearly the time constant associated with
To make definitive conclusions one needs the two processes m a y be different if radia-
to c o n d u c t numerical analysis with a more tion feedback is primarily from the walls and
detailed model which represents better the n o t the h o t smoke. In so far as ignition (A) is
growing fire in a c o m p a r t m e n t and t h e various associated more directly with gas phase reac-
75
tions, a transient model with reaction kinetics A vitiated fire can exist in equilibrium,
might show that (A) is more liable to be ex- and if the thermal feedback is strong enough,
plosive than some kinds of (B). (A) might well a special type of instability can exist.
be related to 'flashover' in the original sense For a > 1, a rise in a, i.e., in Af/Q, can take
used by firemen -- an ignition resulting from 'weak' feedback fire across the ~s curve into
admitting air, though we have excluded the the 'strong' feedback zone introducing a
possibility of igniting u n b u r n t gases by our criticality and, hence, a type of 'flashover'.
assumptions of uniform mixing and uniform The lower Q/AHe is, the smaller the fire and
gas phase temperature. These effects require the weaker the coupling, hf, needs to be to
a more complex model for their considera- bring about such a 'flashover'.
tion. The existing model implies t h a t the
'jump' in mf may often be quite small and
perhaps insignificant. High 'jumps' are asso-
NOTATION
ciated with small a and low values of r, being A area
no more than about 25% for a = 1 and r = 5 C specific heat of all gases assumed equal
but over 300% for a = 0.04 and r = 5. D diffusion coefficient
The existence of 6u, 6,. and ~ and their ~Hc calorific value of fuel
basic significance is n o t necessarily altered by h heat transfer coefficient
generalising eqn. (5) by adding a constant k a coefficient of order 1
term and changing, within limits, the coeffi- in net radiation
cients of each term so t h a t the modified equa- m* mass flow rate
tion represents a linearised form of mr(B) or m m* c/h w A w -- dimensionless
an experimentally derived, linearised relation- concentration of oxygen
Nox
ship. concentration of oxygen ambient air
Nox/a
p an index ~ 4
Q heat required to produce unit mass of
CONCLUSION fuel volatiles at fuel surface
r stoichiometric ratio of air/fuel
This model is n o t directly associated with y=m a +rnf
the spread of fire -- the model does n o t in-
clude spread as a transient process. However,
any increase in Af and decrease in wall loss SUBSCRIPTS
can be described in a quasi steady manner by
this model as a first approximation. a air
We have explored the effects of vitiation f fuel or fuel surface
and non-linear thermal feedback and have g gas
seen that there are various regimes defining s saddle
the type of relationship between the fuel L lower of two roots
production rate mf and the air flow m~. There u upper of two roots
is a region, broadly defined by/3 < /~L when w wall (and other heat loss surfaces)
a < i, and by/3 </3s when a > 1.33, which pgcgDgAHcA f hfAf AHc
may be described by 'weak' feedback. For
/3 >> ~s, criticalities, unstable regimes, de- 6hwQfAw hwAw Qf
tached zones of equilibrium exist. For low rln5 c r
values of hf/A~ and Q/AH¢, any prevailing ~¢P - rgpf ~ In
feedback is more likely to be 'strong' than pgDAHc hf A H c
'weak'• The major factors defining the value
[3 - lerea(AHe/c)3/ht whenp ~ 4
of 9, the feedback, are the effective emissivity
and the fuel bed transfer coefficient, which is, 5 boundary layer thickness
in effect, the 'coupling' between the fire and e effective emissivity
the fuel. A high value of hf m a y tend to make 0 temperature rise
feedback 'weak' rather than 'strong' but in a p density
spreading fire, high h~ increases the propensity o S t e f a n - B o l t z m a n n constant
to spread. ¢ cOl~Hc
76