To increase the understanding of how and why flames spread, or fail to spread, over solid surfaces in the presence of an opposing oxidizer flow. Three different sample types consisting of two different surface radii and two different fuel thicknesses will be used in order to isolate the effect of thickness and radius on participating heat transfer mechanisms. Measurements consist of surface and gas phase thermocouples, a low speed anemometer for flow velocity, and post-combustion flame spread rate via tracking from video. The objective of this experiment is to determine the relative contributions of conductive and radiative heat transfer to flame spread over thick solid surfaces.
Measurements consist of flame spread rates over three different size cylindrical cellulose samples.
Samples will have two different outer radii, and the larger ones will have two different wall thicknesses. The expectation is that there will be some value of the flow velocity below which the flame will not propagate on the thick samples. All experiments will be conducted at ambient pressure and oxygen concentration. Gas phase and surface temperature will be measured by thermocouples. Flame spread rate will be determined from the video recordings.