# 42 2010
News from sp Fire TEchnology
brandposten
English version
THEME
Fires in
vehicles
Editorial/Ulf Wickström
Increasing importance of fire safety in vehicles
This issue of BrandPosten is concerned mainly with fire safety in vehicles in a broad sense – an area which is becoming increasingly important. The automotive sector is undergoing major changes, with
pressure to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels forcing the development of alternative solutions. New fuels and energy carriers are
appearing, at the same time as lighter - and unfortunately more combustible - materials and designs are being developed in order to save
weight and to improve convenience and comfort. Development, in
fact, in many areas, all of which have their own special problems and
considerations relating to fire safety.
Earlier this year, in March, we arranged the fourth ISTSS Fires in
Tunnels conference in Frankfurt. We are now planning the next major international conference, FIVE, to be held on 29 - 30th September
in Göteborg, with many prominent speakers. The theme of the conference is Fires in Vehicles, and we hope to attract many participants
from manufacturers, public authorities, scientists and experts in various fields. One of the subjects to be discussed is that of safety in buses and coaches: an area for which there is a potential for considerable improvements. Firstly, it is clear that present day requirements
for the fire performance of interior materials are inadequate. Our
experience shows that modern polymer materials can be approved
by tests, but nevertheless result in intensive fires that generate large
quantities of toxic smoke, spread rapidly and can fill the passenger
space with smoke in a very short time. This is an area in which safety could be substantially improved by applying relevant fire safety requirements.
Another way in which safety in buses and coaches can be improved
is to install extinguishing systems in the engine compartment. Experience from Sweden shows that prior to 2004, 67 buses or coaches were totally destroyed each year by fires that started in the engine
compartment. The Swedish insurance companies reacted by demanding that all buses and coaches should be fitted with an approved
fire extinguishing system in the engine compartment. Since then, no
total bus fire caused by a fire in the engine room has occurred in any
of the insured vehicles. This Swedish example shows what results
that can be achieved by relatively simple changes in practice. There
is a major need for a common international standard in order to be
able to test and verify extinguishing systems in a comparable manner.
This is an important working area, in which SP is heavily engaged,
with financial support from the road authorities in Sweden and Norway.
Our dependence on fossil fuels must be broken, and replaced by
the use of alternative fuels and energy carriers of various types. This
poses new challenges for the automotive industry, and also for the fire
and rescue services. How should fires in different types of vehicles be
tackled, and how can first responders approaching a burning vehicle
know what risks they are facing? There are many different alternative fuels/energy carriers, such as hybrid technology, fuel cells, hydrogen, CNG (compressed natural gas, such as biogas), LPG and DME
(dimethyl ether). FIVE will describe the trends seen in the automotive industry, with particular emphasis on the challenges presented by
fire safety.
SP Fire Technology is expanding. Our order input is increasing,
both nationally and internationally. Our Swedish customers are naturally extremely important for us, but the proportion of our revenues arising from international work will soon reach 50 %. We’re
working, in other words, on a global market, which is both exciting
and demanding. Challenged by competitors, it’s important that we
should provide the best value for money in terms of quality, delivery of results and – naturally – price. We are recognised as one of the
world’s foremost fire laboratories, with a research proportion exceeding 35 %. As a result, several organisations in Europe and elsewhere
are interested in working with us, which means that we can expand
our services to customers in several markets. To fulfil these expanding activities, we need to increase our staff, from below 60 today to
about 70. We must also, as soon as possible, build new laboratory
facilities and offices. Expansion will permit us to offer an even wider
range of services and skills in the future.
As you have no doubt noticed, BrandPosten has now been given a
new layout and a more professional presentation. It’s a unique product, something between a technical magazine and a newsletter, largely produced internally within SP and with the help of a number of
guest contributors. It’s published twice a year, first in Swedish and
then as an English translation. This is Issue No. 42, which means
that it’s been published for 21 years. We feel that its contents are appreciated by our readers, and we hope that the new layout will make
it more attractive, not least for our advertisers. We are as always interested to hear your views.
Finally I would like to inform you that this is my last editorial as
head of the Department of Fire Technology. It is my pleasure to introduce Björn Sundström as my successor since July first. Björn joined
SP in 1976 and has made a tremendous career. Many know him as
chairman of ISO TC92 and for his groundbreaking work on European Fire Regulations. He has served as Deputy Head of the Department since 1991. I still plan to continue my active participation
in activities at SP Fire Technology. I will now focus on tutoring heat
transfer in fire and pursuing my research on the plate thermometers
and adiabatic surface temperature.
Ulf Wickström
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Sid
Table of contents
Editorial
2
International conference on fires in vehicles
4
Programme FIVE - Fires In Vehicles
5
Fires are common in buses
6-7
7
New version of ENV 1187, the standard for testing roof
coverings
Automotive fire safety Indian scenario and plausible
causes in gaseous fuels
6
10
Investigation of fires in buses
10
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden Expand Cooperation
Agreement between Organizations
11
A resumé of the tunnel conference
Fires are common in buses.
Investigation of fires in buses.
8-9
12-13
New energy carriers present new risks
14
Largest ever round-robin test of fire resistance
15
Water mist protection of parking garages 16-17
Fire Science and fire investigation
18-19
Mobile equipment for simulating fires in tunnels
19
SPs focus on battery and hybrid systems
20
Fire toxicity – a reference work on the toxicity of fire
gases
21
BLIXT – a project on electric vehicles
22-23
Seminar on lightweight constructions at sea
24-25
Slow spread of fire in the AutoStore® system
26-27
Effectiveness of shielding vehicle hot surfaces
28-29
A new method of risk assessment when fighting tunnel
fires
30
SP research platform – new constructions at sea
31
Revised standard on noncombustibility
32
Hidden side of vehicle safety – firematic concerns of hybrids & electric vehicles
34
Controlling railcar fire hazards in tunnels and underground stations
35
Foam glass provides effective fire protection in bunded
areas
36-37
A breakthrough in European shipbuilding
38
SP meets Indian vehicle manufacturers
39
Fire investigations – a challenge accepted by Volvo Buses
40-41
Largescale use of fuel pellets
New employees at SP Fire Technology
42
SP Fire Technology is expanding, and needs several new
members of staff
New SP reports
43
BrandPosten is a magazine published by SP Fire Technology in
Swedish and English (two issues/year).
Editor in chief Ulf Wickström, [email protected]
Editorial staff Erika Hjelm, Magnus Arvidson and Ulf
24
Mårtensson
Advertisements Fredrik Rosén, [email protected]
Address SP Fire Technology, P O Box 857, 501 15 BORÅS,
Sweden, +46 10 516 50 00
Seminar on lightweight constructions at sea.
Address changes [email protected]
Printing works Responstryck, Borås, Sweden 2010.
Reprint Reprints of the articles in the magazine can
be made if the source is clearly stated.
Cover picture Testing of the spread of fire between parked cars at
the KFIC-laboratory in Korea, photo Ulf Wickström.
brandposten #42 2010
3
International conference on fires
in vehicles
FREDRIK ROSÉN
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 86
In view of the considerable need for an international dialogue, SP
is arranging a new conference under the name of Fires in Vehicle
(FIVE), with the aim of spreading knowledge of fires in vehicles of all
types, covering road and rail vehicles as well as contractors’ machinery. Many of the fire safety problems applicable to these vehicles are
the same, which means that similar solutions can also be applied.
FIVE aims to bring together vehicle manufacturers, scientists, public authorities, test engineers, industry, suppliers, insurance companies
and other organisations from the various transport sectors in order
to discuss important matters relating to fire. We believe that this exchange of knowledge will assist the emergence of affordable, safe and
sustainable solutions for firerelated problems in the vehicle field.
The conference will be held on 29th-30th September 2010 in Göteborg, the seat of the automotive industry in Sweden. It is then the
intention that it should be arranged every second year. As there has
been considerable interest from other countries, and particularly
from the USA, there are plans that FIVE should be held in the USA in
2012.
PHOTO ULF WICKSTRÖM
During the autumn, SP is arranging a conference on Fires in Vehicles (FIVE). No other conference concentrates specifically
on the problem of vehicle fires. The conference has attracted substantial interest from a number of sectors, both nationally
and, not least, internationally.
Spread of fire between two cars. Concentration on core areas
a pressing need for a common international standard in order to be
able to test and verify fire extinguishing systems in a comparable
manner, and this is work that SP has now started.
FIVE will focus on a number of core areas that we believe will be of
particular interest for delegates.
Alternative motor fuels
Fire safety in buses
Interior materials
Several bus fires occur somewhere in the world every day. Why do
they occur, and how can they be prevented? Current safety requirements specify only that interior materials can withstand a simple horizontal spread of flame test. This is clearly inadequate, as even materials with poor fire resistance can be approved. The requirements
for both trains and aircraft are considerably stricter. SP has been involved at the international level and, as a technical expert, has submitted a joint Norwegian/Swedish proposal to the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva, for new and improved
test procedures for these materials. We have carried out research and
fullscale tests of the spread of fire in interior materials.
Fireextinguishing systems in engine compartments
Prior to 2004, six or seven buses or coaches were totally destroyed
each year in Sweden by fires that started in the engine compartment.
The Swedish insurance companies reacted by demanding that all
buses and coaches should be fitted with an approved fire extinguishing system in the engine compartment. Since then, no total bus fire
caused by a fire in the engine compartment has occurred (as of 3rd
March 2010). This is an important reduction in the costs resulting
from fire and in loss of life. This Swedish example shows the results
that can be achieved by relatively simple changes in practice, something that the insurance sector as a whole should consider. There is
4 brandposten #42 2010
What challenges does the automotive industry foresee from new
alternative motor fuels/energy carriers, and what is known about
their safety? There are many different alternative fuels/energy carriers, such as hybrid technology, fuel cells, hydrogen, CNG (compressed natural gas, such as biogas), LPG and DME (dimethyl
ether). What trends does the industry foresee, and what can be
foreseen in terms of new alternative fuels/energy carriers in the future? Is it possible to foresee which fuels/energy carriers will be the
most used in the future? Investigation of their associated fire safety
aspects must form a part of overall development.
Incident tactics and methods when fighting fires in
electric and hybrid vehicles
What are the fire and rescue services’ views on, and experience of,
fires in electric or hybrid vehicles? What are their tactics and procedures when dealing with such fires? How can they be improved?
Where is research needed, and what types of training will be needed?
Programme and registration
The programme on the next page shows that there are many internationally known experts in different areas who will describe their
work.
For further details on the conference and joining it, see FIVE’s
website at www.firesinvehicles.com. We look forward to seeing
you.
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Programme FIVE - Fires In Vehicles
Day 1 | Wednesday (September 29)
Day 2 | Thursday (September 30)
08:00 09:00
08:00 Registration and coffee
Keynote session (Chair: Björn Sundström)
08:30 Keynote
■ Fire department's operations at large incidents involving
vehicles
Reinhard Ries, Frankfurt am Main Fire and Rescue Services,
Germany
09:20
Registration and coffee
■ Opening Ceremony
Jan-Eric Sundgren, Senior Vice President, Public &
Environmental Affairs, Volvo Group
(Chairman of SP’s Board) Keynote
■ The Hanover bus fire and activities on improving fire
safety in buses
Richard Damm, Federal Ministry of Transport, Building
and Urban Development, Germany
Regulations and standards (Chair: Marc Janssens)
09:50 ■ European railway regulations – towards harmonised
requirements
Bas Leermakers, European Railway Agency
10:10 ■ Bus fire legislation in the European Union
Jean-Paul Delneufcourt, European Commission
10:30 ■ Comparison of product evaluation systems in Europe for
road and rail vehicles
Björn Sundström, SP Fire Technology
10:50 Coffee break
Fire statistics and insurance issues (Chair: Anders
Lönnermark)
11:20 ■ Bus fire safety and statistics in Sweden
Jan Petzäll, Swedish Transport Agency
11:40 ■ Statistical analyses of vehicle fires in the U.S
Marty Ahrens, NFPA – National Fire Protection
Association
12:00 ■ New NFPA guide on fire hazard in road vehicles
Marcelo M Hirschler, GBH International
12:20 Lunch and Exhibits
Fire development in vehicles (Chair: Craig Beyler)
13:40 ■Experiments for fire hazard assessment of motor vehicles
Marc Janssens, SWRI – Southwest Research Institute
14:00 ■ Bus fires – presentation of a large Nordic research project
Michael Försth, SP Fire Technology
14:20 ■ Large scale experiment of a car fire and comparison with
numerical investigations
Anja Hofmann, BAM – Federal Institute for Materials
Research and Testing
14:40 ■ Fire propagation in a full-scale vehicle burn test
Jeff Colwell, Exponent (Chairman of the Fire Safety
Committee of SAE – Society of Automotive Engineers)
15:10 Coffee breakeement in vehicles, continued (Chair
Fire development in vehicles, continued (Chair: Marty Ahrens)
15:40 ■ Development of transport fire safety engineering
methodology in European Union – EU project TRANSFEU
Alain Sainrat, LNE – Laboratoire National d'Essais
16:00 ■ Predicting fire growth and heat release rates for rail
vehicles
Craig Beyler, Hughes Associates Inc
16:20 ■ Bombardier's view of the development of fire safe trains
Heinz Reimann, Bombardier Inc.
