Real-scale dwelling fire tests with regard to tenability criteria

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Real-scale dwelling fire tests with regard to tenability criteria Eric GUILLAUME a,*, Franck DIDIEUX a, Aurélien THIRY b, Axel BELLIVIER b a: Laboratoire national de métrologie et d essais (LNE), 1

1 Real-scale dwelling fire tests with regard to tenability criteria Eric GUILLAUME a,*, Franck DIDIEUX a, Aurélien THIRY b, Axel BELLIVIER b a: Laboratoire national de métrologie et d essais (LNE), 1 rue Gaston Boissier, PARIS CEDEX 15, France b: Laboratoire central de la préfecture de police de Paris, rue de Dantzig, PARIS, France *: Corresponding author. eric.guillaume@lne.fr

2 Contents Risk analysis and selection of fire scenarios Description of the test enclosure Instrumentation Results and interpretations Scenario 1C Results and interpretations Scenario 2B Conclusions and discussion 2

3 Risk analysis and selection of fire scenarios Analysis of fire statistics: ⅔ of victims die at the location of the fire, ⅓ at the hospital In France: 98% of fatalities are from dwelling fires (2008) ~70% of victims in sleeping rooms or lounges (international data) ~70% of victims between 18:00 and 6:00 (international data) ⅓ of fires initiated by smoking acts (cigarettes, lighters, etc). Dwelling fires are frequent situations that could lead to fatal consequences. Fires during the night, and sleeping room fires are the most critical Scenarios to be reproduced include accidental ignition by cigarette or match in night scenarios 3

4 Description of the test enclosure (1) 9 m² sleeping room (3 m x 3 m), 2.5 m ceiling height Door to a corridor (opening is 0.83 m x 2.04 m) Window on a side Equipped with furniture and finishes as in everyday s life: Wardrobe with clothes Small desk with paper Bed with pillow and bed linen Sink in a room corner Large quantity of PVC products: wall panelling in sink corner, wall and floor coverings, plumbing pipes, window frame, electric raceway. Smoke alarms in the room and in the corridor. 4

5 Description of the test enclosure (2) Top view 5

6 Description of the test enclosure (3) Cut sectional view 6

7 Description of the test enclosure (4) 7

8 Description of the test enclosure (5) Repartition of fuel mass load. Total combustible load is 241 kg. 8

9 Instrumentation (1) Estimation of thermal effects 5 Thermocouples trees, 10 pts each from 0.8 m to 2.4 m Additional thermocouples associated with gas sampling points Contact thermocouples at the window 3 HFM: flux to door, to window and to floor. Estimation of gases effects 3 FTIR s at different locations : 1 near the bed pillow for the first set of tests, and the others at 1.5 m high at various locations. 3 at 1.5 m high for the second set of tests CO, CO 2 and O 2 analyzers in the room (1 m and 2 m high) and in corridor (at 1.5 m high) Estimation of loss of visibility White-light opacimeter tree (5 cm pathlength) HD and LD cameras in the enclosure, corridor and outside. 9

10 Instrumentation (2) Top view Side view 10

11 Design fire scenarios (1) Test denomination Door status Ignition source Ignition target 1A Cigarette 1B Closed Small flame Bed quilt 1C Crib 2A 2B Initially closed. Opened after about 2 min 30 s Cigarette on waste paper basket Match on wastepaper basket One paper basket filled with 500g of creased paper balls Two paper baskets, each filled with 500g of creased paper balls Every item is replaced and walls are renewed between the series of tests 1 and 2 11

Results Scenario 1C (1) (Ignition: Crib #5 (BS 6807) on bed quilt, Door closed) Time events: Time (hh:mm:ss) 00:00:00 Crib ignition Event 00:00:16 First visible smoke on the camera covering the bed

12 Results Scenario 1C (1) (Ignition: Crib #5 (BS 6807) on bed quilt, Door closed) Time events: Time (hh:mm:ss) 00:00:00 Crib ignition Event 00:00:16 First visible smoke on the camera covering the bed 00:00:26 Door closing 00:00:44 First visible flames on the camera covering the bed 00:02:10 First smoke alarm of the room activates 00:03:27 Smoke alarms starts to have a modification in sound produced 00:04:00 Smoke alarms of the corridor activates 00:28:31 End of test. Intervention order to firefighters 12

13 Results Scenario 1C (2) h) O 2 concentration Temperatures (close to the door) Temperatures (close to the window) 13

14 Results Scenario 1C (3) a) CO concentration b) CO 2 concentration (Headboard) c) [CO] / [CO 2 ] ratio d) HCN concentration (Headboard) e) HCl concentration f) Nitric oxides and ammonia (at door) g) Other gases (at door) h) O 2 concentration 14

15 Results Scenario 1C (4) Smoke opacity 15

16 Results Scenario 1C (5) a) Mattress after test b) Slatted bed base after test c) Bed frame after test d) Deformation of PVC wall paneling e) General view to the test room 16

17 Interpretation Scenario 1C (1) (at bed pillow level) 17

18 Interpretation Scenario 1C (2) (at bed pillow level) 18

19 Interpretation Scenario 1C (3) (According to ISO 13571:2012) Remit of the scenario and analysis conditions: The design fire scenario is an accidental fire on a mattress. Behavioural scenarios: Occupant asleep, no evacuation. FED and FEC are determined considering occupant s head at the level of bed pillow. Main conclusions for scenario 1C: The effects of asphyxiant gases are predominant in this scenario Thermal effects remain low. Irritant effects are negligible Smoke alarm is efficient to alert the occupant before any significant effect of fire 19

