Publications
219 results found
Rein G, 2010, Smoldering Combustion Phenomena and Coal Fires, Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective, Pages: 307-315, ISBN: 9780444528582
This chapter attempts to synthesize a comprehensive view of smoldering combustion, bringing together contributions from other scientific disciplines. Smoldering is a fundamental combustion problem involving heterogeneous chemical reactions and the transport of heat, mass, and momentum in the gas and solid phases. The transition from smoldering to flaming fires is of concern in coal mines and when subsurface fires reach the free surface. This transition is a spontaneous gas-phase ignition supported by the smolder reaction which acts both as the source of gaseous fuel and of heat to carry the reaction. When studying smoldering propagation through the interior of combustible materials, it is common to consider the simpler one-dimensional process and to classify it in two main configurations: opposed and forward propagation. When a smoldering front has been initiated and is propagating laterally, there are four discernable regions propagating. They are preheating of the undisturbed fuel, evaporation, burning region, and char and ash region. The propagation rate of self-sustained smoldering is typically controlled by oxygen transport and net heat losses. Yet heterogeneous chemical kinetics governs the front structure and dictates the effective value of the global heat released. Smoldering fires of coal can burn in shallow or deep fronts. Each has different dynamics. A shallow front burns near the free surface and is open to the atmosphere, thus having large supplies of oxygen available but exposed to convective heat losses. A deep subsurface fire burns many meters below the ground and thus has a limited supply of oxygen but is insulated from heat losses to the atmosphere. The primary three controlling mechanisms of subsurface smoldering fires are the net fuel load, the flow of oxygen, and the heat losses.
Hadden R, Rein G, 2010, Burning and Water Suppression of Smoldering Coal Fires in Small-Scale Laboratory Experiments, Coal and Peat Fires: A Global Perspective, Pages: 317-326, ISBN: 9780444528582
This chapter presents small-scale experiments in which the burning and suppression behavior of smoldering coal are studied. The advantage of reducing the scale and the scope of the problem by studying suppression in the laboratory is that most of the complexities of in-situ experiments such as locating and mapping the fire and the delivery of the suppression agent to the fire seat are eliminated. Meanwhile, the important variables such as fire size, particle size, thermal, and flow conditions can be controlled. The smolder reaction was characterized by maximum temperatures of 700-1000°C, which were seen to be independent of particle size for particle larger than 15 mm. Time to ignition showed a minimum for particles around 30 mm in diameter, with larger particles requiring longer times due to limited heat transfer from the igniter to the fuel. Smaller particles were limited by oxygen transport through the coal. Water was identified as an effective extinguishing agent and was used in small-scale tests. The extinguishing of subsurface fires is dictated by the ability of the delivery method to reach the source of the fire. It was shown that in small-scale tests, significant differences in extinguishing efficiency can arise due to the nature of the extinguishing-agent application. Additional work is required to determine the effects of scale on the reaction. Especially important is determining a relationship, which will allow the extrapolation of data from small-scale experiments to applications involving subsurface coal fires in the field.
Cowlard A, Jahn W, Abecassis-Empis C, et al., 2010, Sensor Assisted Fire Fighting, FIRE TECHNOLOGY, Vol: 46, Pages: 719-741, ISSN: 0015-2684
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- Citations: 43
Colella F, Rein G, Carvel R, et al., 2010, Analysis of the ventilation systems in the Dartford tunnels using a multi-scale modelling approach, TUNNELLING AND UNDERGROUND SPACE TECHNOLOGY, Vol: 25, Pages: 423-432, ISSN: 0886-7798
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- Citations: 30
Belcher CM, Mander L, Rein G, et al., 2010, Increased fire activity at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary in Greenland due to climate-driven floral change, NATURE GEOSCIENCE, Vol: 3, Pages: 426-429, ISSN: 1752-0894
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- Citations: 140
Stern-Gottfried J, Rein G, Bisby LA, et al., 2010, Experimental review of the homogeneous temperature assumption in post-flashover compartment fires, FIRE SAFETY JOURNAL, Vol: 45, Pages: 249-261, ISSN: 0379-7112
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- Citations: 54
Gutiérrez-Montes C, Rein G, Sanmiguel-Rojas E, et al., 2009, Smoke and fire dynamics in atria and large enclosures: An overview, Fire Safety, Editors: Søgaard, Krogh, Publisher: Nova Science Publishers, Pages: 1-42, ISBN: 9781607414902
The proliferation of atria within modern large buildings is relatively recent. An atrium can be defined as a large open space connecting two or more storeys. Atria are important architectonical features since the 60's and can be found, among others, in shopping centres, office buildings and high-rise buildings, airports, stations and sports centres. However, the atrium represents an innovative, complex and non conventional architectonical element that can lead to fire environments diverging significantly from those in conventional compartments used in the development of current codes and standards. They are a source of discussion in the fire safety community because smoke can easily spread from one floor to another making the traditional methodologies for compartmentation of little or null effect. The design of smoke management in atria has been based on prescriptive codes since the 70's. It was not until the mid 80's that the phenomena started to be the objective of both experimental and numerical studies. It is because of the subsequent improved understanding on fire dynamics and smoke management together with the increased computing power available nowadays, that there is a progressive movement from prescriptive-based to performance-based codes which is also chaning the way atria are designed. The aim of the present work is to provide a broad overview of the current state-of-the-art of fires in atria. A brief introduction to the characteristics and types of atrium structures is presented first. Then, a description of the fire dynamics as well as the main safety problems that arise in case of fire are considered. A historical discussion of the research, including experimental and numerical studies, is presented, and current design methodologies and fire safety strategies are discussed. The final part of the overview addresses the international tendencies towards the introduction of performance-based fire protection codes. This overview highlights the need for furt
Jonsdottir AM, Rein G, 2009, Out of range, Pages: 14-17, ISSN: 1757-1324
A survey and comparison of King's Buildings Campus (KB) and Informatics Forum was undertaken by the University of Edinburgh to review the narrow design fire specifications of the Eurocodes for many new buildings. Twenty-eight of the main buildings in the KB campus were inspected out of which 26 that have one or more enclosures fall outside the applicability of the Eurocode. The rooms/enclosures that were out of range with the Eurocode limitations were atriums open between floors, laboratories or workshops with skylights in the roof, larger lecture theatres where the height was over 4m, and floor areas over 500m2. The Informatics Forum at the University of Edinburgh had an open design that is beyond the range of applicability of traditional design methods. In the Informatics Forum, 8% of the total volume is inside the limitations. The difference in both the buildings could be due to the construction period.