Discussion
16:40 ■ Discussions of day 1
(Moderator: Björn Sundström, SP Fire Technology)
17:00 ■ End of presentations day 1
19.00 Banquet
22.00 Close day 1
Electrical, hydrogen, hybrid vehicles and other alternative
fuels (Chair: Michael Försth)
09:00 ■ Special fire risks associated with new energy carriers
Anders Lönnermark, SP Fire Technology
09:20 ■ Safety issues of hydrogen-powered vehicles
Vladimir Molkov, University of Ulster
09:40 ■ Actions to control potential risks with new fuels in the
automotive industry
Patrik Klintbom, Volvo Technology Corporation
10:00 ■ Crash safety of lithium-ion battery’s in hybrid vehicles
Rainer Justen, Daimler AG – Mercedes-Benz Cars
Development
10:20 ■ Alternatively fueled vehicles: Research needs in support of
safety standards
Casey Grant, Fire Protection Research Foundation
10:40 Coffee break
Incident management and case studies (Chair: Jeff Colwell)
11:00 ■ Emergency response to incidents involving hybrids &
electric cars
David Dalrymple, RoadwayRescue
11:20 ■ Investigation of four bus fires in western Sweden
Leif Isberg, SÄRF – Södra Älvsborg Fire & Rescue Services
11:40 ■ Bus fire investigations
Jan-Olov Åkersten, Volvo Buses
12:00 ■ Managing fire safety in suburban trains
Arnaud Marchais, RATP – Régie Autonome des Transports
Parisiens
12:20 Lunch and Exhibits
Fire detection and fire suppression in vehicles (Chair: Marcelo
M Hirschler)
13:30 ■ Principles of fire detection in vehicles
Klas Nylander, Consilium Transport Safety
13:50 ■ Fire safety in large construction equipment
Per Björnberg, Volvo Construction Equipment
14:10 ■ Auto Fire Research including Suppression
R. Rhoads Stephenson, MVFRI
Motor Vehicle Fire Research Institute 14:30 ■ Principles of fire suppression in vehicles
Ben Hughes, FIRETRACE
Discussion
14:50
■ Discussion of day 2
(Moderator: Björn Sundström, SP Fire Technology)
15:20
Closing remarks
15:30
Close of conference
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brandposten #42 2010
5
Fires are common in buses
MICHAEL FÖRSTH
[email protected]
+46 10 516 52 33
PHOTOS MAGNUS SAMUELSSON
About 1 % of all buses suffer some form of fire incident each year. Some of these fires have serious consequences. The
most recent example of a tragic accident is that of the bus fire near Hannover in November 2008, when 20 persons died,
making it the worst bus accident in Germany for 16 years. The results from a large project investigating bus fires will be
presented at the FIVE conference on 29th-30th September in Göteborg. The work has been carried out by SP Fire Technology on behalf of the National Road Authorities in Norway and Sweden.
A fire test on a bus seat. The results were used to compare different test methods and to provide input data for computer simulations of the
progress of the fire.
The following is a summary of the main parts of the project, the
overall objective of which was to investigate the fire safety of buses
and to produce recommendations for improvements.
in bus engine compartments. Bus fires often start in the engine
compartment.
• Statistics of bus fires in Norway and Sweden. The investigation
covered bus fires between 1996 and 2004.
• Fire simulations. Computer simulations were run in order
to investigate the spread of smoke inside a burning bus. The
results from these simulations can be used for such purposes as
investigating evacuation behaviour.
• Fire tests of interior materials used in buses. Fire tests were
carried out on various interior materials, using different test
methods. A comparison was made between the test methods
used for interior materials in buses and other established test
methods for materials for use in buildings, trains and passenger
ships etc.
• Fullscale trials. A complete bus was fire tested in SP’s large fire
test hall. Measurements were made of parameters including
the heat release rate and the production of smoke and toxic
gases.
• Fire risks in buses. This area of the work identified specific fire
risks and how they are affected by design, maintenance and
cost considerations.
• Test method for firewalls. The work developed a proposal for
a test method to test the fire resistance of the firewall between
the engine compartment and the passenger space.
• Test method for fire-extinguishing systems in engine
compartments. A method was developed to facilitate
comparable tests of different fire extinguishing systems for use
6 brandposten #42 2010
• Summary and proposals for improvements. The project
was summarised, and proposals for new test methods and
requirement standards were put forward. Parts of these
proposals are now being considered by the UN Working Group
on General Safety Provisions (GRSG) in Geneva.
Inadequate fire safety requirements for interior materials
The fullscale trials showed that once flames had reached the passenger space, flashover would occur within a short time. Current requirements for interior materials require them only to pass a simple
horizontal spread of flame test. This is clearly insufficient, as even
materials with poor fire resistance can be approved. The require-
PHOTO JESPER AXELSSON
ments for trains and passenger ships, for example, are considerably
higher. SP has been engaged internationally and, as a technical expert, has presented proposals for better test procedures for these materials.
Fire extinguishing systems in engine compartments provide good fire protection
Statistics from the insurance sector show that the number of total loss
cases of fires in buses can be reduced dramatically by the introduction of requirements for fire extinguishing systems in engine compartments. The commonest form of fires on buses are those that start in
the engine compartment. SP is therefore preparing an international
test standard that can be used when specifying requirements for the
efficacy and function of such systems. This work is being carried out
on behalf of the National Road Authorities in Norway and Sweden.
n
New version of ENV 1187, the standard
for testing roof coverings
The formal voting on the new version was conducted in the beginning of this year and a new version
of the standard for fire testing of roof coverings will be published by CEN by the end of August. The
standard was formerly referred to as ENV 1187. The new version will be published as CEN/TS 1187.
The standard consists of four test methods and the revision has been
done mainly for test 2. The instructions on how the test apparatus for
testing according to test 2 shall be built have been improved. This will
result in even better repeatability and reproducibility of the method to
the benefit of producers throughout Europe.
The revision of test 2 is based on work done at the Nordic fire laboratories and SP has played a major role in writing the new text and assuring the quality of the method. Recently performed tests conducted at
SP and at DIFT (Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology) of 40
roof coverings showed that all 40 products were classified in exactly the
same class at both laboratories.
The test apparatus of CEN/TS 1187 (drawn by Elisabeth Wetterlund).
A fullscale fire test on a bus. The pipe from the roof is a
sampling line for gas measurements.
INGRID WETTERLUND
[email protected]
+46 10 516 50 84
brandposten #42 2010
7
Guest contributor
Automotive Fire Safety Indian
scenario and Plausible Causes
in Gaseous fuels
S.S. Sandhu and
Dr.S.S.Thipse, ARAI
hicle fire safety has to be taken seriously and efforts should be directed
toward minimization of vehicular
fires.
Two-thirds of these fires are the
result of mechanical or design problems, such as broken fuel lines,
faulty catalytic converters, electrical failures, blown tires, and overheating. Arson is the second leading cause of vehicle fires at 18%.
Many automobile fires are not investigated for possible arson, although some insurance companies privately investi­gate obvious cases. Carelessness (human act) accounts for 8% of highway vehicle
fires. Examples of carelessness include cigarettes dropped on the upholstery; distractions while driving, such as eating or cell phone use;
parking over dry leaves with a hot catalytic converter; and misuse of
PHOTO ARAI
It has been reported in vehicle fire statistics of NFPA that one in every four fire department responses is to a vehicle fire. This does not
include the tens of thousands of responses to vehicle acci­dent sites.
Mostly mechanical or design problems are the leading cause of vehicle fires. Electrical wiring and fuel are the leading forms of material ignited in vehicle fires. Fires following a collision are the leading
cause of vehicle deaths. Mechanical and design failures are the leading cause of vehicle inju­ries, many of which were due to the victim’s
attempt to control the fire. Data published in USA reports that from
1996 to 1998, there were an estimated annual average of 377000
highway vehicle (automobiles, vans, trucks) fires. (Highway vehicle fires represent more than 96% of all mobile property fires.) Each
year, these fires resulted in an average of approx­imately 515 deaths,
3000 injuries, and $1.1 billion in property loss. Thus the issue of ve-
Burned LPG Vehicle in India.
8 brandposten #42 2010
Experience from India
The factors mentioned above are universal to all countries and India
is not an exception. India has a complicated vehicular pattern with 2
and 3 wheelers along with congested roads and a vast highway network with differing road quality. Further India has a problem of old
vehicles plying in its cities due to absence of end of life norms. In India vehicle fires take place due to non-conformance to safety procedures. One such case was the vehicular fire in a bi-fuel GasolineLPG passenger vehicle in Mumbai. In that specific case authorities
observed tampering with the gasoline fuel system and the LPG System, starting from cylinder to induction point of engine, was found to
be intact. Therefore it was concluded that LPG leaking out of system
was not cause of fire as was initially projected. Gaseous vehicles are
perceived unsafe mostly due to ignorance and misconceptions regarding the fuel itself. All fuels are dangerous if handled in an improper
way and hence fuel system safety is a key to safe operation of vehicles. The safety regulations for gaseous fuel vehicles in India have incorporated necessary checks to ensure proper fitment of gaseous fuel
systems and their operation for increased safety of passengers. Some
of the safety features include fuel interlocking device to prevent ignition during vehicle filling as well as provision of fire extinguishers on
board the vehicle and use of fire retardant upholstery. Furthermore
gaseous fuel cylinders are well tested with rigorous test such as bonfire and bullet penetration tests. Certification agencies like ARAI routinely certify vehicles for safety and performance based on the safety
codes notified by the government.
PHOTO ARAI
flammable liquids, especially gasoline, while servicing or maintaining the car. Electrical wiring is the leading form of material ignited
(30%), followed by fuel (29%). The contributing factor (or condition preventing escape) in 68% of vehicle fire deaths was either rapid
fire progression (51%) or that the victim was incapacitated prior to
ignition (16%).
Gaseous Fuel Interlocking Device.
Good safety record for CNG and LPG vehicles
Gaseous fuels like CNG have limited range of flammability and it
will not burn in concentrations below 5% or above about 15% when
mixed with air. On the contrary Gasoline and diesel burn at much
lower concentrations and ignite at lower temperatures. However with
fuels like hydrogen there is an increased flammability risk. Devices
such as flame arrestors and leak detectors can lower the risk substantially. CNG and LPG vehicles have a good safety record in India and
accidents due to fuel related reasons are rare due to the integrity of
the vehicle and its fuel delivery system. However use of spurious kits,
tampering with fuel kit components and gas cylinders, leakages due
to faulty installations, smoking and other such unsafe practices endanger the safety and increase the risk of vehicle fires. Increased public awareness regarding safe installation and vehicle operating practices is a key factor to prevent vehicular fire accidents worldwide.
n
Fire dampers can be CE-marked
The European standard for fire dampers has now been published as a Swedish standard. When EN
15650:2010 has been harmonised (published in the Official Journal) it will be possible to CE-mark
fire dampers.
We shall apply to SWEDAC for notification. As a Notified Body we will then be able to perform
the necessary tests and inspection for manufacturers as needed for CE-marking. Manufacturers may
also choose SP’s P-symbol, which indicates that performance requirements have been drawn up in
conjunction with the sector, says Per Adolfsson from SP Sitac.
brandposten #42 2010
9
PHOTO JOAKIM ERIKSSON
Guest contributor
Investigation of fires in buses
CAROLINE OLAUSSON, SÄRF
[email protected]
+46 33 17 29 00
Everyday a lot of people travels by bus. Even though many find it to be a safe and environmental-friendly way to travel,
there are risks. Every year, over 135 bus fires occur in Sweden, which is equivalent to one fire per 100 registered buses.
This figure is probably on the low side, as those bus companies not having fire insurance are not included in the insurance
companies’ statistics.
In January 2009, two bus fires occurred on the same day in the area
covered by Södra Älvsborgs Fire and Rescue Services (SÄRF). As a
result of these incidents SÄRF started an investigation to find the reasons for and the circumstances relating to the fires, and also to determine the general level of fire safety on buses. Two more bus fires occurred within SÄRF’s area while the investigation was in progress.
Incident Commander Lars-Erik Sandin was in charge of the investigation. He views the fires that have occurred as very serious.
- A fire in a bus can spread rapidly, and there are many factors that
make evacuation difficult. There are for example seats that can be
swivelled into the aisle, and it can be difficult to evacuate disabled
persons or those who are obese.
In order to obtain as much information as possible on the fires and
their progression Lars-Erik Sandin talked to the drivers of the buses
that caught fire. One of them pointed out that he often has several
wheelchair passengers, and that the outcome of the fire would have
been tragic if this had been the case when the fire occurred. It only
took a few minutes before the bus was completely enveloped in flames. The other drivers also felt that the fires would have had catastrophic consequences if there had been a large number of passengers
on board. One of them had let a group of retirees off the bus just before the fire started. He finds it to be unlikely that all of them would
have been able to get out in time as the bus was overwhelmed by fire
within 3.5 minutes.
The investigation found that the fires started in the engine compartment and in the luggage bay. Although three of the four buses had
10 brandposten #42 2010
approved fire extinguishing systems, they were unable to control the
fire. SÄRF wants to see greater fire extinguishing capacity and legal
requirements to maintain high standards on all buses.
- As long as there aren’t legal requirements, there will always be
some operators who ignore safety. If there’s a bus fire with a serious
outcome, there’ll certainly be new requirements for safety measures.
However we need these requirements in force BEFORE a fire occurs,
regardless of the cost, says Lars-Erik Sandin.
The investigation includes many proposals for measures intended
to improve safety on buses, of which the following are examples:
•
•
•
•
•
Manufacturers of fire extinguishing systems must ensure that
the systems have sufficient capacity to extinguish any fires that
occur, even under difficult conditions.
All buses should be equipped with approved fire extinguishing
systems.
Fire extinguishing systems should be inspected by an accredited company each year.
Warning systems and fire extinguishing systems should be installed in
baggage areas.
Educate the bus drivers on what to
do if a fire occurs, and carry out evacuation exercises.
n
Press release
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden Expand Cooperation Agreement between Organizations
FREDRIK ROSÉN
+46 10 516 56 86
[email protected]
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is a leading international
research institute. Fredrik Rosén, SP Fire Technology’s Business Development Manager said “At SP we work closely with our customers
to create value, delivering high-quality input in all parts of the innovation chain, and thus playing an important part in assisting the competitiveness of industry and its evolution towards sustainable development. This cooperation between our two companies will not only
offer value to local or European clients, we believe that international
companies located outside Europe will be able to benefit from this
new cooperation as both SP and UL carry out fire technical evaluations of materials, products, structures, fire-fighting systems used in
buildings, in vehicles, for shipping, in furniture etc. Both organizations engage in extensive research and development. Both organizations work closely with industry, other research institutes and universities around the world in support of public safety.”
