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 builds on the fundamental understanding about the fire laboratory that the students gained in the "Principles of the Fire Laboratory" class. Students will undertake a series of laboratory sessions that will introduce practical aspects of different experimental techniques that are of relevance to fire safety engineering. Students are then required to design an experiment in which a number of measurements are required in drawing on experience from the class. Students are expected to work in group sin the practical sessions, |
| 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)
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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 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
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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 %
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| 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 a practical understanding of designing, performing and interpreting tests and experiments in fire science
- Develop understanding of fundamental fire science and fire dynamics phenomena related to material flammability
- Show an ability to document experimental outcomes, including handling measurement uncertainty and limitations of theory and measurements
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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 | Mr Ruben Gutierrez Martin
Tel: (0131 6)50 5690
Email: |
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