Abstract
In order to understand the combustion characteristics of crude oil pool fires, an experimental study was carried out at the Fire Research Institute (FRI) large scale test facility. The radiative output, burning rate, and the concentrations of CO, CO2, and smoke (above the flame tip) were measured during the burning of Arabian light crude oil, heptane, toluene, and kerosene floating on water. The effect of scale was studied by using steel pans ranging from 0.6 to 3 meters in diameter.
Crude oil burned less rapidly and gave off less thermal radiation compared with heptane, but when water boiling, i.e., boilover, occurred, the burning rate increased by a factor of two or more. The intensity of boilover is related to pan diameter and initial fuel layer thickness.
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Koseki, H., Mulholland, G.W. The effect of diameter on the burning of crude oil pool fires. Fire Technol 27, 54–65 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039527
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01039527