Companies interested in learning more about the benefits of the expanded nature of fire product testing and certification services available to them going forward, can contact either Fredrik Rosén ([email protected]) or Gordon Biezeveld ([email protected])
for additional information.
Initial fire product service offerings include a combined UL Mark
+ P-mark for the listing of fire rated safes, UL Mark services for fire
fighting foam, and different listings for fire resistant assemblies. Future plans call for evaluating the expansion of the portfolio of services, tests and certifications offered based on client demand, including
but not limited to, Personal Protection Equipment and other
fire safety related product categories.
n
PHOTO FREDRIK ROSÉN
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), a global leader in product safety testing and certification, headquartered outside Chicago, IL, USA
is pleased to announce it has expanded the scope of its original Memorandum of Understanding with SP Technical Research Institute of
Sweden as it relates to the development of a strategic cooperation in
product certification and testing.
The expansion of the existing cooperation between UL UK (UL International (UK) Ltd) and SP (Technical Research Institute of Sweden) is an important element of UL’s activities in Europe as it relates
to fire testing and product certification and further assisting UL in
growing its European capabilities as a Notified Body under the Construction Products Directive. SP operates from upwards of 30 sites
across Sweden, with its headquarters and main fire testing facilities
located in Borås.
With the addition of SP to UL’s growing global network of partner laboratories it enables both organizations to better serve more
clients locally. Chris Hasbrook, UL’s Vice President of Global Building Materials and Life Safety & Security sector said, “SP has a very
well earned and well respected reputation in Fire Safety product testing and certification. Partnering with SP is natural for UL as this relationship is a logical extension of our safety mission. To this point, we
at UL strive to be the fastest, highest quality, most customer friendly certification organization in the world. We work hard to provide
seamless interactions for our customers around the world, regardless of where they are located. Expanding testing and fire research
capabilities in Europe through our agreement with SP will help UL
achieve our goals”
brandposten #42 2010
11
A resumé of the tunnel conference
FREDRIK ROSÉN
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 86
The 4th International Symposium on Tunnel Safety and Security (ISTSS) was held 17th – 19th March 2010, in Frankfurt am
Main, Germany. The conference was hosted by the Fire and Rescue Service in Frankfurt am Main and held at their Headquarters. An exhibit, with 22 exhibitors, was organized in conjunction with the conference and housed in one of the vehicle halls at the Fire Station. The conference was well attended once again and attracted 270 delegates from some 35
countries.
PHOTO ULF WICKSTRÖM
More than 40 presentations were made during the three day event
which was rounded off by a visit to the Fire and Rescue Service’s
training facility in the Frankfurt Metro. A short summary of the
three days is given below.
PHOTO ANDERS LÖNNERMARk
Day 1: Risk and Egress
The first day of the Symposium was dominated by discussions of
different risk and security issues. The day was opened by Keynote
presentations dealing with security issues concerning illicit entry to
tunnel systems and the potential impact of an explosion in a tunnel
Nanda Jansson, Firefly, demonstrates a detection system to SP’s
Anders Lönnermark.
construction on both the structure and tunnel occupants. The first session concerned risks in tunnels, with a focus on risk assessment methods and the transport of dangerous goods in road and rail tunnels. Several case studies were presented including: the Drisko Tunnel in Greece,
the Grand St Bernard Tunnel between Italy and Switzerland, and the
Hsueh Shan Tunnel in Taiwan. The risk of an explosion was central in
several presentations, and the risk of a BLEVE and ability to model the
consequences of an explosion in a tunnel, were discussed. Complex environments, where road and rail tunnels meet other transport modes,
are treated in a new EU-project iNTeg-Risk which was presented.
Evacuation in complex environments, where occupants are unfamiliar with the geometry of the structure is extremely challenging. Further,
if the evacuation takes place under stress, the risk of injury is significantly increased. The final session of the first day dealt with this issue
and others associated with egress from tunnels.
PHOTO ANDERS LÖNNERMARk
Professor Reinhard Ries, Chief Fire Officer in Frankfurt.
Bent Børresen, Norconsult A/S. puts a question to one of the
speakers.
12 brandposten #42 2010
Day 2: Passive and Active Fire Protection
The second day was opened by Keynote presentations dealing with
new risks in underground facilities due to new fuels in vehicles and an
overview of active fire protection in tunnels. New types of vehicles are
already present in tunnels and underground facilities (such as parking
garages), e.g. LPG, ethanol powered vehicle and electric vehicles. These
new vehicles represent a variety of different, sometimes new, risks in
tunnels ranging from the risk of explosion to electric shock. Despite
the introduction of these new vehicles into the traffic mix, traffic is still
dominated by vehicles powered by conventional fuels like gasoline and
diesel. A pool fire of such conventional fuels in a tunnel can also have
dire consequences as the fire can easily spread from one vehicle to another. An effective system to avoid pool fires in tunnels by the efficient
drainage of fuel spills below the road surface has been tested in model
scale and was presented at the conference. The results are very promising showing a dramatic reduction in the risk for a pool fire.
Active fire protection systems have attained a higher level of acceptance recently as an important component in long or busy tunnels in
PHOTO JONATAN HUGOSSON
Members of the Frankfurt am Main Fire and Rescue Services at the Hauptbahnhof training site in Frankfurt.
Europe and North America. In Japan and Australia, such systems have
been accepted for many years. The use of sprinklers has been the subject of heated debate previously, but the main point of discussion presently seems to be the details of system design rather than whether they
are effective or not in tunnel applications. Experience from Australia, the advantages of sprinkler systems and which technical trade-offs
might be possible, were all discussed at the conference.
Passive fire protection has long been the backbone of fire protection
in tunnels. Several presentations discussed the challenges of using concrete in tunnels and its performance in a fire. New for this year was the
prevalence of papers presenting the use of advance computer modeling
for prediction of the performance of both passive and active protection
systems. The use of CFD models in designing water flow in sprinkler
systems was described. The combination of tests and computer simulation was promulgated in the discussion as necessary to increase our understanding and confidence in computer models to allow the extension
of existing models to the prediction of system performance in applications where test data is not presently available.
PHOTO ANDERS LÖNNERMARk
Day 3: Ventilation and Fire Dynamics
The last day focused on ventilation and fire dynamics and was opened
by a description of the use of ventilation in conjunction with fire fight-
Dr Alan Beard receives the ISTSS Lifetime Achievement Award from
Professor Haukur Ingason, Chairman of the ISTSS Scientific Committee.
ing in tunnels as developed by the Frankfurt am Main Fire and Rescue
Services. This was followed by a presentation of fire safety in tunnels
in Australiasia with a focus on the Burnley Tunnel fire in Melbourne
in 2007, where the sprinkler system had a decisive impact on the outcome of the fire with relatively minor damage. Several presentations
concentrated on the calculation of the critical flow in a tunnel for the
control of the ventilation in conjunction with a fire. The risk of fire
spread and the influence of ventilation on the movement of toxic gases
was another field that was discussed.
The day was rounded off with a visit to the Fire and Rescue Service’s
training facility in the Frankfurt Metro. This visit was the perfect finish
of a very fruitful conference.
ISTSS Lifetime Achievement Award
The ISTSS Lifetime Achievement Award was presented at the conference banquet for the first time. The prize was given to Dr Alan Beard,
Heriot-Watt Universitet UK, for his ability to apply fundamental information from fire research to tunnel research and thereby create the
foundation for much of our present knowledge of fires in tunnels. His
contribution to our understanding of the influence of ventilation on
heat release and flame spread in tunnels has been ground breaking.
This is manifested by the fact that Dr Beard, together with Dr Ricky
Carvel, is editor of the prestigious tome “The Tunnel Fire Safety Handbook”.
As well as the ISTSS Lifetime Achievement Award, prizes for Best
Paper (Jack Mahinney and Javier Trelles) and Best Poster (Henrik Hoff
and Gerd Koffmane) were also given for the first time at the conference
banquet.
Thanks to our Sponsors and Event Partners!
Without the help of our Event Partners, Sponsors and Media Partners
the conference would not have been such a resounding success. We
would like to extend a special thanks to Jens Stiegel and his colleagues
at the Frankfurt am Main Fire and Rescue Service for their invaluable
help.
New York, New York
In the space of a few short years, the ISTSS has become the foremost
international conference on safety and security in tunnels. ISTSS 2012
will take place 14th – 16th March 2012 in New York. Book this date
in your calendar now and keep an eye on the ISTSS website for more
information www.istss.se.
n
brandposten #42 2010
13
New energy carriers present
new risks
ANDERS LÖNNERMARK
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 91
The growing use of new and alternative energy carriers for vehicles, such as ethanol, biogas and batteries, means that the
conditions and risks have been changed. The question is how these new risks can be and should be tackled.
Rising demand for energy, in parallel with the need to reduce dependence on oil, has resulted in the development of a number of new
energy carriers/fuels for vehicles. Although petrol and diesel oil are
still the dominant fuels, the use of alternative energy carriers is increasing steadily. The EU has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 20 % (compared with 1990) by 2020. As road transport accounts for about 20 % of total greenhouse gas emissions in
the EU, it is an important area to investigate and on which to concentrate. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced not only through
the development of biofuels and alternative energy carriers, but also
through the admixture of biocomponents in traditional fuels. An EU
directive from 2009 permits at present a maximum admixture of
3 % methanol or 10 % of ethanol in petrol.
New energy carriers
However, there are also requirements that fuel for older vehicles must
also be available. This means that there will be a range of energy carriers available in the future, either powering vehicles or being transported in bulk. Just what is meant by new or alternative energy carriers is a
matter of definition, but as used in this article the terms refer to everything other than the traditional fuels of petrol and diesel oil. Examples
of such new or alternative energy carriers include ethanol, methanol,
other alcohols, compressed natural gas, compressed biogas, hydrogen
(whether for use in combustion engines or fuel cells), DME (dimethyl
ether), LPG and batteries. Just which energy carriers receive the most
support, or are favoured, can depend on many factors: national or regional conditions, political decisions, transport requirements or habits,
the cost of vehicles or engines, the price of energy carriers, trends, perceptions of risk and safety, etc. This means that developments will differ
from country to country. In Sweden, it is primarily ethanol, biogas and
fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) (used as low admixture in diesel fuel)
of which the use has increased in recent years (see diagram below), although the consumption of diesel fuel has also increased. At the same
time, development of batteries and electrical systems is being carried
out on a broad front, together with several research projects into hydrogen and fuel cells.
Consumption of ethanol, biogas and FAME as motor fuels. (Source:
Energy in Sweden – Facts and figures, 2009, Swedish Energy Agency.
14 brandposten #42 2010
Varying perceptions of risk
The new energy carriers are of very different types, with varying properties, such as polar liquids, compressed gases, condensed gases, batteries or highvoltage systems and various hybrid systems. They present
new risks, due partly to very different properties from those of traditional fuels, and partly to the uncertainty presented by the fact that
there can be a mixture of vehicles using different energy carriers on the
roads. As far as, for example, vehicles powered by compressed gas are
concerned, there are already certain restrictions on where such vehicles
may be driven or parked (e.g. in underground garages). However, these
restrictions and guidelines apply at national levels, and sometimes at regional or municipal levels. There is no agreement on how the associated
risks should be managed, which causes difficulties for vehicle owners as
they have to be aware of different legal requirements if they are to drive
their vehicles in different countries or regions. It is therefore important
that fire characteristics, behaviour in various situations, methods of fire
extinguishing etc. are investigated in order to enable the new risks to be
rationally evaluated and managed.
Need for representative test methods
As far as new energy carriers are concerned, there is very little statistical
material or information available on incidents and accidents. However,
a number of accidents over the last ten years in which compressed natural gas or LPG have been involved show that fires in or around vehicles
using these fuels can result in explosions, with serious consequences.
The causes of the fires have not always been determined, although arson, either in the vehicle itself or in nearby vehicles, has been the cause
in several cases. Leaking gas or electrical faults have been other causes. In some of the cases, the problems have occurred after the vehicles
have been in previous accidents and then been repaired or converted
for some reason in an unsatisfactory manner. Some of the accidents,
and particularly those involving compressed natural gas, have shown
that operational safety devices have not always been sufficient. This is
due to how the devices have been tested and approved. Test methods
or safety concepts are not always properly representative of conditions
that can occur in reality, which can mean that safety devices (e.g. pressure relief devices, PRD) fail to operate, with the result that the fuel cylinder or tank explodes.
Vehicles with new energy carriers present new risks: risks which
must be considered when developing vehicles and safety systems,
when developing guidelines and when planning fireextinguishing or
rescue work. What safety systems are needed if vehicles and infrastructure are to be regarded as safe? Are special safety systems or
restrictions needed in some areas or conditions? How can vehicles
and their energy carriers be tested in a representative manner? How
should we deal with a situation involving a mixture of many different energy carriers? What is needed if the fire and rescue services are
to be able to tackle serious situations without exposing themselves to
risks? These and other important questions concerning the new energy carriers will be discussed at the FIVE conference in Göteborg in
September (see also the separate article on pages 4-5).
n
Daniele Cohen from Luleå Technical University has completed a graduation project for
SP in this field. The report will soon be available for downloading from LTU’s website.
Largest ever round-robin test of
fire resistance
LARS BOSTRÖM
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 08
EN ISO/IEC 17025, which governs accreditation of test laboratories,
specifies that comparison tests between the laboratories shall be conducted. This is difficult in the case of fire resistance, as such tests are
normally large, complicated and expensive. The European EGOLF
organisation (European Group of Organisations for Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification) therefore took the initiative, partially financing a comparison test and inviting all EGOLF members to participate. A total of 32 laboratories took part, making the test the
largest of its type ever carried out.
Fire resistance testing is performed on many different types of
structures and products, but the actual basis of the test is the same,
regardless of what particular structure or product that is to be tested.
