Fire Propagation Apparatus
Compliance
ISO 12136, ASTM E2058, FM 4910
The Fire Propagation Apparatus is used to evaluate the flammability of synthetic materials and products.
The FPA can perform four methods of material testing, 1) ignition test, 2) combustion test, 3) pyrolysis test, and 4) fire propagation test.
These FPA test methods can report:
1) The radiant flux level for ignition, time(s) at ignition, flaming characteristics.
2) The radiant flux level for ignition, chemical & convective heat release rates, CO & CO2 generation rates, mass loss rate, effective heat of combustion.
3) The radiant flux level for ignition, mass loss rate, heat of gasification.
4) The radiant flux level for ignition, chemical & convective heat release rates, flaming characteristics.
Fire Propagation Apparatus consists of
The FPA consists of an infrared radiant heat source, water/air cooling system, test bench, inlet air distribution & control system, ignition pilot burner, load cell, exhaust system, gas sampling & condition system, measuring section, smoke measuring system, gas analysis system, and controls & DAQ & window-based software.
Infrared radiant heat source:
- Four heating modules, with a dimension of 240mm x 81mm x 81mm
- Six rated 500W IR tungsten tubular lamps inside each heating module,
- The lamp is a dimension of φ 9.5 x 127mm long.
- A reflector is installed behind the lamps.
- A recycled water cooling system is provided to cool the reflector body and the lamp chamber.
- Cooled air flow is introduced inside the chamber to furtherly remove heat inside the chamber.
- All water piping are rigid metal pipes connected.
- Max heat flux level up to 100 kW/m2.
The test bench consists of an air distribution chamber, water cooled shield, aluminium load platform, sample holder, quartz tube.
- Air distribution chamber, aluminium made, provides the specific oxidant gas during the test.
- The oxygen/nitrogen gas flow are controlled two mass flow meters to provide a precise oxidant gas concentration and flow.
- Water cooled shield, has an internal diameter of 203mm, recycling with cooled-water during the use, attached to a pneumatic lifting device to control its position.
- Four types of sample holders are provided, stainless steel made, including horizontal square, horizontal circular, vertical, and vertical cable. With specific fixtures for each type holder for fast installation.
- Quartz tube, high temperature resistance, with a internal diameter of 162mm. Several sections with fixtures.
Ignition pilot burner, stainless steel tube with an outer diameter of 6.35mm and opening diameter of 4.70mm. A four-hold ceramic to produce a stable flame and prevent flashback.
A load cell is installed under the quartz chimney, with a measuring range of 0-6000 g and an accuracy of 0.01g.
The load cell is connected through a 6.35mm diameter x 330mm long SS304 steel shaft to the upper 100mm diameter SS304 steel load platform.
Exhaust system:
- A 610mm x 610mm hood is mounted 40mm above the quartz tube.
- The hood is connected to an I.D. 152mm x 1600mm exhaust duct, section includes mixing duct, measuring duct and duct to blower.
- The exhaust flow capacity is up to 0.20 m3/s, the flow rate is adjustable.
Gas sampling system:
- Sampling probe, stainless steel tube, a diameter of 6.35mm, with 14 sampling holes, locates in the center if the sampling section of the exhaust duct.
- Sampling pump, a capacity of 16 L/min, continuous sampling pressure of 50 KPa, high gas tightness, low noise and low vibration.
- 3 Stages particle filtering: - 1st: Soot filter, glass fiber cotton, filtering large particles in the combustion gas; - 2nd: PTFE filter, filtering rate up to 2 microns; 3rd: PTFE membrane, filtering rate up to 0.5 microns, effective moisture isolation.
- Cold trap, compressor type, cool capacity up to 320KJ/h, temperature control accuracy up to 0.1 °C, static variation 0.1 °C, self-starting and maintenance-free.
- Drain, automatic drainage of the cooling water generated by the cold trap, maintenance-free.
- Desiccant, dry the residual moisture in the sampling gas, with quick disassembly and replacement of the drying medium.
- Flowmeter, a range of 0 to1.2 L/min, stabilize the output sample airflow, reducing the measurement error due to gas flow changes.
Dual oxygen analyzers, paramagnetic type with the range of 0 to 25%. SIEMENS® or ABB® gas analyzer is optional.
Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide analyzer, NDIR type with the range of 0-500ppm% & 0-1.5%. SIEMENS® or ABB® gas analyzer is optional.
Hydrocarbon analyzer, with the range of 0-5000ppm. SIEMENS® or ABB® gas analyzer is optional.
The time delay of the system is less than 25s.
Gardon type heat flux sensor, a measuring range of 0-100 kW/m2, accuracy of ±3%.
Laser smoke measuring system:
- He-Ne laser generator (0.5mV, 633nm, polarized).
- Silicon photodiodes (φ3.6mm, 10nA).
- Dual beam splitter.
- Filter slot and filters for self-calibration.
- Auto filters calibration assembly.
Data acquisition system
- Recording the output of gas analyzer (O2, CO, CO2, CxHy concentrations), thermocouples, weighting device, and pressure transducer.
- Corresponding to the accuracy of each sensor: Gas concentration: 100 x 10-6, Temperature: 0.1°C, DPT: 0.1Pa, optical intensity: 0.1%, time: 0.1s, other signal: 0.1% of F.S.
- Sampling frequency: 50ms.
- Data record interval: 1 time/sec.
- Real-time reading data every second, and storing.
Window-based (the latest Win 11) software, function incdulding:
- Sensor monitoring.
- Sensors calibration.
- Heat flux calibration, heat release calibration.
- Standard test program, method 1~4.
- Test data management & report export.
Advanced Functions
FTIR Toxicity test system.
