Data for estimating the burning rate and heat output of large pool fires (diameter > 0.2 m) are compiled and computational equations presented. Since a large scatter in the reported data is noted, attention is also focused on areas where further research is most needed in order to improve predictability. p OOL BURNING is probably the simplest form of combustion applicable to a wide range of industrial fire protection concerns. Typically, this is conceived of as a fire in an open-topped, circular flammable liquid tank or as a bounded spill of combustible liquid. More generally, both liquefied gases and melting plastics materials, horizontally placed, conform to the same pattern. Somewhat related, but computationally different are problems of pools burning in enclosed spaces. The solutions of Reference 2 consider the limit where the enclosure effects dominate the fire. Here we will only consider "free" pools, not inside an enclosure nor in the vicinity of another fire. The burning of pool fires presents a rich field for inquiry into flame chemistry, radiation, fluid mechanics and other aspects. To a fire protection engineer, however, two questions are primary: How fast is the fire burning? And, what is its temperature {or heat flux) distribution?In this article an attempt is made to systematically summarize the available information only to the first question. Furthermore, the fires of greatest practical concern are the larger ones. A fire of 100 kW can be typically produced by a fuel pool %0.2 m in diameter. As will be shown, such a restriction to "large" pools simplifies the data analysis considerably.
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