Experimental study of burning rate in jet-fuel pool fires

Experiments were carried out in a 30 cm diameter pool fire, for both transient and steady-state conditions, utilizing jet fuel, Norpar-15, and a surrogate mixture of hydrocarbons that simulates jet-fuel behavior in a pool fire. Steady state pool fire tests match previous results well. The transient burning rate profile for jet fuel showed a high peak value early in the experiment, followed by a gradual decrease in burning rate as the balance of the fuel was consumed. Transient experiments with a jet fuel surrogate demonstrated similar behavior to the jet fuel. However, experiments performed with Norpar-15) yielded approximately the same value for both transient and steady-state burning rates. GC analysis of fuel samples taken from the pool fire pan over time clearly demonstrated a preferential burning of the light, volatile hydrocarbons during the early stages of the transient fires, which might result in a higher burning rate early on, follow by a slower rate when consuming the less volatile residual hydrocarbons. Results highlight the importance of understanding fuel chemistry when attempting to model, either experimentally or computationally, the pool fire behavior of complex fuel mixtures.