Colella F, Rein G, Borchiellini R, et al., 2009, Calculation and design of tunnel ventilation systems using a two-scale modelling approach, BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT, Vol: 44, Pages: 2357-2367, ISSN: 0360-1323
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- Citations: 63
Stern-Gottfried J, Rein G, Torero J, 2009, Travel guide, Fire Risk Management, Pages: 12-16, ISSN: 1757-1324
The concept of 'traveling fires' in large enclosures, which assist with structural fire analysis, is discussed. These fires represent a new understanding of fire behavior in modern building layouts. Fire scenarios currently used for the structural fire design of modern buildings are based on traditional methods that come from the extrapolation of existing fire test data. This test geometry allows for good mixing of the fire gases and thus for a uniform temperature distribution throughout the compartment. The standard fire came from collating various fire tests into one idealized curve. A traveling fire can therefore inflict the structure with elevated temperatures for longer durations. The traditional design methods for thermal inputs for structural analysis are known to be valid for small enclosures.
Valencia LB, Rogaume T, Guillaume E, et al., 2009, Analysis of principal gas products during combustion of polyether polyurethane foam at different irradiance levels, FIRE SAFETY JOURNAL, Vol: 44, Pages: 933-940, ISSN: 0379-7112
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- Citations: 49
Gutierrez-Montes C, Sanmiguel-Rojas E, Viedma A, et al., 2009, Experimental data and numerical modelling of 1.3 and 2.3 MW fires in a 20 m cubic atrium, BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT, Vol: 44, Pages: 1827-1839, ISSN: 0360-1323
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- Citations: 63
Switzer C, Pironi P, Gerhard JI, et al., 2009, Self-Sustaining Smoldering Combustion: A Novel Remediation Process for Non-Aqueous-Phase Liquids in Porous Media, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Vol: 43, Pages: 5871-5877, ISSN: 0013-936X
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- Citations: 76
Rein G, Torero JL, Jahn W, et al., 2009, Round-robin study of <i>a priori</i> modelling predictions of the Dalmarnock Fire Test One, FIRE SAFETY JOURNAL, Vol: 44, Pages: 590-602, ISSN: 0379-7112
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- Citations: 61
Rein G, 2009, Smouldering Combustion Phenomena in Science and Technology, International Review of Chemical Engineering, Vol: 1, Pages: 3-18
G Rein, Smouldering Combustion Phenomena in Science and Technology, International Review of Chemical Engineering (11 non-self citations) (Invited review paper).http://hdl.handle.net/1842/2678
Pironi P, Switzer C, Rein G, et al., 2009, Small-scale forward smouldering experiments for remediation of coal tar in inert media, PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMBUSTION INSTITUTE, Vol: 32, Pages: 1957-1964, ISSN: 1540-7489
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- Citations: 85
Rein G, Cohen S, Simeoni A, 2009, Carbon emissions from smouldering peat in shallow and strong fronts, PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMBUSTION INSTITUTE, Vol: 32, Pages: 2489-2496, ISSN: 1540-7489
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- Citations: 69
Jahn W, Rein G, Torero JL, 2008, The effect of model parameters on the simulation of fire dynamics, Pages: 1341-1352, ISSN: 1817-4299
The sensitivity of computer fire modelling using results from NIST's Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to a set of input parameters related to fire growth has been analyzed. The scenario simulated is the real-scale Dalmarnock Fire Test One and the modelling results are compared to the measurements. Fire size and location, convection, radiation and combustion parameters were varied in order to determine the associated degree of sensitivity. Emphasis is put in the prediction of secondary ignition and time to flashover. In this context and while keeping the HRR constant, simulations of fire growth are significantly sensitive to location of the heat release rate (HRR), fire area, flame radiative fraction, and material thermal and ignition properties. The simulations are relatively insensitive to the heat of combustion (while keeping the HRR constant), the soot yield and the heating from the smoke layer. The results indicate that the future development of successful fire forecast methodologies of fire growth using CFD must focus on the global HRR as well as the important parameters identified here. Copyright © 2008 International Association For Fire Safety Science.
