CFD PREDICTION OF POOL FIRE BURNING RATES AND FLAME FEEDBACK

Abstract

A computational fluid dynamic model with full coupling between gaseous and liquid phases is developed to predict burning rates of small- to medium-size pool fires. Rates of fuel release are calculated using predictions of flame feedback to the surface of the pool. Favre-averaged Navier–Stokes equations are solved to describe flow in the gaseous phase. Hydrocarbon combustion is described using an eddy breakup model. The heat conduction equation in the region with a regressing surface is solved to model liquid vaporization. A pool fire is modeled as an unsteady process, from the time of ignition until convergence to a quasi-steady burning rate. Comparisons are made to a number of experiments reported in the literature and include burning rates for different fuels, as well as total and radiative flame feedback to the burning surface.

Keywords:

• computational fluid dynamics
• pool fire
• flame feedback

The original versions of FURNACE and FIRE were developed by Prof. John H. Kent of the School of Aerospace, Mechatronic and Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sydney, Australia. The authors are very grateful to Prof. J.H. Kent for the permission to use and modify these computational codes. The first author is grateful to the National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster (NRIFD) and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for their support of his travel and stay in Japan. The help from the staff of the Hazardous Materials Section at the NRIFD is also greatly appreciated.