In order to minimise the possible effect of the actual test item itself
on the results, a simple gypsum plasterboard wall was selected for
testing in accordance with EN 1364-1. All the material for the test
structures was purchased by our colleagues in Denmark, DBI, who
also ensured that all participants received the same material and instructions for assembling the test structure. The properties that were
then analysed were the integrity and insulation performance of the
wall, i.e. the parameters that are used for classification of nonloadbearing walls.
Repeatability and reproducibility
ISO 5725 specifies the procedures for performing and analysing the
results of comparison tests. At least two tests should be performed
by each laboratory: of the 32 laboratories that took part in the exercise, 30 of them performed two tests, and the remaining two laboratories performed only one. As there are only about 50 laboratories in
the whole of Europe that perform this test, the results should provide
a good indication of how well the method operates.
A comparison test usually assesses two parameters, repeatability
and reproducibility. Repeatability is a measure of the magnitude of
the difference that can be expected between two tests performed under the same conditions, i.e. at the same laboratory, with the same
equipment and with the same personnel. Reproducibility describes
the magnitude of the difference that can be expected between the results from two tests performed by different laboratories, with different equipment and personnel.
After analysing the results, it was found that the average integrity
(i.e. when sustained flaming occur, or when holes or cracks have been
formed in the structure) of the wall structure in the tests was slightly over 65 minutes, that the repeatability was almost nine minutes,
and that the reproducibility was slightly over 18 minutes. As far as
the insulation performance was concerned, the analysis produced
an average figure of just over 58 minutes, with a repeatability of 5,5
minutes and a reproducibility of 13,8 minutes. These results must
be regarded as very good, when seen against the background of the
PHOTO PATRIK NILSSON
Round-robin tests of EN 13641 (Fire resistance for nonloadbearing elements – Part 1: Walls) were performed during the
spring of 2009. A total of 32 fire testing laboratories throughout Europe participated, with most of them performing two
identical tests in order to determine the spread of the results between the laboratories. The results show that the test
method works well, and that the most important source of error is the human factor, with procedures specified in the
standard not always being followed.
Testing the integrity of the wall using cotton pads.
complexity involved in a test of fire resistance.
The main factor affecting the results is that of how the test personnel perform the tests, with the equipment affecting the results to a
very much lesser extent. This means that the standards used for testing the fire resistance of walls are good in terms of their equipment
and instruments. The aspect that can be improved is that of how
personnel perform the tests. One way of improving this would be
through training, so that everyone interprets the standard in the same
way and the tests are carried out in a similar manner by all laboratories.
EGOLF harmonisation courses
For many years now, EGOLF has developed and held courses for
harmonisation of the performance of fire tests. It is now important
that these courses should be further developed, and to see that all
those involved in fire resistance testing take part in them. SP Fire
Technology is aiming high in this respect: our policy is that all engineers involved in testing must have taken the EGOLF harmonisation
courses.
Courses exist today for the general EN 13631 fire resistance standard, which also includes EN 13641, for testing the fire resistance of
nonloadbearing elements, as well as a course for testing fire doors in
accordance with EN 16341. A new course for testing penetrations
in accordance with EN 13663 is being developed by SP, with assistance from industry and the MPA Braunschweig fire testing laboratory in Germany and Peutz in Holland. In the somewhat longer term,
it is the aim that there should be courses for all methods that are frequently used, and naturally that all those involved in fire testing at
the accredited laboratories should have taken the courses.
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brandposten #42 2010
15
Water mist protection of parking
garages MAGNUS ARVIDSON
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 90
Water mist systems can be used for protecting parking garages. Tests show that it is possible to use less water than
would be used by traditional sprinklers. tion and safety equipment. All requirements and standards are developed in conjunction with the insurance industry and international
organisations. The test method for parking garages simulates real conditions in
that ordinary passenger cars are used. In this case, scrapped vehicles
from Borås Bildemontering were used, with all cars being of mediumsize type, manufactured in the middle of the 1990s. Both saloons and
hatchbacks were used in the tests. Three cars were parked side by side, about 60 cm apart, under
a suspended ceiling. The fire was started by two pans of heptane,
Fires in parking garages are becoming increasingly common, often
resulting in serious damage in the form of direct fire damage and
smoke damage. In addition, arson is very common. On behalf of
Danfoss Semco A/S Fire Protection, SP has tested a water mist system
for protecting parking garages.
PHOTO 1- 3 JMAGNUS ARVIDSON
Standardised test method
The tests were carried out in accordance with a standardised test
method developed by VdS Schadenverhütung in Germany. VdS is an
independent international institute that tests and certifies fire protec-
Figur 2 Test with traditional sprinklers about five minutes after
activation of the first sprinkler. The direct wetting of the cars
on each side prevents the spread of fire. Figure 3Test of water mist, immediately after activation of the first
nozzle. Figure 4The fire damage after the test. All the tyres, the engine area
and parts of the front of the car have been destroyed, but the
system has prevented the fire from spreading to the adjacent
cars.
PHOTO HÅKAN MODIN
Figure 1Test of traditional sprinklers just before the first sprinkler
activated. 16 brandposten #42 2010
which were placed underneath the centre car and ignited. This gave
the fire a relatively fierce start, quickly involving the underneath of
the car, all the tyres and the engine compartment. In most cases, the
fire also spread to the inside of the car via the luggage compartment. It was, however, uncommon for the windscreen, side windows or
rear screen to rupture.
Comparison tests with ordinary sprinklers
The requirements in the test method are based on the system being
tested having much the same efficacy as that of traditional sprinklers. The first tests were therefore performed using sprinklers, and measuring the temperature at ceiling level above the fire using thermocouples. The temperature was also measured using Plate Thermometers
in front of and behind the vehicles, which gave an idea of the risk
of the fire spreading. In addition, the body surface temperatures of
the cars on each side were also measured. Together with visual assessment of any fire damage, this provides an idea of the risk of the
spread of fire between the cars. The centre car was positioned so that it was either directly under
one sprinkler or between four sprinklers.
Fast response nozzles were used
The water mist system developed by Danfoss Semco A/S Fire Protection has the same design as that of a traditional sprinkler system. The nozzles are closed by a glass bulb, and automatically activated,
one by one, by the heat from the fire. However, they are activated at
a much earlier stage of the fire than is the case with traditional sprinklers, as the bulbs have a lower nominal activation temperature (of
57 °C as compared with 68 °C) and a lower RTI value (34 m½s½ as
compared with about 90 m½s½). The water pressure in the system
was 60 bar.
When
Safety
Matters
Convincing results
The trials with the traditional sprinklers show that they perform well
against vehicle fires. As, in principle, the fire is completely shielded from the sprinkler water by the car body, the main effect of the
sprinklers is to prevent the spread of fire and to reduce the temperature at ceiling level. The fire did not spread to any of the cars beside
the burning car in any of the tests. The average temperature at ceiling level did not exceed about 100 °C. Figures 1 and 2 show one of
the tests with traditional sprinklers, just before the first sprinkler activated and about five minutes later. The results from the water mist system were comparable with
those of the traditional sprinkler system, despite the fact that the distance between the nozzles was greater. In addition, the water discharge density was considerably less. As with the traditional system,
the water mist system did not reach the primary seat of the fire underneath the car. However, the system reduces the ceiling level temperature better than does the sprinkler system, due to the higher cooling capacity of the smaller water droplets. The spread of fire between
the vehicles was prevented thanks to the direct cooling (wetting) of
the cars, and to the good performance of the small water droplets in
absorbing thermal radiation. Figure 3 shows the fire in one of the
vehicles seconds after activation of the first nozzle, while Figure 4
shows the fire damage after the test. The conclusions from the tests are that a correctly sized and installed water mist system provides a level of protection that is fully
comparable with that of a traditional sprinkler system when dealing
with this type of fire risk. In addition, the distance between nozzles
can be increased and the total water flow can be reduced. n
Smoke and Fire
Detection Systems
reliable and customized
solutions for:
Railway applications
• Trucks
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•
www.consilium.se
brandposten #42 2010
17
Guest contributor
Fire Science and Fire Investigation
DOUGAL DRYSDALE
The University of Edinburgh
Next year marks a unique anniversary – the Silver Jubilee of the Short Course on Fire Science and Fire Investigation at the
University of Edinburgh. It was first held in March 1986, but the interest in the subject has been so great that it has been
held every year since then.
PHOTO UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURG
There are many reasons why fire investiof the Fire Research Laboratories in the UK,
gation has to be carried out, perhaps the
the USA and Japan. A need for a short course
most obvious being to discover the cause
on fire science and fire dynamics for the Foand establish if it was accidental or had
rensic Science community was perceived in the
been started deliberately. Insurance comearly 1980s, and following discussions with a
panies may wish to know if the terms of an
number of individuals within the Home Office
insurance policy have been breached while
Forensic Science Laboratories, a ground breakin other cases liability may be an issue and
ing short course was put together and held in
identifying the cause of the fire may well
Edinburgh in March 1986. Although its purdetermine who pays. Essentially, it is a fopose was to provide a means of instructing forensic activity and, as such, must be carried
rensic scientists on how they could apply “fire
out with the care and diligence afforded to
science” to assist them in the investigation of
any crime scene. Unfortunately, in the past
fires, it proved to be of much wider interest.
fire investigators did not have the benefit of
The response to the first course was overan established scientific discipline to underwhelming. Not only did it attract forensic scipin the interpretation of the evidence colentists and engineers, but delegates from the
lected at a fire scene. Indeed, the process
Fire Service, the Police (Scenes of Crime Officwas considered by many to be more of an
ers), the Insurance Industry (Loss Adjusters)
art than a science as until relatively recentand the Legal Profession (Coroners and Proculy fires were regarded as “unpredictable”.
rators Fiscal) were also keen to attend. It has
Consequently, fire investigation became sufdeveloped over the years, but quickly estabfused with many myths and legends which
lished its present format in which traditional
had no scientific justification.
lectures covering fire science and fire dynamics
Things began to change in the 1970s and Fire investigation requires teamwork.
as well as practical aspects of the fire investi80s after the Department of Fire Safety Engation process are interspersed with case studies
gineering was established at the University of Edinburgh. For the
selected to illustrate the application of the science to the practicalities
first time an academic discipline was developed that covered all asof scene investigation. Since 1990, delegates have had the opportupects of Fire Safety Engineering and drew together the relevant body
nity to take an examination on “Fire Science and Fire Investigation”
of knowledge that has come to be known as “Fire Science and Fire
immediately after the short course. This is approved by the InstituDynamics”. Between 1973 and 1985, a series of short courses on a
tion of Fire Engineers and is accepted as equivalent to Paper 8 of the
wide range of topics – from “Fire Behaviour of Combustible Matesuite of examinations required for membership of the Institution.
rials” to “Fire Risk Assessment” – was made available to interested
The Department of Fire Safety Engineering (as it was then) at the
parties outwith the University. These were designed to meet specific
University of Edinburgh was uniquely placed to deliver this course.
needs in industry as at that time there was no other mechanism for
The members of the department had created an academic curricudisseminating the knowledge base that was gradually developing out
The first task is to identify the area where the fire started.
18 brandposten #42 2010
Damage at high level can provide ambiguous information.
n
Facts about the author
Dougal Drysdale is Professor Emeritus (Fire Safety Engineering)
in the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. He
has been involved with fire research and fire safety engineering
education since joining the (then) Department of Fire Engineering
at Edinburgh University in 1974. He has over 100 publications
and is currently working on the third edition of the standard textbook “Introduction to Fire Dynamics”, due for publication in the
autumn of 2011. He was Chairman of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS) from 2002 – 2006 and until
recently (2009) was Editor of Fire Safety Journal (Elsevier).
He was awarded the Arthur B Guise Medal of the Society of
Fire Protection Engineers in 1995, the Kawagoe Medal of the
IAFSS in 2002, the Rasbash Medal of the Institution of Fire Engineers in 2005 and FORUM’s V Sjolin Award, also in 2005. He
has been involved as an expert witness in a number of high profile
Public Inquiries, including the King’s Cross Underground Station
fire (London 1987), the Piper Alpha explosion and fire (North
Sea, July 1988), the fire in the Garley Building (Hong Kong,
1996) and the Ladbroke Grove railway accident (1999). He was
a member of the Independent Board of Investigation into the Explosion and Fire at the Buncefield Oil Depot, Herts, which occurred on 11th December 2005.
Mobile equipment
for simulating
fires in tunnels
SP has developed equipment to simulate vehicle fires in
tunnels, intended for investigation of fire detection and ventilation systems.
Monitoring and
fire detection
equipment and systems are installed
in tunnels in order
to improve safety
against fire. Various strategies for
the control of ventilation systems in
the event of fire are
also developed. It
is important that
the performance of
such systems and
functions should be
checked before they One or two burners may be used, depending on
are taken into use. the type of fire to be represented.
In addition, tunnels
longer than 500 m
are required to perform regular inspection of their safety systems, at
least every sixth year. SP Fire Technology has developed a tunnel fire
simulator (TFS) in order to facilitate such inspections and to investigate the effects of various types of fires on safety systems.
The tunnel fire simulator produces fires equivalent to that of a
burning vehicle. Burning LPG, it can be controlled to mimic an output curve, i.e. varying the heat release rate as a function of time. The
simulator can, therefore, model a fire with a constant heat release
rate, follow some standardised fire curve or mimic the heat release
rate from an actual fire or a fire trial. This makes the equipment very
flexible. The maximum heat release rate is in the range 5-6 MW.
The simulator, which is mobile, is mounted on a trailer that can be
towed behind a car. It can be used for such purposes as testing detection systems or, by adding smoke, to check the performance of various types of ventilation systems.
PHOTO ANDERS LÖNNERMARK
lum for fire safety engineering in which Fire Science was a core component. The textbook “Introduction to Fire Dynamics”, which was
based on the Edinburgh fire science module and a course on Fire Dynamics taught at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the spring semester of 1982, was published in 1985 and has provided the basic scientific principles that fire investigators had previously lacked. It has
also been adopted as the standard text for Fire Safety Engineering
courses around the world.
