You are here:
Characterization of Emissions from Liquid Fuel and Propane Open Burns
Citation:
Aurell, J., D. Hubble, B. Gullett, A. Holder, E. Washburn, AND D. Tabor. Characterization of Emissions from Liquid Fuel and Propane Open Burns. Fire Technology. Springer International Publishing AG, Cham (ZG), Switzerland, 53(6):2023-2038, (2017).
Impact/Purpose:
This paper compares emissions from conventional and newly developed methods for testing responses of equipment to fire incidents. A kerosene fuel method for simulating open fires and testing the response of equipment to same is being replaced with a propane burner method to reduce emissions while providing the same fire intensity. These methods are used to test fire susceptibility of items by, for example, the military and fire prevention communities.
Description:
The comparative combustion emissions of using jet propellant (JP-5) liquid fuel pools or a propane manifold grid to simulate the effects of accidental fires was investigated. A helium-filled tethered aerostat was used to maneuver an instrument package into the open fire plumes to measure CO, CO2, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and elemental/organic/total carbon (EC/OC/TC). The results showed that all emissions except CO2 were significantly higher from JP-5 burns than from propane. The major portion of the PM mass from fires of both fuels was less than 1 µm in diameter and differed in carbon content. The TC/PM2.5 values were 0.86 and 0.54 for JP-5 and propane, respectively. The PM2.5 emission factor from JP-5 burns (129 ± 23 g/kg Fuelc) was approximately 150 times higher than the PM2.5 emission factor from propane burns (0.89 ± 0.21 g/kg Fuelc). The PAH emissions as well as some VOCs were more than one hundred times higher for the JP-5 burns than the propane burns. Using the propane test method to study flammability responses, the environmental impact of PM2.5, PAHs, and VOCs would be reduced by 2300, 700, and 100 times per test, respectively.
URLs/Downloads:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10694-017-0670-2
Free access through PubMed Central