Two‐dimensional model of burning for pyrolyzable solids

Abstract

Quantitative understanding of the processes that take place inside a burning material is critical for the prediction of ignition and growth of fires. To improve this understanding and enable predictive modeling, we developed a numerical pyrolysis solver called ThermaKin. This solver computes transient rate of gaseous fuel production from fundamental physical and chemical properties of constituents of a pyrolyzing solid. It was successfully applied to the simulation of combustion of a broad range of materials. One limitation of ThermaKin was that it could handle only one-dimensional burning problems. As a consequence, flame spread, which is an important contributor to fire growth, could not be simulated. Here, we present a new computational tool, ThermaKin2D, that expands ThermaKin model to two dimensions and combines it with a flexible analytical representation of a surface flame. It is our expectation that this tool will enable highly accurate simulations of flame spread dynamics. This manuscript contains a description of this new computation tool, reports results of a series of verification exercises, and demonstrates some of the ThermaKin2D's capabilities. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

An experimental and numerical model for the release of acetone from decomposing EVA containing aluminium, magnesium or calcium hydroxide fire retardants

“…At 20 °C min -1 the ThermaKin pMLR values are higher than the experimental values and peaks are more defined. ThermaKin assumes that components are at equilibrium so discrepancies between the model and experimental data may arise when experimental conditions caused deviation from equilibrium [26]. …”

Modeling the Pyrolysis and Combustion Behaviors of Non-Charring and Intumescent-Protected Polymers Using “FiresCone”

“…Lautenberger et al [12,13] have developed a generalized model, named "Gpyro", to simulate the fire behavior of non-charring polymers, other charring solids and intumescent coatings. Stoliarov et al [14][15][16] have also developed a model, named "ThermaKin", with a view to describing the pyrolysis of solid materials that were exposed to an external heat flux.…”

Parameterization and Validation of Pyrolysis Models for Polymeric Materials

“…The selected reaction mechanism was solved using an in-house numerical pyrolysis code, ThermaKin [8,9], which was run in an infinitely fast transport mode (i.e., the solid was programmed to follow the heating rate set in the TGA experiment and all volatiles were instantaneously removed from the solid). The Arrhenius pre-exponential factor, activation energy, and product yields of each reaction were adjusted until a desirable agreement, measured by the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) and visual data comparison, with the experimental data was reached.…”

“…Unlike the previous manuscripts, the focus is not on technical details of particular procedures but rather on the overall workflow and reasoning behind selection of the key technical elements. It is also demonstrated that, despite some differences in the submodel formulations among modern pyrolysis codes [8][9][10][11], parameters obtained using one code can be utilized in another with a reasonable expectation for similar predictions.…”

“…Subsequent studies by Di Blasi [14] and Staggs [15] extended applicability of these models to lignocellulosic materials and charring thermoplastics. Stoliarov and Lyon [8,9] and Lautenberger and Fernandez-Pello [10] were among the first to develop generalized pyrolysis modeling codes capable of simulation of a wide range of degradation, Fire Technology 2015 smoldering and flaming combustion scenarios with a customizable level of complexity.…”