The short course “Fire Science and Fire Investigation” owes its
success to the long-term commitment of a number of key individuals from the UK Fire Investigation community – all with extensive
practical experience in the field. These include Roger Ide (originally
with the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratories, and co-author
of “Principles of Fire Investigation”), Chris Foster (Dr J H Burgoyne
and Partners, London), Adair Lewis (once with the Metropolitan
Police Forensic Science Laboratories in London, now Chief Technical Officer with the Fire Protection Association) and Tom Tucker
(once Fire Research Station, now Consultant Fire Investigator). In
addition to members of the Fire Safety Engineering Group at Edinburgh (Dougal Drysdale, Jose Torero and Guillermo Rein), the team
is completed by Lesley Campbell (Electrical Engineering, Strathclyde
University (retired), now Consulting Engineer and Director of Clean
Air Commercial Ltd) and Tony Busuttil (Professor Emeritus, Forensic Medicine, University of Edinburgh).
We are now preparing for our Silver Jubilee. The course will be
run for the 25th time next year on March 28-31, 2011. Full details
will shortly be available on the website (http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/fire/
teaching.html). It will be a very special occasion.
Other application areas
Although the simulator has been developed primarily for applications
in testing tunnel safety systems, its flexibility means that it can also
be used in other applications. A typical example is that of checking
the performance of fire detection or ventilation systems in industrial
premises.
Further information on the equipment and its various applications
is available from Anders Lönnermark.
ANDERS LÖNNERMARK
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 91
brandposten #42 2010
19
SPs focus on battery and hybrid
systems
Karin Davidsson
[email protected]
+46 10 516 51 84
SP is focusing on creating a leading research and innovation environment for the design, assessment and application of
battery and hybrid systems through the establishment of its Battery and Hybrid Systems Centre of Expertise. This will
open the way for longterm work to establish strategic expertise in the sector and strengthen international activities.
There is a massive need, at both national and international levels,
for batteries and hybrid systems. This is a complicated field, which
requires a multidisciplinary approach, in which cooperation between
research and industry is imperative for success. SP’s strength lies in
experience of and collaboration with both the research world and
industry – SP provides the natural link between the two. As part of
this work, SP has employed Dr Karin Davidsson to lead this development. Karin has substantial experience from this sector and was
responsible, for example, for the hybrid electric systems venture at
Semcon Caran. Electrical safety, fire safety and EMC constitute SP’s
strengths within the sector. Indeed, SP already has a strong research
presence in the following areas, e.g.:
PHOTO MAGNUS BOBERT
There is considerable pressure on the automotive industry to produce alternative drivelines with less environmental impact. Demand,
from both consumers and regulators, is steadily increasing. Expertise
in the field of batteries and hybrid systems is increasingly important
to much needed technical development for the automotive industry.
Further, not only the traditional automotive industry producing cars,
commercial vehicles, buses and contractors’ machinery are employing this technology, but also electrically powered bicycles, mopeds,
handicap vehicles and so called “neighbourhood electric vehicles”
(i.e. slow electric vehicles) are using battery and hybrid technology.
Further, the demand for efficient and safe battery systems is also increasing in other applications, such as backup power systems, power
tools, domestic appliances and computers.
PHOTO INGVAR KARLSON
Fire testing lithium batteries in an enclosed area to protect against
explosion risks.
Short circuit testing of lithium batteries.
20 brandposten #42 2010
- connecting cells to form larger systems
- monitoring battery system charging
- battery system performance
- safety and reliability of battery systems.
SP has identified a need for national expertise first and foremost at
the system level, i.e. how battery systems are built up and incorporated into products. Development of technology in this field places particular contraints on safety and confidentiality, both natural elements
of all SP’s work activities. SP is now investing in further recruitment
of cuttingedge expertise in this sector and in augmenting its experimental resources to meet emerging needs.
Research and innovation are already being conducted jointly with
industry, universities, institutes of technology and other Swedish institutions. Several research projects on batteries and hybrid systems
have been started, and more are planned. Topics range from method
development, safety requirements and new application areas to investigating the need for future technologies.
n
New harmonised product
standards
The product standard for decorative wall coverings (EN
15102) has been published, and the transition period expires
on 1st January 2011. Product standards for technical insulation have also been published, with the transition time expiring
on 1st August 2012.
SP can perform all relevant tests, surveillance of factory production control and certification. SP is already notified for EN
15102, EN 14303 and EN 14304.
Marina C Andersson
+46 10 516 52 92
[email protected]
Fire toxicity – a reference work on
the toxicity of fire gases
PER BLOMQVIST
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 70
‘Fire toxicity’ is the first book to have been published in the last 15 years that provides an overall presentation
of the toxicity of fire gases. Several members of SP Fire Technology have contributed to the book, which can be
used either as a course book or as a reference book.
Toxic gases are the cause of many injuries and deaths in fires. Over
the years, a number of serious fires have occurred in Sweden, with
toxic gases having been the cause of a large number of deaths. No
one will have forgotten the Göteborg discotheque fire in 1998, in
which most of those killed were overcome by fire gases. Other serious incidents include the fire at the St Sigfrid hospital in Växjö and
the recent fire in an apartment building in Rinkeby.
Fire safety has traditionally concentrated on preventing ignition
and the spread of flame, with less attention being paid to investigation and understanding of the production of toxic gases and their effects. However, in recent years, interest in fire gas toxicity has increased, thus advancing research and the accumulation of knowledge.
Fire toxicity, which brings together and summarises the present state
of knowledge, is a result of this growing interest.
SP’s research has improved knowledge
Research carried out by SP Fire Technology has raised the level of
knowledge in this field. Over the last 20 years a combination of specialised knowledge in analytical chemistry and fire tests on various
scales has resulted in a number of research projects that have characterised the content of the gases from different types of fires. This extensive database of knowledge has previously been published in the
form of SP reports, conference papers and scientific articles. Much of
this material has now been brought together in the form of a chapter in Fire Toxicity, written by Per Blomqvist and Margaret Simonson
McNamee. It concentrates on analysis of fire gases from largescale
fire tests and reconstructions, describing methods of chemical analysis, measurements in standardised largescale tests of building materials, cables and maritime materials, together with measurements from
specially designed tests of buildings, vehicles and storages.
In many cases, knowledge of the effects of toxic fire gases is limited, based on data from earlier animal trials or human exposures to
low concentrations or in connection with accidents. As traditional
animal trials are now avoided, methods of investigation have shifted to in vitro methods, by which the biological/physiological effects
can be measured without harming living animals. Over the last few
years, SP Fire Technology’s Tommy Hertzberg has been working with
medical researchers to investigate how a heart/lung model could be
used to investigate the effects of exposure to fire gases. Together with
Per Blomqvist and Reza Nosratabadi, of Linköping University Hospital, Tommy has described the results of this work in a chapter in Fire
Toxicity.
A reference work
Fire Toxicity is very exhaustive and comprehensive, and will serve
for many years as a reference work in the field of fire toxicity. Ed-
The first reference book on fire toxicity.
ited by Anna Stec and Richard Hull from the University of Central
Lancashire, it consists of chapters written by experts in their respective fields. The hardcover book, of almost 700 pages, is divided up
into the following main groups: 1) Introduction to fire and the production of fire gases, 2) Harmful effects of fire effluence, 3) Biological assessment of fire toxicity, 4) Toxicity assessment using chemical
analysis, 5) National and international fire safety regulations, and 6)
Numerical simulation of fires and their hazards.
Fire Toxicity was published in March 2010 by Woodhead Publishing Limited (ISBN 978-1-84569-502-6).
n
brandposten #42 2010
21
BLIXT – a project on electric vehicles
ingvar karlson
[email protected]
+46 10 516 54 94
What happens to the battery of an electric vehicle in a crash? This is a question to which SP is looking for the answer as
part of the work of the Blixt project, which brings together several parties from the Swedish automotive industry.
The Blixt project can be described as a unique cooperation with dual aims: of facilitating and accelerating Swedish production of electric vehicles, and of providing new opportunities for Swedish subcontractors to do business. Saab Automobile, SP and the Innovatum Technology Park in Trollhättan are some of the participants. A first concrete result was exhibited at the annual multiparty political ‘festival’ in Almedalen on Gotland in the form of a prototype electric car based on a
converted Saab 9-3 cabriolet. The Swedish Energy Agency is financing the project within the framework of the National
Strategic Research and Innovation programme.
PHOTO MAGNUS BOBERT
Fewer resources required
The basic idea of the Blixt project is not to develop completely new
electric vehicles, but to take an existing on the market vehicle (in this
case a SAAB 93) and to replace its conventional combustion engine
with an electric motor and its associated batteries and driveline.
- The finesse of this is that it requires considerably less economic and technical resources than would developing a completely new
electric vehicle. A further benefit is that the Blixt car has a modern design which is attractive to many purchasers, says Lillemor Lindberg,
the project coordinator at Innovatum Technology Park.
Building test vehicles
Electroengine in Sweden, one of the Blixt participants, has developed a conversion kit for upgrading the driveline of existing vehicles
to pure electric vehicles. The underlying idea is that the project will
construct and analyse the performance of test vehicles, and also prepare material that can provide a basis for taking a decision on possible mass production. The first concrete product from the project are
demonstrator vehicles (Saab 93 cabriolets), which can be assessed
and provide information to guide further work.
PHOTO MAGNUS BOBERT
New types of risks
The safety risks associated with electric vehicles differ from those presented by conventional vehicles, and new test methods need to be
developed in order to meet safety requirements. The battery plays a
very important part in an electric vehicle: it must be capable of being
quickly and easily recharged, it must store sufficient energy to power
the vehicle for at least 7080 km and, if possible, it should not contain
Fire-testing a lithium battery.
any toxic or hazardous substances, or give rise to them. It must not
present any special risks if the vehicle crashes or is involved in other
incidents.
Virgin territory
According to Peter Leisner, head of SP’s Electronics Department, and
one of the Blixt project participants, the designers and developers are
heading into more or less virgin territory as far as investigations of
the risks associated with electric vehicle batteries are concerned. Not
much work has been done on this anywhere in the world, but the potential values to industry of new discoveries are very clear.
The lithium battery after a fire test.
22 brandposten #42 2010
- Better knowledge means that the vehicle manufacturers can more
easily develop safe and reliable electric vehicles, notes Peter Leisner.
Extensive battery knowledge
SP possesses extensive knowledge of batteries, which will be particularly suitable for the Blixt project. A range of tests has been carried
out on lithiumiron batteries, which are the commonest type of batteries used in electric vehicles, during the autumn of 2009, says Ingvar
Karlson, one of SP’s engineers.
A battery in an electric vehicle contains a very large amount of energy which must not escape if something unforeseen should happen.
Such batteries also operate at higher voltages than conventional batteries, up to 600 V, which also presents another safety risk.
Chemical risk assessments
Fire tests and crash tests have been carried out on the batteries in SP’s
laboratories. What particles and gases are emitted in the event of a
fire? How does a fire progress, and what are the risks of explosion?
What happens when a battery is hit by external forces in a collision?
These are some of the questions that have provided the bases for investigation. Batteries have also been subjected to shortcircuit tests to
investigate what happens if they are compressed in an accident.
- There are also chemical risks, and we’re investigating which
chemicals could present an environmental hazard, says Ingvar Karlson.
Your can read more about the BLIXT project on
its website http://www.innovatum.se/pages/default.
asp?ArticleID=8433&ArticleGroup_projekt=
n
Text: Staffan Ljung
The Blixt project
SEK 24 million budget
The total project budget for Blixt amounts to about SEK 24 million. The Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and the National Road
Administration are contributing about SEK 10 million, within the
framework of the Vehicle Strategy Research and Innovation programme (FFI).
Project participants
Innovatum Teknikpark – project holder
Electroengine in Sweden
Saab Automobile
ETC Battery and FuelCells Sweden
BEVI
SP
The project participants are also working with Power Circle.
hellodesign.eu
ARE YOU AWARE
OF THE RISCS?
Fires in vehicles are often dramatic and the time for action is limited. A fire in the
engine compartment is also very hard to get at with a hand portable. A properly designed
extinguishing system gives you fast and effective protection and limits the consequences of a fire. Dafo Brand is the market leader when it comes to vehicle
fire protection and our state of the art systems are designed to meet the most
demanding conditions. All our Forrex systems are of course approved according
to the Swedish Insurance Companies standards, SBF 127 and 128. Meet us at
FIVE, Fires In Vehicles, in Gothenburg the 29-30 September.
DAFO BRAnD AB l Vindkraftsv 8 l Box 683 l S-135 26 Tyresö l Sweden l Phone +46 8 506 405 00 l [email protected] l www.dafo.se
brandposten #42 2010
23
Seminar on lightweight constructions
at sea
TOMMY HERTZBERG
[email protected]
+46 10 516 50 46
In conjunction with the universities Chalmers and KTH and the research institutes SSPA and SWEREA, SP Fire Technology
organised a theme day in Borås on 18th May to present and discuss Swedish developments in the field of lightweight constructions at sea. One of the features of the day was a presentation of SP’s major investments in the development of expertise in this field. An audience of almost 60 participants heard presentations from shipowners, shipbuilders, scientists and
research funding organisations. One of the objectives of the day was to identify suitable R&D initiatives to encourage Swedish industrial growth in the sector.
Interest in new lightweight maritime and offshore structures is increasing, as was clearly shown by the attendance at the theme day, which
brought together almost 60 participants representing shipowners, scientists, subcontractors, public authorities and funding organisations.
The day was started by Tommy Hertzberg, of SP Fire Technology, who
emphasised the importance of working together and conducting dialogues in order to further research: a message that was repeated by several subsequent speakers.
