Thermal Behavior of Structural Fire-Fighting Protective Ensemble Samples Modified with Phase Change Material and Exposed in Full-Scale Room Fires

摘要

Phase change materials (PCM) have been suggested as a means to increase the thermal protective performance of structural fire fighting protective ensembles (FFPE) by taking advantage of the thermal energy required for to change phase. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted full-scale compartment fire experiments to evaluate the thermal behavior of FFPE samples with PCM added, in a realistic fire fighting environment. Two experiments were conducted, each in a single furnished compartment with one door and one window. FFPE assembly samples with an added mass of PCM equivalent in weight to 10 layers of batting and unmodified FFPE assembly samples were co-located in each compartment. Gas temperatures and heat fluxes were measured in multiple locations, as well as the inner and outer temperature of each FFPE assembly. This report contains analysis of the data collected, details of the fuel load, compartment construction and geometry, and the location and type of instrumentation. The results of these experiments demonstrate that the FFPE with PCM reduced the amount of thermal energy transferred through to the interior surface of the FFPE. However, the FFPE with PCM performed effectively the same as an unmodified FFPE once the compartment reached flashover conditions.