Energy Balance in Medium-Scale Methanol, Ethanol, and Acetone Pool Fires

Area of Science:

• Fire Science
• Combustion Research
• Heat Transfer

Background:

• Understanding heat transfer mechanisms in pool fires is crucial for fire safety and modeling.
• Previous studies often focused on single fuel types or specific heat transfer aspects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize medium-scale pool fires of methanol, ethanol, and acetone.
• To quantify radiative and convective heat flux contributions to fuel and plume energy.
• To determine the energy balance of these pool fires.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Schmidt-Boelter and Gardon heat flux gauges for radiative and total heat flux measurements.
• Employed a load cell for mass burning rate and calorimetry for heat release rate measurements.
• Calculated convective heat flux using a previously developed method to estimate radiative flux.

Main Results:

• Radiation was the dominant heat feedback mechanism to the fuel surface (68-88%).
• Enthalpy convected in the plume accounted for a larger portion of total energy (68-78%) than radiative emission.
• Energy balance analysis revealed significant roles for both radiation and convection.

Conclusions:

• Both radiative and convective heat transfer are significant in medium-scale pool fires.
• Heat feedback to the fuel is primarily radiative, while plume energy transfer is dominated by convection.
• Findings provide critical data for improving fire simulation models and safety protocols.