The overriding objective of the day was to identify how best to use
available resources in order to help Swedish industry to expand. The
day was moderated by Professor Anders Ulfvarson. The following is a
brief report of the day.
signatures, impact resistance, electrical screening, low weight etc. had
pushed development forwards. According to Professor Burman, today’s
decisive factors for military development are:
History
The need for new materials was recognised over 50 years ago by KarlAxel Olsson (subsequently professor), which initiated research into
composites at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH. During the late
1980s, Professor Anders Ulfvarson at Chalmers attempted to introduce
the use of sandwich panels, but was unable to overcome resistance
based mainly on fire problems and the difficulty of complying with regulations. Even then, obstacles in the way of use of lightweight materials included:
Research and development
Professor Jonas Ringsberg, Chalmers, presented a method of calculation
for composites for use on civil vessels. The method has been designed
and used in several large research projects, including LÄSS (see BrandPosten No. 40) and BESST (see page 38).
Kurt Olofsson, from SWEREA-SICOMP, described new methods for
the production of lightweight structures, emphasising that greater use of
existing technologies, and further development of them, are essential if
Sweden is to be able to compete on an international level.
The beginning of the 1990s saw technical development work at the
Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, investigating the acoustic
properties of FRP sandwich panels and other materials. The results of
this work were subsequently applied, e.g. in Styrsöclass minesweepers.
Jan Hallander from SSPA described the acoustic and vibration problems of lightweight materials, while Niclas Dahlström (SSPA) described
the specific procurement and specification problems that arose when the
- inadequate knowledge (science)
- insufficient experience (technology)
- insufficient profitability (costs)
Future work requires a multidisciplinary optimisation of various parameters, such as cost, resistance to damage etc., and material properties,
such as weight, fire resistance etc., in order to improve designs.
PHOTO KOCKUMS
Professor Magnus Burman, of the Royal Institute of Technology, described how military requirements for nonmagnetic hulls, low radar
- cost efficiency
- fire resistance
- ballistic properties
- resistance to damage
Kockums’ new carbon fibre catamaran for use as a service tender for offshore wind power turbines.
24 brandposten #42 2010
Coastguard Agency permitted the use of composite materials in addition to aluminium in its new vessel, KBV 312.
New research platform
2010 saw the launch by SP of its new ‘New constructions at sea’ research platform. The platform can be seen as a development of earlier
and current research project At a time when greater attention is being
paid to the price of oil and to environmental aspects, a potential Swedish lightweight industry is well placed to expand in the maritime sector,
provided that resources can be coordinated and specific problems overcome. The objective of SP’s work is to support industrial development.
Tommy Hertzberg from SP Fire Technology presented the work of the
platform and described some of the projects with which it is working.
Industrial presentations
Kockums/Karlskrona shipbuilders are leaders in the field of the use of
lightweight materials for shipping, concentrated mainly on military
vessels but increasingly aiming at the civil market, where the company
sees a major growth potential. Johan Edvardsson from Kockums described how the company is working at the national, European and international levels to expand its activities and seek support and partners
for expansion in the lightweight field, both in terms of skills and of facilities. The company foresees substantial industrial growth potential,
although this could be retarded by a lack of national coordination, insufficient skills, lack of development of production systems and a lack
of interest from politicians and public authorities.
Henrik Hammarberg from Wallenius described highly optimised
roro vessels, of which the design has more or less reached the limits of development, in that there is little room left for improvement of
steelbased ships in terms of increased benefit or cost ratios. The use of
a new lightweight material would change conditions, particularly in
terms of the need for ballast.
Anders Lönnö from FMV has played an important part in development of the use of lightweight materials at Kockums, where he has
been (and is) one of the driving forces behind several military composite projects. Anders presented a historic review, and then described
several current problem areas associated with the use of lightweight
designs. One of his descriptions was of a possible future submarine
conning tower made from composite materials.
Henrik Nordhammar described STENA’s experience of lightweight
catamarans made from aluminium, and of planned and already operational composite designs. It was pointed out that approval from regulatory authorities was critical, as no SOLAS-classed vessel structures of
composite materials are as yet accepted.
Research financing
Anders Marén from VINNOVA described how there are several
sources of finance for transport/maritime research: the EU, the Swedish state, acting through various parties, and the maritime sector itself
(companies, sector organisations). The recent Government investigation, SOU 2010:27, suggested that the National Maritime Administration should be given responsibility for future coordination of maritime
research.
Further information
www.sp.se/sv/centres/sjofart/Sidor/default.aspx
www.lass.nu
n
www.FOGTEC-RAIL.com
www.FOGTEC-TUNNEL.com


brandposten #42 2010
25
Slow spread of fire in the
AutoStore® system MAGNUS ARVIDSON
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 90
Large-scale trials show that a fire in an AutoStore® store spreads only slowly, and that sprinklers provide good fire protection for stores of this type. In the last issue of BrandPosten, the AutoStore® system was described, a new concept for compact storage and rational storage and
handling of smaller items or products. The system has been developed by the Norwegian company, Jakob Hatteland Logistics AS. It
handles a given number of plastic storage crates in a three-dimensional system. The crates are stacked on top of each other in a framework of aluminium profiles. The top of the framework carries a system of tracks, on which battery-powered robots can move in the x
and y directions. The robots lift the crates to and from their storage
positions and to picking stations around the perimeter of the store. The crates are stacked directly on the floor, which means that the aluminium framework does not take their weight, but supports the robots operating on the track system on the top of the store. Large-scale fire tests of the system were carried out in order to investigate how quickly a fire might spread, and the fire spread properties of two different types of plastic crates, and to see whether it is
possible to suppress or control a fire by means of sprinklers.
PHOTO MAGNUS ARVIDSON
Very compact storage
Storage is based on stacking plastic crates on top of each other. The
horizontal distance between each stack is very small, amounting to
only a few centimetres. Two different types of plastic crates are used,
depending on the type of products to be stored. One type is manufactured from polypropylene (PP) with an admixture of graphite, to
produce an antistatic crate which is therefore suitable for the storage
of electronic components. The other type of crate is manufactured
from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and is used for storing other
types of products. There are several aspects to how a fire in the store might evolve. Plastics have a high energy content and, if the crates should melt,
Figure 1Loading crates into the aluminium profile framework prior to
the trial of HDPE crates. 26 brandposten #42 2010
would form a pool fire that could result in very rapid progress of the
fire. On the other hand, the compact storage means that there will be
only a limited flow of air to a fire. Questions have also been raised
concerning the suitability of sprinklers for controlling or suppressing
a fire.
Full-scale free-burning trials
The fire trials were carried out on a framework providing 5 by 6 columns of plastic crates, constructed beneath SP’s Industrial Calorimeter in order to permit measurement of the heat release rate. Each
column contained 16 crates, so that the total number of plastic crates
in each trial amounted to 480. The crates were filled with standardsized fire test commodity, consisting of plastic cups packed in corrugated cardboard cartons. Figure 1 shows the crates being loaded into
the framework. For the trials, the framework structure was mounted on a horizontal platform, the edges of which were made from square section steel
tubes. The area bounded by the tubes was filled with sand, which
was smoothed out and covered with plywood sheets. A small source
of ignition at floor level between two of the columns of crates initiated the fire.
Very slow fire growth
Initial growth of the fire was very slow. The ignition source ignited
the crates at floor level, after which more or less unburnt pyrolysis
gases flowed up through the gaps between the crates, to ignite on the
top of the stack. Continued spread of the fire was very slow, to the
extent that the fire went out on a number of occasions when testing
the HDPE crates, but then re-ignited. Figures 2 and 3 shows the fire at two different times. It was not
until after about 13 minutes that the heat release rate noticeably increased, with the thermal radiation from the flames at the top of the
stack being so high that the cardboard cartons in the upper crates
caught fire. At this stage, the fire had also spread horizontally from
the first gap to surrounding gaps. The slow initial progress of a fire
means that there should be plenty of time for detection, alarm and
possible manual fire-fighting measures. After this stage, however, the
progress of the fire is so rapid that sprinklers or some other fixed fireextinguishing system are necessary in order to control the fire. The fire was extinguished by activating a sprinkler above the stack,
at which time the heat release rate was between 8 MW and 10 MW. The water flow rate was over 400 liter/min, equivalent to a water discharge density of 45 mm/min. This flow was sufficient to suppress
the fire immediately.
Similar fire behaviour from both types of crates
Figure 4 shows the measured heat release rate as compared with the
standardised a • t² progress, which is often used when calculating the
behaviour of fires. The measurements show that, once the fire had properly started af-
PHOTO PER BODIN
PHOTO MAGNUS ARVIDSON
.
Figure 2 The fire in the HDPE crates 14 minutes after ignition Figure 3The fire in the HDPE crates 16 minutes after ignition, and just
before the fire was extinguished. ter about 13 minutes, the progress of the fire in the HDPE crates was
somewhat faster than that of a fire in the PP crates. This can be due
to the fact that the HDPE crates have a greater tendency to melt and
form a pool fire. After the trials, the crates in the central parts of the
store had melted together, with melted plastic on the floor beneath
the crates. After the HDPE test, the plywood floor was completely
undamaged, and a few of the crates had melted together.
Figure 4 Heat release rates from the PP crates (solid line) and the
HDPE crates (dotted line).
Sprinklers can be recommended
The results from the trials also show that a sprinkler system can be
used successfully to control or suppress a fire. There does not seem
to be any observable difference in the ease of extinguishing a fire in
the two types of crate materials. Note, however, that the sprinkler
was activated in these tests considerably later than would be the case
in a real installation. As a sprinkler is the simplest, most reliable and probably the least
expensive way of protecting a building containing an AutoStore®
system, the results of these trials are valuable. Work will continue in
order to find the most cost-effective solution. n
Ulf Wickström awarded fellow of SFPE
Ulf Wickström has made a tremendous career at Fire Technology since joining in 1979. His scientific work is internationally renowned. This has now been recognised by SFPE with the following motivation: As a graduate student,
he developed the computer code TASEF for calculating temperature in fire exposed concrete and steel structures.
He developed the “plate thermometer,” a measurement device that has been used to ensure uniform thermal insults in standard fire resistance tests world-wide. Wickström commands a reputation as a leading figure in the
fields of fire research and fire resistance testing.
SFPE is the professional society representing those practicing the field of fire protection engineering. The Society has over 4000 members in the United States and abroad, and over 60 regional chapters. SFPE Fellows represent a distinguished group of members who
have attained ”significant stature and accomplishment in engineering.” Congratulations to Ulf!
brandposten #42 2010
27
Guest contributor
Effectiveness of Shielding Vehicle
Hot Surfaces
The purpose of this paper is a discussion of post-collision vehicle fires
that are the result of engine compartment fluids (ECF’s) being expelled onto the hot surfaces of the engine compartment. The discussion will also address the effectiveness of shielding/guarding of the
hot surfaces of the engine compartment. The occurrence of post-collision engine compartment fires caused by the expelling of ECF’s in
crashes has been researched, investigated and tested for many years.
One of the areas lacking significant safety research is the testing of the
ECF’s on actual vehicles both shielded and un-shielded that may be
potential surfaces for auto ignition of the ECF’s. Research in the past
has been conducted using laboratory tests on a heated cylindrical/
tube or an apparatus such as that used in ASTM E 659 to determine
the auto ignition of ECF’s. Although prior testing has been listed as
representing a plausible real-world scenario in which a combustible liquid may come in contact with a hot engine surface, actual engine surfaces were generally not used in the testing. The testing conducted for this paper was on actual vehicles or vehicle components
at operating temperatures. The results of this testing of ECF’s spilled,
dripped and sprayed onto the vehicle exhaust systems and the effec-
Cam Cope
Auto Fire & Safety
Consultants
PHOTOS CAM COPE
John M. Stilson
Stilson Consulting
Automotive and Safety Consultant
The vehicle shown was equipped with thermocouples to determine the
temperature of the various hot surfaces of the engine compartment.
The vehicle was then operated at various highway speeds and loads
to determine highest temperatures, increase and decrease rates of
temperature. The various engine fluids were then poured on shielded
and unshielded manifolds, which was generally the hottest surface
in the engine compartment. The shielding of the hot manifold was
determined to be very effective in the elimination of fire.
tiveness of production and prototype heat shields in reducing or eliminating post collision impact engine compartment fires will be listed.
This paper will discuss the effectiveness of production and prototype
shielding to reduce or eliminate the risk of non-collision and post-collision engine compartment fires.
Various manifolds and shields currently installed on manifolds
were tested to show the results of the various manifold designs and
compositions as well as the various types of shields. The production
manifolds and shields were attached to a stand and heated to a
temperature of 750 degrees F, then the various fluids were sprayed or
poured onto the various surfaces. Full shields performed better than
partial shields and stainless manifolds performed better than cast
manifolds, for the reduction or elimination of fire.
28 brandposten #42 2010
Test Procedure
The testing of engine compartment fluids was conducted using various types and models of manifolds, both shielded and unshielded The
manifolds were mounted onto a wood stand where thermocouples
were attached to the “Y” of the manifold, which was determined to
be the hottest area of the manifold.
The motor oil was the exception in the testing because it was heated to 180°F prior to the application onto the manifold. This temperature was determined by putting thermocouples into the engine compartment to determine what the actual temperature of hot motor oil
was, then heating the oil on a hot plate to the same temperature.
The engine fluids were applied to the hot surface of the manifolds,
both mounted and on actual vehicles, by the pouring of 10 fluid oz
onto the hot surfaces.
The brake fluid was determined to be the most volatile of all the
fluids applied to the hot surfaces.
The temperature of the various shields, both original equipment
and production shields by AFSC, generally were in the area of 200
degrees F. None of the fluids within the engine compartment ignited
on the hot shields of the various manifolds tested.
The other engine fluids were tested at temperatures in the range of
90-100°F. The engine coolant and the Windshield water fluid did not
ignite in the testing of fluids on the mounted manifolds. The ignition
of engine compartment fuels on the manifolds did not occur in every
test. The failure to ignite appeared to be dependant upon the type of
surface for the manifold and the area where the fuels may collect.
The testing of stainless steal manifolds decreased the likelihood of
the ignition of engine fluids on hot surfaces. This appears to be related to the smooth surface that reduces the time and amount of fluid
that remains on the hot surface.
