The Application of Water Sprays to the Extinguishment of Crib Fires

Abstract

A set of correlation parameters, derived from an earlier study of the extinguishment of slab fires by water sprays, is used to present results obtained with cribs. The parameters are generally satisfactory, except for the case of cribs with large stick size (≅¾ ^N and up) and low preburns. It is proposed that an additional parameter be introduced, which accounts for the fact that at low preburns, only a fraction of the structure is in self-sustained burning. Power law correlations are presented for the mass lost and the time required for extinguishment as functions of the rate of water application. The existence of a critical value for the rate of water application, below which the fire cannot be controlled before total consumption of the fuel, is also confirmed.