A PROBLEM IN FIRE SAFETY: FLAME SPREADING ACROSS LIQUID FUELS
This report provides a brief summary of experimental and theoretical work carried out at Princeton University on flame spreading across liquid fuels. The importance of surface tension driven flows ahead of the flame front in controlling flame spread across liquids at temperatures below the flash point was demonstrated experimentally. Buoyancy and radiation effects were also present but were of lesser importance. Variations in the temperature of the liquid surface are attributed to eddies in the gas phase ahead of the flame front. These eddies may also play a role in flame propagation across solid combustibles. It is proposed to investigate these eddies by means of laser doppler velocimetry. A two-dimensional, steady-state computer program is under development for use as a tool in studying flame propagation above liquid and solid fuels.
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Supplemental Notes:
- (PC A03/MF A01)
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Corporate Authors:
Princeton University
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Princeton, NJ United States 08544National Bureau of Standards
14th Between E Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC United States 20234National Science Foundation
1800 G Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20550 -
Authors:
- Dryer, R L
- Glassman, I
- Sirignano, W A
- Publication Date: 1976
Media Info
- Pagination: 30 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Aircraft; Aircraft fuels; Aviation fuels; Control; Fires; Flame propagation; Flash point; Flow fields; Liquids; Surface tension; Temperature; Theory; Vortices
- Uncontrolled Terms: Experimental data
- Old TRIS Terms: Aircraft fires
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Energy; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00147035
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
- Report/Paper Numbers: PUAMS-1308 Final Rpt., NBS-GCR-76-79
- Contract Numbers: NSF-AEN75-14285
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Feb 16 1977 12:00AM