The optical properties of particulate emitted from fires burning two distinct polydimethylsiloxane fluids and or MM, where and were obtained using a transmission cell-reciprocal nephelometer in conjunction with gravimetric sampling. The specific absorption coefficient of particulate ash from fires burning and MM is significantly lower than that of particulate soot from an acetylene (hydrocarbon) flame. Scattering is the dominant part of extinction in fires burning the silicone fluids. This is very different from extinction by soot particles in hydrocarbon fires, where absorption is approximately five times greater than scattering. Temperatures and particulate volume fractions along the axis of a silicone fire were measured using multi-wavelength absorption/emission spectroscopy. The structure of the flames is markedly different from hydrocarbon flames. The temperatures and particulate volume fractions very close to the burner surface are much higher than in comparably sized hydrocarbon flames.
Issue Section:
Heat Transfer in Combustion
Keywords:
polymers,
fires,
combustion,
absorption coefficients,
light absorption,
Combustion,
Fire,
Heat Transfer,
Particulate,
Radiation
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