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ABSTRACT
The measurement of heat release rate is a key element in fire safety. To carry out this measurement, numerous oxygen consumption calorimeters are used in the world. These are very useful tools in fire hazards analysis. Through different apparatus it is possible to study the fire behaviour of materials or whole items. Some of these calorimeters have been implemented in national or international regulations. This article explains the principle of the oxygen consumption measurement and briefly describes a few calorimeters.
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Stéphane DESMET: First attaché - Accidental Risks Department, Scientific Institute of Public Service, Belgium
INTRODUCTION
Firefighting has always been a major concern for our society. And unfortunately, it remains so, with the media constantly reminding us of the topicality of this issue.
The twentieth century saw the development of the study of the fire behavior of materials, with in particular the appearance, in its second half, of new tools enabling the quantification of the energy released by a burning object.
First of all, there was the realization that heat flow is one, if not the, key parameter governing the development of fire. Knowledge of this parameter provides a better understanding of the various aspects of fire risk. Oxygen consumption calorimetry has become the preferred technique for measuring heat flow.
Indirect calorimetry involves measuring oxygen consumption during combustion, and then calculating the amount of energy released. It has been shown that the energy released during combustion is proportional to the quantity of oxygen consumed, the proportionality factor being virtually constant. This discovery led to the development of new tools known as oxygen consumption calorimeters.
This article describes the technique used, briefly presents a few devices to illustrate the wide variety of possible configurations. Finally, it lists the various uses of these calorimeters.
ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials
FIPEC: Fire Performance of Electrical Cable
ICAL: Intermediate Scale Calorimeter
ISO: International Standard Organisation
NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology
RCT: Room Corner Test
CPR: Construction Products Regulation
SBI: Single Burning Item
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KEYWORDS
fire safety | heat release rate
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Oxygen consumption calorimetry
Description of the technique
Bibliography
Websites
Chronology of major fires https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/
DiNenno Award: this prize rewards a major innovation in the field of fire safety, and was awarded in 2016 for the development of oxygen consumption calorimetry https://www.nfpa.org
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Standards and norms
- Reaction to fire tests – Heat output, smoke development rate and mass loss rate – Part 1: Heat output (cone calorimeter method) and smoke development rate (dynamic measurement) - NF ISO 5660-1 - 2015
- Reaction to fire tests – Measurement of material properties using fire propagation equipment - NF ISO 12136 - 2011
- Common test methods for cables subjected to fire – Measurement of heat and smoke generated...
Regulations
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/364 of 1 July 2015 on the classification of reaction-to-fire performance of construction products pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council
FAA Report DOT/FAA/CT-99/15 Aircraft Materials Fire Test Handbook
Maritime Safety Procedure Resolution MSC.307(88) International...
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