Citation

Tewarson A, Khan MM. J. Fire Sci. 1993; 11(5): 407-420.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Halon 1301 flame extinction results are discussed for the combustion of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), eight composite materials, and carbon in the gas phase. Two types of combustion and flame extinction experiments were performed: (1) in the Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC) flammability apparatus (50 kW scale) for PMMA and composite materials, and (2) in the FMRC electrical arc apparatus for carbon in the gas phase. For char forming composite materials, mass transfer from the surface was low, turbulent diffusion flames were not generated, and flame extinction occurred between 3 to 4.5% of Halon 1301, close to the value reported for the laminar diffusion flames of polymers. For non-charring PMMA, mass transfer from the surface was high, flames were turbulent, and flame extinction was found at about 6% of Halon 1301, contrary to the accepted value of about 4% for the laminar diffusion flames of polymers. With Halon 1301 the conditions for flame instability and extinction for combustion efficiency less than about 0.40, with significant increase in the amounts of products of incomplete combustion (such as CO and hydrocarbon), were in agreement with flame instability and extinction found for fuel-rich conditions inside well-ventilated laminar and turbulent diffusion flames, in ceiling layers of combustion products, in enclosure fires, in ventilation-controlled buoyant diffusion flames of polymers, and for flame extinction of heptane flames by water. Experiments in the FMRC electrical arc apparatus showed that in the gas phase combustion of carbon vapors generated in high energy arc, chemical heat release rate and combustion efficiency decreased with increase in Halon 1301.