Introduction

The study of the ignition process of solid fuels and their behavior under the
circumstances of combustion is one of the important aspects of physical chemistry.
Understanding these properties is crucial for ensuring the safe handling and storage
of materials that are prone to ignition. This experiment aims to investigate the
characteristics and properties of the ignition of solid materials and the methods used
to measure them. For this purpose, the material under consideration such as wood
shall be subjected to different radiant heat fluxes, and its various properties related
to ignition shall be examined.

Objective
This experiment aims to determine the thermal response parameter, ignition
temperature, critical heat flux, and prediction of the ignition time at 70 KW/m 2 with
uncertainty analysis.

Experiment
To determine these parameters, ASTM E1354 (Test Method for Heat and Visible
Smoke Release Rates for Materials and Products using an Oxygen Consumption
Calorimeter) will be used. This test can be intended to measure and compute many
characteristics of materials and products, including ignitability, heat release rates,
mass loss rates, effective heat of combustion, critical heat flow, and visible smoke
formation.

ASTM E1354 Testing

This fire test was created by the American Society for Testing and Materials to
examine how a material reacts to regulated radiant heat flux, either with or without
an external ignitor. It is a well-known test because it provides many important details
about the specimen being tested. It is used to study materials that are still in
development and to make sure that these materials are compliant with international
code requirements. It used a special type of calorimeter that is cone calorimeter to
measure the amount of heat released from the burning material. The oxygen
consumption technique is used to calculate the heat release rate (HRR). The
approach is based on the fact that the amount of oxygen needed for burning directly
affects the net heat of combustion. In the test, the exhaust gas flow and oxygen
concentration are therefore monitored and with the aid of this, it is possible to
calculate the amount of heat liberated during the burning of the specimen.
Cone Calorimeter
A cone calorimeter is one of the most crucial instrument in the field of fire testing as
it is used to determine important real fire properties of the material being tested
under a variety of preset external conditions. In a cone calorimeter, a specimen of
dimensions of 100mm x 100mm with a maximum thickness of 50mm is exposed to
variable radiant heat fluxes. The ASTM E1354 limits the amount of heat flux to up to
100 KW/m2 therefore, for this experiment 35 KW/m 2, 50 KW/m2, and 65 KW/m2 for
wood are used.

The main components of the cone calorimeter are:

1. Conical-shaped furnace
2. Spark ignitor
3. Load cell
4. Exhaust system

Figure 1 shows what a cone calorimeter furnace looks like.

Figure 1: Cone Calorimeter Furnace

Procedure
Before the test begins, the cone calorimeter is calibrated and preheated by adjusting
the heater temperature to deliver a heat flux of 35 KW/m 2. A heat flux meter is placed
under the heater to measure the heat flux over time. Then the specimen of the oak
wood 10 cm x 9 cm with a thickness of 19 mm is wrapped around the backside and
edges with aluminum foil so that the emitting gas can only be escaped from the
exposed surface. This wrapped specimen is contained in a metal sample holder and
placed on the top of the load cell and underneath the furnace. Turn on the spark
ignitor and record the time to achieve the sustained flame by using a stopwatch. This
 experiment is repeated again at the heat fluxes of 50 KW/m 2 and 65 KW/m2. Figure 2
typically shows the arrangement of this experiment.

Figure 2: Experimental Setup

Experimental Raw Data

The raw data that is typically given for this experiment is as follows:

1. Dimensions of the specimen

2. Physical characteristics of the specimen
3. Heat flux

Results
Table 1 tabulated the masses and dimensions of each specimen. This data calculates
the volume and density of each specimen as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Physical Characteristics of Wood Samples

Sample Length (cm) Width (cm) Thickness (mm) Mass (g) Volume Density
calculated calculated
(x 10-4 m3) (kg/m3)
A 10.0 9.0 19.0 92.98 1.71 543.74
B 10.0 9.0 19.0 97.67 1.71 571.71
C 10.0 9.0 19.0 108.38 1.71 633.80
Average Density 582.90

Table 2 listed the time to ignition for each of the given samples. The time to ignition
was recorded by three different observers with three different timers, named t ig,1, tig,2,
and tig,3 is also listed in Table 2.
 Table 2: Time to Ignition for Oak Wood Samples

Sample Heat Flux (KW/m2) tig,1 (s) tig,2 (s) tig,3 (s) tig, avg (s)

A 35.0 33.37 33.97 34.00 33.78

B 50.0 16.50 16.42 16.65 16.52
C 65.0 11.33 11.18 11.24 11.25

Analysis of the Data

By careful investigation of the data obtained above, it is evident that the time to
ignition is related to the heat flux being supplied, the more the heat flux, the lesser
the time to ignition.

Calculation
For Critical Heat Flux, qc”:

We can find out the critical flux by using the data that we have. The Figure 3 shows a graph
of heat flux and inverse of time of ignition. Since the critical heat flux is the heat flux below
which ignition cannot be occurred therefore it is the minimum point on the flux axis in Figure
3.
 Heat Flux vs Time of Ignition
0.1

0.09
f(x) = 0.0019761857772515 x − 0.0391343248253866
0.08
Inverse of Ignition Time (s-1)

0.07

0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

0.01

0
30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Heat Flux (KW/m2)

Figure 3: Graph of Heat Flux vs Time of Ignition

From the above graph the approximate value of critical heat flux is found to be 19.55
KW/m2.

For Prediction of Ignition Time, tig:

1
From Figure 3, we have =0.002 q ” – 0.0391
t ig

By putting the value of q”= 70 KW/m 2, the time of ignition is found to be t ig = 9.911 sec and
because the apparatus fluctuation is 10%, so there will be ±0.991 sec error in the above
calculation. Thus, the final answer will be t ig = (9.911 ± 1) sec

Note: The above calculation only considers the uncertainty of apparatus.

For Ignition Temperature, Ti:

The ignition temperature can be calculated by using the value of critical heat flux as
obtained above.
4 4
Using Formula; q c ”=ε σ (T i −T o )

Where;

qc” = Critical Heat Flux = 19.55 KW/m2

ε = Emissivity = 0.9 (Assumption)

σ = Stefan-Boltzmann Constant = 56.7 x 10-12 KW/m2.K

To = Ambient temperature = 300 K (Assumption)

By putting all the values, we get Ti = 790.86 K

For Thermal Response Parameter, K:

K = √ kpc (Ti−¿)

Where;

k = Thermal Conductivity of Oak wood = 0.209 W/mK

p = Density of Oak wood = 850 Kg/m3

c = Specific Heat Capacity of Oak wood = 2380 J/Kg.K

K = √ 0.209 ×850 ×2380 (790.86−300)

K = 319174.897 J/m2.s1/2