Title: Modelling of the thermal radiation of pool fires

Authors: Christian Kuhr, Steffen Staus, Axel Schonbucher

Addresses: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Duisburg, Lotharstr. 1, D-47057 Duisburg, Germany. ' Metzeler Automotive Profile Systems, Bregenzer Str. 133, D-88131 Lindau, Germany. ' Department of Chemical Engineering I, University of Essen, Universitatsstrasse 2, D-45141 Essen, Germany '

Abstract: Since the thermal radiation of large-scale fires can be a hazard to surrounding buildings, there is a need for suitable models to describe the thermal radiation of these fires. With the presented radiation model OSRAMO II, which is experimentally validated, it is possible to calculate the mean surface emissive power of pool fires with pool diameters 8 m ≤ d ≤ 25 m. Direct numerical simulations of a small-scale ethylene pool fire show that the periodical rise of vortex structures like soot parcels and hot spots has a major influence on the temporal variation of flame temperature, soot volume fraction and volume emissive power. Furthermore, the modelling of a large-scale kerosene pool fire shows a time depending temperature field due to the periodical rise of vortices.

Keywords: pool fire; thermal radiation; DNS; CFD.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2003.003770

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2003 Vol.3 No.2/3/4, pp.151 - 156

Published online: 24 Dec 2003 *

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