Experiments on the Turbulent Burning of Vertical Parallel Walls

Abstract

The paper reports recent results on the burning of parallel combustible walls. Tests are discussed which were carried out with walls made of wicks ~1 m high soaked with methanol and toluene-methanol mixtures. A maximum increase in burning rate of about 40 percent over the single wall case is calculated from a view-factor analysis of the radiative heat exchange between the wails: this is consistent with the experimental measurements. The predicted maximum in burning rate occurs at a wall spacing of about 20 percent of the wall height. The analysis, which is based on a careful examination of the contribution by radiation to the energy budget for the burning of single walls, should not be regarded as a theory for parallel burning. There is indication, however, that the view-factor analysis may be reasonably accurate thanks to some cancellation among the phenomena which are not considered by the theory