Fire-Protection Research for Energy-Technology Projects: FY 1981 year-end report

Abstract

Prepared for US-DOE Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Emergency Preparedness; Office of Operational Safety, Washington, DC 20545r--.T. '. r ''*"• I;;JKS1 IS UNIIMIUI msci.-miER I hK document »as prepared as an account of «ork sponsored !»\ an agenct of the I nited Stales < internment. Neither I fit-I niled Slates t.oternmenl nor the I niu-rsit> of ( alifomia nor any of their emjlotecs. makes anv warrant*, express or implied, or assumes anv legal liability or responsibility for the accurao. com pleteness, or usefulness of anv information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use »oufd not infringe pri>atel> owned rights. Reference herein to anv specific commercial products, process. or senice b\ trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or impK its endorsement, recommendation, or famring h> the I niled States (internment or the I niversitv of* alifornia. I he ijews and opinions of authors expressed herein do not nccessarilv stale or reflect these of the t niled Man-, (.oiernmeni thereof, and *hall mil he used for adu-rtisiug or product endorsemenl purposes.Work performed under the auspices of the t .S. Department of rnerg* h> I a w mice I i I ahurat»r> under ( onlract \\ -74f)5-Fng-4H.

Fire protection research for DOE facilities: FY 83 year-end report

“…In moderate-temperature pyrolysis of various wire and cable insulations, the insulations form detectable amounts of light hydrocarbons in the very early degradation '-tage. 1 Our GC/MS analyses of the liquid pyrolyzates from these insu lations show no unique components of specific in sulations that can help in choosing fire-resistant cables. The data, however, can be used to isolate those insulations that incorporate flammable plasticizers; such plasticizers enhance the insulations' flammability so that flame retardants should be incorporated if the plasticizers are used in the insulations.…”

“…The rest of the testing followed the procedure reported in last year's report. 1 Fire Chemistry: Thermal Degradation of Cable and Wire Insulations Experimental Results Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), used in smallsignal wire insulations, is one of the most stable addition polymers, owing to the strength of the C-F bond and the shielding effect of the highly electronegative fluorine atoms. Reaction involves random-chain scission followed by depolymerization and chain termination by disproportionation, 71 " although it has been suggested that, in stead of an unzipping mechanism, CF 2 fragments are eliminated which subsequently combine in the gas phase to give tetrafluoroethylene.…”

“…1 4 One ultimate goal of this study is the assessment of potential fire damage in such facilities. To accomplish this, three parameters have to be evaluated: (1) the fire-threat potential to the facility, (2) the response and effectiveness of fire-management systems, and (3) the possible fire-related damage.…”

“…The sub-tasks listed under Fire Growth Parameters for Model Development are a combination of small-and large-scale fire experi ments to provide appropriate input for our model ing efforts and is also a partial model-validation tool. Those sub-tasks supporting Smoke Aerosol Production and Transport; Physical and Chemical Characteristics will help define two major phe nomena: (1) the potential corrosive and particulate damage to experimental components, and (2) the particulate analysis (size, distribution, etc.) that will provide insight into the response times of smoke detection systems.…”

“…Two requirements motivated these experiments: (1) to develop insight and experience with charac teristics of fires in extraction-ventilated enclosures, and (2) to produce quantitative data to evaluate current mathematical models modified to fit the extraction-ventilation mode. It is intended to use validated portions of the tested models as the initial component of a procedure to predict fire risk in large research and fabrication enclosures.…”