Postgraduate Course: Fire Dynamics Laboratory (PGEE11049)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Engineering) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course consists of a series of laboratory sessions that will introduce the student to a variety of different experimental techniques of relevance to fire safety engineering. Each session will be introduced with a guide to relevant theory with the aim of providing the students with the fundamental knowledge to support understanding and interpretation of the experiments, as well as a safety briefing and guide to risk assessment. The use of standard tests and the application of the results to design will be emphasized. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. demonstrate understanding of ignition (solid and liquid/gaseous)
2. demonstrate understanding of burning rate and flame spread
3. demonstrate understanding of oxygen consumption calorimetry
4. demonstrate understanding of fire dynamics, including fire plumes |
Assessment Information
| The assessment will be based on coursework submissions (100%). |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Solid fuel ignition (4 hours)
This is the first of two laboratory demonstrations conducted to illustrate the different processes leading to ignition of combustible materials and is intended to provide insight on the ignition phenomenon.
- Application of ignition theory
- Piloted, auto and spontaneous ignition
2. Liquid fuel ignition (2 hours)
This is the second ignition laboratory demonstration conducted to illustrate the use of ignition to establish flammability criteria.
- Flash point/fire point
- Physical processes and Standard tests
3. Reaction-to-fire behaviour of solids (2 hours)
In this laboratory, the cone calorimeter apparatus is used to examine the ¿reaction-to-fire¿ behaviour of solid fuels under different heat exposures, with specific attention to:
- Ignition time
- Subsequent energy release rate
From the measurements, the following parameters will be determined:
- Ignition temperature
- Thermal inertia
4. Flame spread (2 hours)
The physical mechanisms controlling flame spread will be described on the basis of a lateral flame spread test. The demonstration will emphasize the following aspects:
- Materials properties: influence of a material thermal and chemical properties on the rate of spread
- Orientation: upward, downward, horizontal, lateral.
- External heat flux
- Fuel thickness: thick:thin materials.
5. Fire plumes and calorimetry (6 hours)
The evolution of the burning rate and fire dynamics of fire plumes as a function of different parameters will be established, using open pool fires. Empirical and analytical formulations will be validated for various fire sizes with respect to characteristic parameters, i.e.:
- Centreline temperatures
- Entrainment rate
The effects of confining the fire within a compartment will also be examined and interpreted in relation to simple fire models.
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Drysdale, D. An Introduction to Fire Dynamics, 3rd edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2011 (or earlier editions)
SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 4th ed., DiNenno, P.J. ed., NFPA, Quincy, MA, 2009 (or earlier editions)
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephen Welch
Tel: (0131 6)50 5734
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Louise Harkins
Tel: (0131 6)51 7185
Email: |
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