Determination of net heat fluxes and assessment of test-to-test thermal input variation for three large engulfing open pool fire/calorimeter tests

Three 30-minute large engulfing open pool fire tests were conducted to determine the local thermal input from the fire environment to a test article. The local thermal input was evaluated numerically based on experimental temperature measurements and expressed in terms of instantaneous and time-integrated local heat fluxes. Additionally, the variation in test-to-test temperatures was assessed and compared with a regulatory (10CFR71) fire. The test articles employed were large cylindrical calorimeters with physical dimensions of 137 cm (54 in) I.D., 6.4 m (21 ft) axial length and 3.18 cm (1.25 in) wall thickness. The pool was rectangular with dimensions 9.14 x 18.29 m (30 x 60 ft)