Indirect Method of Estimating a Fire Pool Area in a Closed Compartment

Abstract

A new indirect method of estimating a fire pool area by measuring air pressure variation in a closed compartment was developed. As a result of ex perimental and theoretical research, it was shown that for each burning material, a fire pool area is directly proportional to the maximum rate of gas pressure in crease during a fire development within a closed compartment. This result was reached based on the hypothesis that at the first period of fire development, the largest portion of the fire energy transfers to the surrounding enclosure by means of radiative heat release from the flame. Corresponding formulas for calculating a fire pool area by the maximum rate of gas pressure were created. The new method is more effective due to the considerable simplicity of measuring air pressure in a closed compartment rather than other physical parameters of milieu in a fire compartment.