Fire Development Research Paper
Fire Development
Zachary B. Smith 4153953
FSMT 311: Fire Dynamics
Instructor: Ralph Hutton
June 27, 2015
American Military University
FIRE DEVELOPMENT Fire Development shows the time history of a fuel-limited fire. In other words, the fire growth is not limited by a lack of oxygen. As more fuel becomes involved in the fire, the energy level continues to increase until all of the fuel available is burning fully developed stage. Then as the fuel is burned away, the energy level begins to decay known as the decay stage. The key is that oxygen is available to mix with the heated gases fuel to enable the completion of the fire triangle and the generation of energy, which is know as fire (Fire Dynamics.n.d.). Now lets take a …show more content…
It is during this shortest of the 4 stages when a deadly “flashover” can occur; potentially trapping, injuring or killing firefighters. Flashover is when the temperature in a compartment that results in the simultaneous ignition of all the combustible contents in the space. Flashover is the transition between the growth and the fully developed fries stage and is not a specific event like ignition. “Conditions for flashover are defined in a variety of different ways. However, in general the temperature in the compartment must reach 500o - 600o C (932o - 1112o F) or the heat flux (a measure of heat transfer) to the floor of the compartment must reach 15 - 20 kW/m2 (79.25 Btu (min/ft2) - 105.67 Btu”(Fire Development in a Compartment - Part II (Firehouse n.d.). One method to predict the heat release rate to cause flashover would be the “Babrauskas Method. This method gives us a formula for determining the minimum heat release rate of a fire that can cause a flashover in a given room as a function of the ventilation provided through an opening. Known as the ventilation factor, and colloquially referred to within the fire science community as “A root H,” it is calculated as the area of the opening (Av) times the square root of the height of the opening (Hv) (Babrauskas, 1980).
An approximation of the heat release …show more content…
Fire Fighters knowing these different stages through the study of fire dynamics and what these stages entail will allow them to have the upper hand on the beast by knowing how it develops and thrives.
References
Fire Dynamics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2015, from http://www.nist.gov/fire/fire_behavior.cfm
Fire Development in a Compartment - Part II | Firehouse. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2015, from http://www.firehouse.com/article/10508990/fire-development-in-a-compartment-part-ii
Gorbett, G., & Pharr, J. (2011). Fire dynamics. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Fire investigator: Principles and practice to NFPA 921 and 1033. (3rd ed.). (2012). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Probationary Firefighters Manual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2015, from http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/training/pdf/proby_manual/16a_ventilation.pdf
Predicting Time of Flashover. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2015, from
Zachary B. Smith 4153953
FSMT 311: Fire Dynamics
Instructor: Ralph Hutton
June 27, 2015
American Military University
FIRE DEVELOPMENT Fire Development shows the time history of a fuel-limited fire. In other words, the fire growth is not limited by a lack of oxygen. As more fuel becomes involved in the fire, the energy level continues to increase until all of the fuel available is burning fully developed stage. Then as the fuel is burned away, the energy level begins to decay known as the decay stage. The key is that oxygen is available to mix with the heated gases fuel to enable the completion of the fire triangle and the generation of energy, which is know as fire (Fire Dynamics.n.d.). Now lets take a …show more content…
It is during this shortest of the 4 stages when a deadly “flashover” can occur; potentially trapping, injuring or killing firefighters. Flashover is when the temperature in a compartment that results in the simultaneous ignition of all the combustible contents in the space. Flashover is the transition between the growth and the fully developed fries stage and is not a specific event like ignition. “Conditions for flashover are defined in a variety of different ways. However, in general the temperature in the compartment must reach 500o - 600o C (932o - 1112o F) or the heat flux (a measure of heat transfer) to the floor of the compartment must reach 15 - 20 kW/m2 (79.25 Btu (min/ft2) - 105.67 Btu”(Fire Development in a Compartment - Part II (Firehouse n.d.). One method to predict the heat release rate to cause flashover would be the “Babrauskas Method. This method gives us a formula for determining the minimum heat release rate of a fire that can cause a flashover in a given room as a function of the ventilation provided through an opening. Known as the ventilation factor, and colloquially referred to within the fire science community as “A root H,” it is calculated as the area of the opening (Av) times the square root of the height of the opening (Hv) (Babrauskas, 1980).
An approximation of the heat release …show more content…
Fire Fighters knowing these different stages through the study of fire dynamics and what these stages entail will allow them to have the upper hand on the beast by knowing how it develops and thrives.
References
Fire Dynamics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2015, from http://www.nist.gov/fire/fire_behavior.cfm
Fire Development in a Compartment - Part II | Firehouse. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2015, from http://www.firehouse.com/article/10508990/fire-development-in-a-compartment-part-ii
Gorbett, G., & Pharr, J. (2011). Fire dynamics. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson.
Fire investigator: Principles and practice to NFPA 921 and 1033. (3rd ed.). (2012). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Probationary Firefighters Manual. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2015, from http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/units/training/pdf/proby_manual/16a_ventilation.pdf
Predicting Time of Flashover. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2015, from