20 Results Scenario 2B (1) Time (hh:mm:ss) 00:00:00 Beginning of ignition sequence. Event 00:00:48 End of ignition sequence. Staff leaves the room. 00:01:14 Door closing. 00:02:01 Activation of smoke alarm in room. 00:02:15 Visible flames going out of the volume under the desk. 00:02:31 Second paper basket ignites. 00:03:12 Door opening, 1 min 58 s after its closing. 00:03:22 Fire grows and flame reaches the shelf. 00:03:31 Activation of smoke alarm in corridor. 00:03:42 Flashes of flames from the back side of the desk. 00:04:55 After 10 s of softening, the shell of the seat finally produces flaming drops 00:04:59 PVC wall panels start to collapse. 00:05:00 00:05:54 00:06:00 Smoke opacimeters are saturated. No optical density data afterwards 200 C reached in the corridor. First flames visible from the corridor, at the top of the door frame. End of test. Intervention order given to firefighters 00:06:15 Growth to flashover. 00:06:34 Visible flames, probably from the bed on fire. 00:08:10 Beginning of firefighters intervention. Ignition: match on paper basket, two paper baskets. Door opened after ~3 min 20

21 Results Scenario 2B (2) Temperatures a) Temperature tree, point ATC1 (In the middle of the room) b) Temperature tree, point ATC2 (On the mattress) c) Temperature tree, point ATC3 (Close to the door) d) Temperature tree, point ATC4 (Close to the window) e) Temperature tree, point ATC5 (Close to the sink) f) Temperature at ceiling level in corridor (Point C3) 21

22 Results Scenario 2B (3) Heat flux meters 22

23 Results Scenario 2B (4) a) O 2, CO and CO 2 concentration, point C1 (Middle of the room, 1m high) b) O 2, CO and CO 2 concentration, point C2 (Middle of the room, 2m high) c) O 2, CO and CO 2 concentration, point C3 (Corridor, 2 m high) d) FTIR gases concentration (CO, CO 2, HCl), point FT1 (Middle of the room, 1.5 m high) e) FTIR gases concentration (HCN, NO, NH 3 ), point FT1 (Middle of the room, 1.5 m high) f) FTIR gases concentration (Hydrocarbons), point FT1 (Middle of the room, 1.5 m high) g) FTIR gases concentration (CO, CO 2, HCl), point FT2 (Door, 1.5 m high) h) FTIR gases concentration (HCN, NO, NH 3 ), point FT2 (Door, 1.5 m high) i) FTIR gases concentration (Hydrocarbons), point FT2 (Door, 1.5 m high) 23

24 Results Scenario 2B (5) Smoke opacity 24

25 Results Scenario 2B (6) a) Door of test room, from corridor b) View of bed from compartment door c) Wardrobe d) Desk e) Fallen window frame f) Top of window and shutter box 25

26 Interpretation Scenario 2B-I (1) #1 behavioural scenario (2B-I): Evacuation at 3:15 (alarm starts after 2 min) 26

27 Interpretation Scenario 2B-II (1) #2 behavioural scenario (2B-II): No evacuation, e.g. disabled 2 nd occupant, door is open by 1 st occupant 27

28 Interpretation Scenario 2B-II (2) #2 behavioural scenario (2B-II): No evacuation, e.g. disabled 2 nd occupant, door is open by 1 st occupant 28

29 Interpretation Scenario 2B (According to ISO 13571:2012) Remit of the scenario and analysis conditions: Fire starts in a paper basket, room door is opened after two minutes. Fire growth to flashover Behavioural scenarios: Two occupants are considered, one escapes after alarm, one remains in the room, e.g. figuring disabled people. Main conclusions for scenario 2B: Except for people with marginal sensitivity to the effects of fire, people who leave the room before 3 min 15 s after the beginning of the fire (or 2 min after closing the door and about 1 min after the activation of the alarm of the test room) do not suffer from deterioration of tenability conditions In such a scenario, the first and main impact on remaining people is the thermal effect of fire effluents. It occurs after 4 min, with a tenability being quickly compromised for the whole population within the following 2 min. Asphyxiant and irritant gases effects appear around 6 min, when the tenability is already compromised for the whole population by thermal effects. Smoke opacity remains low under 1.50 m for the first 5 min. 29

30 Conclusions and discussions (1) Alarm is activated before any compromised tenability effect is reached in the room, which highlights the importance of dwelling smoke alarms: if evacuation starts quickly, there is no significant effect of the fire inside the room for both scenarios. For scenario 1C, the fire is limited by ventilation in a few minutes. In the situation of this scenario and inside the room: Tenability is driven by the toxic effect related to asphyxiant gases, and effect due to oxygen decay. Thermal and irritant effects remain negligible in comparison. For scenario 2B, with door kept open, fire can grow to flashover. In the situation of this scenario and inside the room: Thermal effects drive tenability, Toxic effects appear later inside the room than thermal ones, when tenability is already compromised. 30

31 Conclusions and discussions (2) This example will be proposed as annex B of ISO «application document», under discussion in SC3/WG5 (after its publication) It highlights the importance to assess effects of fire effluents considering all effects simultaneously. It highlights the need of connection with behavioural scenario and a risk & scenario-based approach according to ISO

To obtain a greater understanding of the factors which contribute towards fire injuries and fatalities

By Richard Walker Project Aims To obtain a greater understanding of the factors which contribute towards fire injuries and fatalities To establish the timeline for Fire Service Intervention for a dwelling