Tests were also conducted with the placement of polyethylene wiring harnesses in the area of the hot surface and in the area where the
fuels where poured, sprayed, or misted. The secondary fuel generally
ignited in these test where the polyethylene and nylon components
associated with the wiring harnesses. Wiring harnesses placed in the
vertical position burned faster than those on the horizontal position.
The research and testing that has been such an important part of
early fire scientists and the new technology should be evaluated and
published to increase safety and reduce vehicle fires.
Conclusions
1) As long as motor vehicles are produced using combustible liquid fuels, in the engine compartment the possible hazard of fires
will continue. The same goals recommended in the 1970’s are
still important today:
a) b) c) Limit combustible engine fluid spillage is the most vulnera
ble in terms of design, construction and placement in the
event of a crash.
Limit the contact of the fluids on potential hot surfaces.
Limit electrical ignition possibilities.
Steps listed above are not directly addressed in any existing or proposed federal regulations.
2)
Hot surfaces which include but are not limited to the exhaust
system, (hot manifolds) should be isolated or shielded from possible liquid combustible fluids in the engine compartment. Heat
shields for the manifolds were determined to be effective in reducing engine fires.
3)
Shielding of the hot manifold in other vehicles since the 1980’s
was determined to be effective in reducing engine fires. These
shields have been tested and determined to be affordable by various manufactures of these shields.
4)
Properly designed custom shield protecting hot surfaces within
the engine compartment and exhaust system, would eliminate
or reduce engine compartment fires due to combustible engine
fluids on hot surfaces.
5)
Metal shields tested reached temperatures in the range of 200
degrees F. The clearance between the shield and the manifold
were in the range of ½ inch to 1 inch.
6)
The theories and research associated with the shielding of hot
surfaces dates back to the 1970’s. Still today many vehicle manufacturers have not implemented shielding of the manifolds to
reduce engine compartment fires.
7)
The crash tests performed by AFSC also showed that the combustible engine fluids were generally mixed as a result of the violent release of multiple engine fluids in the engine compartment.
The hot surface ignition of automotive fluids tested by Coldwell
15 only tested pure unmixed fluids to determine ignition temperatures, which may not be relevant in real world accidents.
15,17.
8)
Mixtures of brake fluid, power steering fluid, and transmission fluid, with coolant reduced the ignition of the mixed fluids
on the hot manifolds. Testing remains to be done in regards to
the ignition of engine fluids on hot surfaces as a result of a real
world crash.
9)
The reduction of fires associated with engine fluids on hot surfaces may be accomplished generally by the following: (1) relocate the combustible engine fluids. (2) Shield the combustible
fluids from the hot surfaces. (3) Isolate the combustible fluid
from the hot surfaces. (4) Provide suppression /extinguishment
systems in the engine compartment. Fire retardant hood liners
or extinguishment systems that release with heat or impact.
10) The type of material, the shape and positioning that surfaces are
made with, truly makes a difference with regards to the ignition
factor.
11) Brake fluid was determined to be the most hazardous combustible fluid in the engine compartment. Containment reservoir is
plastic and weakly mounted on the master brake cylinder arm
above one of the hottest surfaces in the engine compartment.
Not isolated, electrical SCDS in the same area as the plastic reservoir. Voltage in the area of the brake fluid reservoir always
present, even in the engine off position. Polymer/Plastic insulation materials and electrical components within inches of the
brake fluid.
12) Crash testing of production vehicles should take place with real
batteries rather than “Dummy Batteries” and actual combustible engine fluids rather than testing with Stoddard fluid. Crash
testing without the vehicle in full operation provides little data
on engine compartment fires.
References
1. Thermophysical and Fire Properties of Engine Compartment
Fluids, Archibald Tewarson, FM Global, Fire Safety (SP-1939).
2. Hot Surface Ignition of Flammable and Combustible Liquids,
Scott Davis, Dylan Chavez, and Harri Kytomaa, Fire and Safety
2006 (SP-1990).
3. Dueweke J.J.; Contractor Small Car Safety Design. Recommendations; Automotive Safety Office; Ford Motor Company; February 20 1978.
4. Cope, C; Stilson, J. Effectiveness of Shielding ASME, 2009.
Author Contact
Cam Cope: [email protected]
Auto Fire & Safety Consultants
18500 Trails End Rd
Conroe, Texas. 77385
Office (281) 362-0930
Fax: (281) 362-1329
John Stilson:
[email protected]
Stilson Consulting
18544 Old Gages Lake Rd
Grayslake, IL 60030
Office (847) 223-3101
Fax (847) 223-3180
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brandposten #42 2010
29
A new method of risk assessment when
fighting tunnel fires
HAUKUR INGASON
[email protected]
+46 10 516 51 97
ANDERS LÖNNERMARK
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 91
PHOTO ANDERS BERGQVIST, STORSTOCKHOLMS BRANDFÖRSVAR
Fires in road tunnels can be very serious and difficult to fight. In addition to the necessary resources, there must also be
proper incident planning. SP has carried out an investigation into how best these problems can be solved. We suggest
a classification system that takes account of the time taken for the rescue services to reach the site, possible accident
scenarios, the type of tunnel and the traffic situation. This classification system can provide important assistance to road
authorities when holding discussions with fire and rescue services before the construction of a tunnel.
An exercise in the Southern Link tunnel in Stockholm.
Important safety aspect
The serious tunnel fires that have occurred in Europe have concentrated attention on the problems that the fire and rescue services face
when tackling fires in road tunnels. They need to be capable of adjusting their response to suit different conditions. Very little research
into this has been conducted to date, although it is widely accepted
that this is an important safety area, not just for the fire and rescue
services but also for tunnel users, tunnel operators and tunnel owners.
In our investigation we studied accidents that had occurred in road
tunnels. From this we could identify four accident scenarios, with the
choice depending on whether the fire had started in an individual vehicle, or as a consequence of a collision between vehicles. The risk of
a large, extensive fire is considerably greater if it is the result of a collision. The types of vehicles involved are also significant. For each
accident scenario, we have developed different potential heat release
rate curves. The reason for distinguishing between accident scenarios and fire scenarios is that there are several different parameters that
determine which fire scenario is the most likely. The scenarios will be
used as input data for assessing the risks and opportunities for tackling fires in the particular tunnel concerned. Tunnels in which there
is a substantial risk of a catastrophic fire require more comprehensive
countermeasures in order to reduce the risks of serious consequences.
30 brandposten #42 2010
This can be done both by taking steps to reduce the risks of an accident, or by limiting the consequences of a fire through appropriate
planning, tactics, resources or physical installations/services.
Four classes
We therefore suggested four classes of tunnels in order to assess the
risks associated with firefighting in road tunnels. The choice of class
depends on the type of traffic (large vehicles, types of loads, queue
formation), the type of tunnel (unidirectional or bidirectional traffic),
the physical equipment installed in the tunnel (sprinklers, ventilation),
the time taken for the fire and rescue services to reach the site, possible accident scenarios and fire scenarios. All these factors are considered in order to decide the class to which the tunnel belongs. The
lowest risk class presupposes that the fire and rescue services are capable of tackling all types of fires. Installation of a sprinkler system
can affect the class rating of the tunnel. Tunnel owners and fire and
rescue services can use the classification system in their discussions to
select appropriate physical safety systems and to make assessments
concerning the necessary response times and strategies.
One of the authors of SP Report 2010:10, Effective Firefighting Operations in Road Tunnels, Hak Kuen Kim, works for the fire
and rescue services in South Korea, but took part in SP’s work of the
study when working with SP as a guest researcher.
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SP research platform – new
constructions at sea
TOMMY HERTZBERG
[email protected]
+46 10 516 50 46
Environmental requirements and rising oil prices increase the pressure for more energyefficient transport. Water transport is recognised as having the least environmental impact, but with considerable potential for improvement. SP’s ‘New
constructions at sea’ research platform initiates, coordinates and supports work aimed at greater use of advanced lightweight materials and designs. We work closely with industry, public authorities, ship operators and classification societies. We also participate in the work by IMO (International Maritime Organisation).
Maritime transport today must meet increasingly strict requirements
in respect of ecological sustainability, while facing steeply rising costs
as a result of rising oil prices, and a demand for cleaner fuels, coupled
with environmental taxes. This, despite the fact that maritime transport is recognised as having the least environmental impact, which is
a contributory reason for the EU investing resources in increasing the
proportion of goods carried by water.
The use of new construction materials on ships has been permitted
for some years, provided that it can be demonstrated that they provide adequate safety levels. New and strong materials facilitate the
design of more weightefficient lightweight structures, thus increasing
a vessel’s cargocarrying capacity and reducing its fuel requirements.
Lighter structures also open the way to improved designs, such as
in increasing the stability of a vessel. Obviously, replacing deadweight
by revenue-earning cargo is highly interesting and many million Euros are being invested today in Europe in research and development
aimed at reducing the weight of vessels and also offshore structures.
The purpose of SP’s new platform ‘New constructions at Sea’ is to
support development towards more weightefficient designs. We do
this through the provision of tools and methods in the fields of fire
and risk analysis, mechanical testing, noise and vibration analysis,
materials analysis and design aids. We also provide methods for analysing the cost and environmental consequences of introducing new
design solutions at sea.
We work closely with other research institutes and scientists, complemented by a broad national and international network of contacts
with public authorities, industry and classification societies. We coordinate national research projects, with participants from a significant
proportion of the Swedish maritime industry, and also participate in
European maritime projects concentrating on new lightweight designs.
For further information
www.sp.se/sv/centres/sjofart/Sidor/default.aspx eller www.lass.nu.
n
HÅBECO
Fire- & Burglary Protection
HÅBECO has protected the property of companies, authorities and private citizens with our products for over 50 years.
With our wide product range, we can meet almost every need
when it comes to protection against fire an burglary.
Product News ! !
HÅBECO has developed a series of double door document
safes.These have been tested at SP in Borås and approved
according to NT Fire 017, 90P.
Dealers !
We are now looking for dealers in several European countries.
Please take a moment to see if our products can be interesting
for your business. Contact [email protected] for more information or visit our website www.habeco.com
HÅBECO Protection AB
Sjöhagsvägen 6
SE-724 66 Västerås, Sweden
Phone +46 (0)21-17 19 60
Fax: +46 (0)21-17 19 61
E-mail: [email protected]
HÅBECO document safes are tested at SP and
certified NT Fire 017, 90P.
www.habeco.com
ISO 9001
brandposten #42 2010
31
Revised standard on noncombustibility
INGRID WETTERLUND
[email protected]
+46 10 516 50 84
PER THURESON
[email protected]
+46 10 516 50 83
Subcommittee 1 of ISO TC92 (SC1, Fire initiation and growth), which develops standards for such functions as ignitability, spread of flame, heat release rate and smoke production, met in Berlin in April. The committee and its working groups
meet twice a year, with delegates usually attending from several European countries, from the USA and Canada in North
America, and from China, Korea, Japan and Australia in the eastern hemisphere.
Several standards approaching publication
Several standards that are important for the European classification
system have been revised and are approaching the publication stage,
or have recently been published. EN ISO 1182 (Noncombustibility), EN ISO 1716 (Determination of the heat of combustion) and EN
ISO 92391 (Firetesting of floor coverings) are all published, while EN
ISO 11925-2 (Ignitability) is on its way for publication by recently
having been circulated for FDIS voting.
Work in progress on updating several standards
Several standards will soon be sent out for DIS voting, including
Part 4 of ISO 5660 (The cone calorimeter). Part 4 is a new part of
ISO 5660, defining how to measure the heat release rate from products that are very reluctant to burn, i.e. which are classified as ‘nearly
noncombustible’.
Another standard that will be circulated for DIS voting during the
year is Part 3 of ISO 14934 (Secondary calibration of heat flux meters). This standard dates from 2006, and has now been revised:
new sections that describe a new holder for the heat flux meter, and
how calibration is to be performed using the new holder, have been
added. It will also be possible to perform secondary calibration in
the furnace used for primary calibration. Secondary calibration will
then be performed at three radiant flux levels, while primary calibration will be performed using ten flux levels.
Revision of Part 2 of ISO 14934 (Primary calibration of heat flux
meters) is also in progress, and has recently been circulated for CD
voting.
Work starts on previously published standards
It was agreed at the meeting to start a WI voting concerning revision
of ISO 5658-2 (Spread of flame), which is ISO’s version of the flame
spread test method in which the material is exposed to a thermal flux
of up to 50 kW/m² (used, for example, for testing materials for ships
and rail vehicles). ISO TR 3814 (Tests for measuring reaction to fire
of buildings materials) is also being sent out for WI voting. The purpose of revision is that the document will be able to be published as a
complete standard, instead of as a technical report.
Meeting affected by Iceland’s ash cloud
The SC1 meeting was held in the week after the large ash cloud from
Iceland had spread over Europe and caused problems for air traffic.
The meeting was preceded by intensive email correspondence, discussing whether the meeting should perhaps be postponed. However, as the cloud eventually drifted in a different direction, the meeting
was held, but with a reduced number of participants.
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32 brandposten #42 2010
Stages in the evolution of a standard
The voting procedure for ISO standards
• CD, Committee Draft, the first step for a standard. Technical comments permitted, handled by the subcommittee, 12
months after WI start (3 months allowed for voting).
• DIS, Draft International Standard, the penultimate stage,
with the document having its final appearance. Technical
comments permitted, handled by ISO in Geneva, 24 months
after WI start (5 months allowed for voting).
• FDIS, Final Draft International Standard, the final stage in
the voting procedure. Only editorial comments permitted,
technical comments ignored (2 months allowed for voting).
• IS, International Standard, published 36 months after the WI
start.
Further abbreviations used by ISO
• WI, Work Item (3 months allowed for voting).
• PWI, Preliminary Work Item, with the working party having
been instructed by the subcommittee to prepare a WI.
The end of type approval
A long list of building products, such as boards, reactive coatings
and rendering kits, included in systems for the fire protection of
parts of buildings, can no longer be type approved in terms of
their fire resistance properties. Instead, it is now CE-marking
that is required after the products have received a European technical approval (ETA). The same will apply for systems to prevent the passage of fire through penetration seals or joints after
1st October 2010, when the transition period expires.
