Fully enclosed design fires for hazard assessment in relation to yields of carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide

摘要

Fires in multi-compartment buildings often occur In single or interconnected enclosed spaces. Where external venting is limited, fire growth is restricted. Current fire tests tend to be well ventilated, and therefore may not represent realistic models for the development of life hazards from many fires occurring in multi-enclosure buildings. Rigs designed to represent realistic buidling enclosures were used for 23 building fire scenarios using realistic fuels including upholstered furniture. The fires became rapidly vitiated producing high yields of smoke, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide and then self-extinguished after a few minutes without spreading, destroying only part of the item first ignited. Hazard assessment predicted rapid incapacitation in and beyond the fire room. The detailed results of the fires have been placed on a CD-ROM database.