Undergraduate Course: Fire Science Laboratory 5 (CIVE11047)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | 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. |
| Course description |
1. Spontaneous ignition (4-8 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 (4 hours)
This is the second ignition laboratory demonstrations conducted to illustrate the use of ignition to establish flammability criteria.
- Flash point/fire point
- Physical processes and Standard tests
3. Reaction-to-fire (4 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 (4 hours)
The physical mechanisms controlling flame spread will be described on the basis of a lateral flame spread test (LIFT). The demonstration will emphasize the following aspects:
- Materials properties: influence of a material thermal and chemical properties on the rate of spread (liquid:solid, high density:low density, charring: non-charring, melting:non-melting)
- Orientation: upward, downward, horizontal, lateral
- External heat flux
- Fuel thickness: thick:thin materials
5. Pool fires (4-8 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 rates
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Fire Science and Fire Dynamics 4 (CIVE10011)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | Full PPE is needed (all Civil Engineering undergraduates should have this). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 10 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The assessment will be based on coursework submissions (100%). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of ignition (solid and liquid/gaseous).
- Demonstrate understanding of burning rate and flame spread.
- Demonstrate understanding of oxygen consumption calorimetry.
- Demonstrate understanding of fire dynamics, including fire plumes.
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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) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Fire Safety,Practical,Experimentation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Stephen Welch
Tel: (0131 6)50 5734
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Margaret Robertson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5565
Email: |
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