Putzeys OM, Fernandez-Pello AC, Rein G, et al., 2008, The piloted transition to flaming in smoldering fire retarded and non-fire retarded polyurethane foam, FIRE AND MATERIALS, Vol: 32, Pages: 485-499, ISSN: 0308-0501
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- Citations: 17
Abecassis-Empis C, Reszka P, Steinhaus T, et al., 2008, Characterisation of Dalmarnock fire Test One, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Vol: 32, Pages: 1334-1343, ISSN: 0894-1777
Roxburgh R, Rein G, 2008, Study of wildfire in-draft flows for counter fire operations, 1st International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Forest Fires, Publisher: WIT PRESS, Pages: 13-22, ISSN: 1746-448X
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- Citations: 5
Switzer C, Pironi P, Rein G, et al., 2008, EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF SELF-SUSTAINING THERMAL AQUIFER REMEDIATION (STAR) FOR NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUID (NAPL) SOURCES, 10th International UFZ-Deltares/TNO Conference on Soil-Water Systems, Publisher: HELMHOLTZ CENTRE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH-UFZ, Pages: 365-371
Rein G, Cleaver N, Ashton C, et al., 2008, The Severity of Smouldering Peat Fires andDamage to the Forest Soil, Catena, Vol: 74, Pages: 304-309, ISSN: 1872-6887
Rein G, Garcia J, Simeoni A, et al., 2008, Smouldering natural fires: comparison of burning dynamics in boreal peat and Mediterranean humus, 1st International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Forest Fires, Publisher: WIT PRESS, Pages: 183-+, ISSN: 1743-3541
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- Citations: 20
Rein G, Fernandez-Pello AC, Urban DL, 2007, Computational model of forward and opposed smoldering combustion in microgravity, PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMBUSTION INSTITUTE, Vol: 31, Pages: 2677-2684, ISSN: 1540-7489
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- Citations: 50
Putzey O, Bar-Ilan A, Rein G, et al., 2007, The role of secondary char oxidation in the transition from smoldering to flaming, PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMBUSTION INSTITUTE, Vol: 31, Pages: 2669-2676, ISSN: 1540-7489
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- Citations: 25
Putzeys OM, Rein G, Fernandez-Pello AC, et al., 2006, Piloted ignition to flaming in smoldering polyurethane foam, Pages: 13747-13755
Experimental results are presented on the piloted transition from smoldering to flaming in flexible polyurethane foam. The experiments are conducted with small parallelepiped samples vertically placed in a wind tunnel. Three of the sample lateral-sides are insulated and the fourth side is exposed to an upward oxidizer flow and to a variable radiant flux. Thermocouples placed along the sample centerline allow monitoring of the smolder temperatures and calculation of the smolder velocity. The results show that the piloted transition from smoldering to flaming is possible under a wider range of external conditions than the spontaneous transition from smoldering to flaming. It is found that the smolder velocity and peak smolder temperature, which are strongly affected by the oxygen mole fraction and radiant heat flux, are strongly correlated to the ignition to flaming event, in that there are minimum values of these parameters for ignition to take place. The minimum smolder velocity and temperature for ignition are found to be approximately 0.185 mm/s, and 363°C, respectively. The existence of a minimum smolder velocity for ignition supports the concept of a gaseous mixture reaching a lean flammability limit as the criteria for ignition to flaming, because the pyrolysate mass production rate is proportional to the smolder velocity. The critical mass production rate of smolder gaseous products is calculated from the minimum smolder velocity to be approximately 7.35 mg/s. A one-step Arrheniustype reaction proposed for the solid-to-gas conversion in smoldering helps explain the relationship between the peak smolder temperature and the pyrolysate mass production, and the observed effects of smolder temperature on the piloted ignition.
Rein G, Bar-Ilan A, Fernandez-Pello AC, et al., 2006, A comparison of three models for the simulation of accidental fires, JOURNAL OF FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING, Vol: 16, Pages: 183-209, ISSN: 1042-3915
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- Citations: 18
Rein G, Lautenberger C, Fernandez-Pello AC, et al., 2006, Application of genetic algorithms and thermogravimetry to determine the kinetics of polyurethane foam in smoldering combustion, COMBUSTION AND FLAME, Vol: 146, Pages: 95-108, ISSN: 0010-2180
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- Citations: 169
Lautenberger C, Rein G, Fernandez-Pello C, 2006, The application of a genetic algorithm to estimate material properties for fire modeling from bench-scale fire test data, FIRE SAFETY JOURNAL, Vol: 41, Pages: 204-214, ISSN: 0379-7112
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- Citations: 121
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