Fire fighting foams: scale fire test procedure

Información del proyecto

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: MAT1940041

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de inicio 1 Enero 1995

Fecha de finalización 30 Junio 1996

Financiado con arreglo a

• Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of measurements and testing, 1990-1994

Coste total

Sin datos

Aportación de la UE

Sin datos

Coordinado por

T.R.I. Srl
Italy

Objetivo

Fire fighting foams are the only effective means for extinguishing most medium and large scale fires involving hydrocarbons or other flammable liquids. The work of CEN/TC191/WG3 on fire test procedures for fire fighting foams was begun in 1989 and approached a conclusion in 1992. At that time, the need emerged to reduce the scale of the fire test (from the present 4.5 m2 to possibly less than 1 m2) in order to cope with the increasing problems in running such tests for environmental and economic reasons.

The aim of the project was to develop the small scale fire test procedure for fire fighting foams that was needed by CEN/TC191/WG3. Compared to the standard scale test, the small scale fire test would have the following main advantages:
reducing heat and smoke emission in such a way as to avoid the need for a costly smoke treatment system and hence allowing the execution of the tests by all interested organisations;
reducing the testing cost;
avoiding the disposal of large quantities of contaminated and sometimes hazardous polar solvents;
being suitable for routine quality control tests;
allowing the testing of a number of flammable chemicals and hydrocarbons that otherwise would not be investigated and could be more difficult to be extinguished than expected;
permitting the measurement of the effects of a number of relevant parameters, such as fuel type, water quality, foam ageing, pre-burn time, etc.;
allowing cheaper and more environmentally friendly testing in the development of new fire fighting foams.
The data that was collected and analysed allowed the definition of the parameters and the procedures for the small scale fire test on acetone and for the "gentle application" small scale fire tests on heptane. The correlation of the small scale tests with the standard scale tests for the "forceful application" on heptane was not satisfactory, however. Further investigation is needed to verify if this problem is due to a possible lack of reproducibility in the standard scale fire test (which has not been used yet in a significant number of tests). The results of the project, including a draft small scale test procedure, have been transmitted to CEN/TC191/WG3.
Data was collected and analysed in order to define the parameters and the procedures for the small scale tests on both heptane and acetone. The work included the execution of more than 100 medium and small scale fire tests, the validation and the use of theoretical scaling procedures, the development of new versions of the UNI-86-R foam nozzles and the development of a series of measurement methods based on computer based image processing.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• ciencias naturales › ciencias de la tierra y ciencias ambientales conexas › hidrología
• ciencias naturales › ciencias químicas › química orgánica › hidrocarburo
• ingeniería y tecnología › ingeniería ambiental › energía y combustibles

Programa(s)

• FP3-MAT - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of measurements and testing, 1990-1994

Tema(s)

Datos no disponibles

Convocatoria de propuestas

Datos no disponibles

Régimen de financiación

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinador

T.R.I. Srl

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: Via Aldo Moro ; 24020 Scanzorosciate ; Italia
• Coste total: Sin datos

Participantes (1)

SP SWEDISH NATIONAL TESTING AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Suecia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: 4,Brinellgatan 4-10 ; 501 15 BORAAS
• Coste total: Sin datos