Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

A key aspect of many flame height correlations is the use of a dimensionless scaling parameter. The Q* parameter, based on the total heat release rate of the fire, has been applied extensively to correlate the heights of turbulent diffusion flames, though comparison of correlations making use of Q* displays an apparent discrepancy. As a result it is not apparent that Q* is appropriate for flame heights. Delichatsios and Heskestad have determined that convective fraction of the fuel is an important parameter for flame heights and a correlation incorporating it would likely eliminate fuel dependence and result in a more refined prediction. The purpose of the present work was to develop a self-consistent set of data, where key characteristics are consistently defined, that can be used to parametrically explore the effect of fuel type, shape, and size. The data are then used to evaluate the ability of Q*, and the correlating parameters of other researchers to successfully predict the variation in flame height due to fuel characteristics.