Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The objective of the tests was to provide the data for use in evaluating the environmental effects of lubricant oil fires in the compartment. Fifty-one tests were conducted to research the environmental effects (atmospheric temperature, radiation heat flux and so forth) on the surroundings with the various size fuel pans and compartments and the various air exchange rates. The concentration of the smoke and CO were also measured in the tests. Test results showed that the radiation heat flux from the high temperature gas and soot was greater than that from the flame because the later was interrupted by the smoke. The gradients of atmospheric temperature were hardly observed in the horizontal temperature distribution but were observed in the vertical temperature distribution in the compartment. It appeared that the concentrations of smoke and CO were able to be estimated from the ratio of burning rate and air supply rate. From the test results, we have developed a conventional and conservative method to evaluate the environmental effects of lubricant oil fire in the compartment.