– At present, CE-marking of products in Sweden is still voluntary. However, and particularly, companies looking to export
their products will be wise to start CE-marking them already.
Products can also be P-marked, which indicates compliance with
requirements drawn up in conjunction with the sectors concerned, says Per Adolfsson at SP Sitac, which also provides ETAs
and assistance with CE-marking.
brandposten #42 2010
33
Guest contributor
Hidden Side of Vehicle Safety – Firematic
Concerns of Hybrids & Electric Vehicles
Now while most incidents involving management of a motor vehicle involves a RTA or a medical emergency, a fire in vehicle today
is another story. In ALL vehicles today, be it conventional or alternative fueled drive train carries a significant fire load. Plastics, combustible alloys and components such as gas struts are present in every vehicle however hybrids and all electric vehicles carry even more
combustible alloys, composites and a very large high voltage battery
pack consisting of Nickel metal Hydride, NiCad or even Lith-Ion
battery cells. The combination of ALL these components creates a
difficult problem for the firefighter. These changes involve not only
tactical considerations on scene but even suppression agents to effectively mitigate such an incident. As time progresses, vehicles will
continue to change thus emergency responders need to keep their
collective fingers on the “pulse” of the technology on the street.
Vehicle fires are a common daily type of emergency however the
changes in vehicles especially over the past decade. Motive power has made dramatic changes. While simple application of water
is an acceptable methodology to extinguish such fires, hybrids and
electric vehicles require copious amounts of water to fully extinguish a fire in such a vehicle. Many times, this simple application
of water will exceed what is carried on the apparatus. One area we
truly need to revisit is the usage of foam or wetting agents to enhance the suppression properties of water. And even these agents
we need to explore some of the new technology out there. Class A
& B foam isn’t always the best solution. Other agents such as wetting agents as Cold Fire, Fireaide 2000 & FireIce Gel actually work
better on Class B & D fires especially if they a 3 dimensional. And
all the above agents are biodegradable, leave no residue on the road
surface and work well in pressurized water extinguishers as well as
tanks in conventional apparatus.
New tactics required
Besides suppression, our crews need to provide access to get a nozzle into areas to mitigate a 3 dimensional fire. Since most vehicle
fires begin in the engine compartment our crew will need to make
access through the vehicle’s hood (bonnet). However the conven-
Electric vehicles can put the fire crew at risk.
34 brandposten #42 2010
PHOTOS DAVID DALRYMPLE
DAVID DALRYMPLE
Roadway LLC & Education Chair
TERC-US
A passenger car on fire.
tional tactics to force hoods can but our crews at risk with hybrids
and electric vehicles. One of the tactics to gain some access is to drive
the spike of a haligan tool into the corner of the hood, twisting it
around and folding it rearwards. This presents a problem as the potential for high voltage components of the vehicle’s drive train being in or near those corners. Driving a spike into such a high voltage
component might present a shock hazard. Another popular tactic is
to utilize a rotary or recip saw and plunge cut into the hood to create
an “X” or some sort of space to get the nozzle again into the engine
compartment. This tactic presents a greater hazard to cut into high
voltage components or even the electric drive train itself. One option
that does present itself well is the use of a combi-tool to “tent” the
hood on each side basically in line with the vehicle’s front suspension.
This methodology allows the crews to “see” under the hood, potentially access the hood’s hinges to be cut or even use the combi-tool
tool to sever the vehicle’s front latching mechanism.
Bottom line however whenever possible is this: The best weapon the
emergency responder can wield today, following good current information on vehicles is power isolation. This is a two step process, first
step being to shut the vehicle off and securing the ignition key and
placing it in their apparatus. The second step would be locating the
primary 12v battery and disconnecting both the positive and negative
cables. While difficult for a fully involved vehicle fire this power isolation should be attempted whenever at possible.
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Guest contributor
Controlling Railcar Fire Hazards in
Tunnels and Underground Stations
JOHN CUTONILLI AND CRAIG BEYLER
Hughes Associates, IncTERC-US
[email protected] and [email protected]
There has been a long history of serious fires involving passenger
trains in tunnels and underground stations. These include the Daegu
subway fire and the Baku Metro fire in which hundreds were killed
and many more were injured. Fires in passenger rail cars pose a hazard to the occupants of the rail car as well as to the occupants of other cars, other trains, and underground stations. These threats can be
minimized through the use of properly designed fire safety systems.
There is a need to design passenger rail cars to provide sufficient escape time for car passengers and to limit smoke and heat exposure to
people in tunnels and underground stations. It is significant that the
Daegu and Baku disasters occurred in subway trains which are more
Spartan in their furnishings than commuter or intercity railcars.
New materials a concern
Rail transportation fire safety involves fire prevention, control of materials used in car construction, fire detection, smoke management
systems, egress systems, emergency management systems and sometimes fire suppression systems. One of the factors used to design these
safety systems is the fire growth rate and heat and smoke release rate
of the fire. Of course the materials and construction of the passenger
rail vehicles are central to the safety to the travelling public. There is a
general trend to replace metals with plastic composites and glass with
polycarbonate. These represent real concerns with new car designs
with respect to fire hazards.
Regulations exist for materials used in passenger rail cars, but the
testing requirements have no direct link to the hazards posed by the
materials and assemblies when used in actual passenger rail cars. Test
methods tend to be small scale material tests which bear no resemblance to how materials are used and burn in rail cars. As such, satisfying the existing regulatory test requirements provides no assurance of actual fire safety. The time to untenable conditions in the rail
car is unknown and the heat and smoke release rate histories of the
rail car fire are unknown. It is not possible to design a suitable smoke
management system for tunnels and underground stations without
an understanding of the heat and smoke generation rate histories for
passenger rail vehicles. Ironically, in some instances regulatory test requirements prevent the use of materials that would actually improve
vehicle fire performance.
Full scale fire tests is not an option
Determining fire growth and heat/smoke release rate involves knowledge of the material fire properties of the railcar materials, the initiating fire, and the ventilation conditions of the rail vehicle. The best
method for determining the heat release rate history for a rail car is to
physically test the railcar itself using various fire scenarios in multiple
full scale fire tests. This method has a number of limitations, including cost. A new railcar is a multimillion dollar piece of equipment.
Most situations will also require multiple tests that reflect different
situations, such as different ventilation conditions, different fire scenarios, or different materials in the cars. The size and configuration
of the railcar require unique fire test facilities that can conduct such
tests. Even if full scale testing is done, it needs to be guided by the
best available modelling methods to assure that the most important
fire scenarios are tested. Clearly, full scale testing, if done, needs to be
confirmatory rather than exploratory. Material selection needs to be
done with less costly and more insightful methodologies.
New modelling methodology developed
Hughes has developed a modelling methodology to provide insights
into rail vehicle fire growth and heat release rate under various conditions. The methodology involves a combination of computer fire
modelling and small-scale fire testing to determine the smoke and
heat release rate histories. The small scale testing used by the model
is performed with the cone calorimeter to generate needed inputs to
the computer fire models. This test method provides engineering outputs regarding ignition and burning of materials. Two computer fire
models are used to predict the heat and smoke generation during all
stages of the fire, which may include the early stages of a fire (preflashover), occurrence of flashover, fully-developed (post-flashover),
decay, and complete burnout. These computer models are be used to
evaluate the potential for fire spread to adjacent railcars in the train.
The models themselves have been published in the peer reviewed fire
science literature, have been validated by comparisons with available
data, and have been used for a number of rail systems in support of
emergency ventilation design.
Modelling needs to consider a range of conditions that can be expected in passenger rail cars. This includes the full range of potential
initiating fire sources and the range of ventilation/door configurations. Looking at the record of fire and explosion incidents involving
passenger rail trains, it is clear that both accidental and intentional
acts need to be considered. Modelling can determine what size and
type fire initiating sources are capable of fully involving a rail car and
the time required to fully involve the vehicle in fire. Material substitutions can be used to improve fire performance as may be indicated by
the modelling results.
With regard to ventilation, closed car forced ventilation is the primary condition for trains that are underway. In stations, open doors
on one or both sides need to be considered. In general, these open
door scenarios provide faster fire development. In all cases, failure of
windows are significant events in a railcar fire that strongly affect the
heat and smoke generation rates. Increased ventilation may increase
heat and smoke production or lower them, depending upon the ventilation areas involved and the fire properties of the railcar materials.
While there are many excellent materials being developed and
used, there is a general trend toward the use of more flammable materials within rail vehicles. Mere regulatory conformance is no guarantee of performance under fire conditions. The small scale testing
and modeling methodology provides a reasonable complement or alternative to full scale railcar testing. The value of this modeling comes
from the wide range of fire scenarios and ventilation conditions that
can be evaluated so that a suitably conservative design basis fire can
be selected. This modeling also has the ability to assess the contribution of new materials on car performance and to use the modeling in
the material selection process.
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brandposten #42 2010
35
Foam glass provides effective fire
protection in bunded areas
HENRY PERSSON
[email protected]
+46 10 516 51 98
Foam glass can provide very effective fire protection in bunded areas and corresponding areas in which there is a risk of
a spill fire flammable liquids. This was demonstrated very clearly by the fire tests that were carried out at a seminar arranged in Borås by SP Fire Technology on 25th March 2010.
The seminar was arranged within the framework of a project financed by the Swedish Fire Research Board, and attracted about 30
participants from industry, fire and rescue services, public authorities
etc.
conditions more difficult for firefighting personnel due to the higher heat flux levels. As a further complication, a fire in watersoluble
products is considerably more difficult to extinguish, which therefore
further increases the risk of escalation.
Serious consequences from spill fires
Handling and storage of flammable liquids involve a significant risk
of fire. Based on many years’ experience, the petrochemical industry
has developed appropriate fire protection methods and procedures,
with the result that the number of fire incidents today is relatively
low. However, incidents with spill do happen, which present a significant risk of ignition. If ignition does occur, it can quickly lead to a
major fire with serious consequences.
A spill fire almost instantly produces a very high heat exposure towards surrounding objects which, in turn, can result in further leaks
and spills, explosions and/or fully developed tank fires. Regulations
require that means for fire fighting must be provided, but in practice
there can be a significant delay before firefighting is started. In turn,
this presents a considerable risk that the fire will have already started
to escalate by the time that fire fighting personnel arrive, which further increases the need for firefighting, etc.
The progress of the fire, and the risk for escalation, depend to some
extent on the properties of the product concerned. Petrol, for example, has a high vapour pressure and a low flash point, and an open
spill very rapidly produces large quantities of flammable vapours,
presenting a significant risk of ignition. Products such as ethanol and
ethanol fuels can present an even more serious problem in the event
of a fire, as the gas mixture in a tank or system is often within the
flammable range, thus increasing the risk of an explosion in a tank
exposed to fire. If ignition occurs, ethanol can also produce a considerably higher heat flux than, for example, petrol, which in turn requires more cooling of nearby objects and at the same time makes
What is foam glass?
Foam glassis produced by adding a foaming agent to molten glass,
which decomposes to form a gas which in turn form bubbles to reduce the overall density. Applications for foam glass include insulation materials where, in addition to good thermal insulation properties, the material presents the benefit of being entirely inert, not
absorbing water and withstanding high temperatures. The offshore
industry provides a major application for this type of insulation. Another important application area is as a lightweight filling material
in such structures as building foundations and roads, where it can be
used as an alternative to expanded plastic and similar materials. In
this case, the foam glass is manufactured from recycled glass, to produce an end product similar to macadam, but with considerably lower density and better thermal insulation performance.
PHOTOS HÅKAN MODIN
The benefits of foam glass as fire protection
In the form of granules or cubes, foam glass can provide a very simple, cheap and reliable form of passive fire protection to minimise the
effects of a spill fire. A layer of foam glass can be applied in a bunded area where, in the event of a spill, it will float on top of the fuel
to produce a ‘solid foam layer’. This reduces the risk of fire in three
ways:
1. Evaporation from the fuel is considerably reduced, thus reducing
the risk of producing a flammable gas mixture.
2. If the fuel does ignite, the fire intensity is considerably less than if
the fuel was burning from an exposed surface, thus reducing the
thermal exposure towards neighbouring objects and so reducing
the risk of escalation.
The tests were performed in a 1.7 m² tray using heptane as fuel. The first test was free- burning, followed by a number of different tests with both
types of foam glass. The height of the flame was reduced from 57 m (left) down to very restricted low flames (right).
36 brandposten #42 2010
PHOTO HÅKAN MODIN
With the surface of the fuel protected by foam glass, the fire covered only part of the tray area (mainly along the rim), and the flame height was
reduced to just some few decimetres.
3. The reduced intensity of the fire provides more time for fire fighting, and also exposes the firefighters to considerably less thermal
radiation.
This gives several potential advantages in comparison with conventional means of fire protection:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A spill fire is automatically controlled already from ignition and
burns more slowly.
The foam glass does not reduce the volume of the bund to any
greater extent.
Rainwater can be drained away through existing systems.
The cost is probably very low in comparison with e.g., a fixed
water sprinkler system or a fixed foam system.
In principle, foam glass needs no maintenance.
Foam glass has good loadbearing capacity, which means that
personnel can still walk around in the bunded area, possibly after minor measures.
Foam glass withstands high temperatures, and probably does
not age.
Foam glass has closed cells, which prevents the absorption of
water or flammable liquids.
Foam glass has a low weight, and is easy to install and remove if
necessary.
The principle of reducing the intensity of a liquid fire by means of
some form of covering of the burning surface is not new. The most
common method is to use firefighting foam, which also extinguishes
fires of this type. Ordinary macadam has a fire suppression effect as
long as it covers the surface of the liquid (see BrandPosten No. 38,
2008). There are also various types of explosion protection systems
consisting of aluminium strips that can be used to cover the surface
of burning fuel and thus reduce the fire intensity.
The idea of using foam glass as a means of protecting against fire
was evaluated by Shell Research at the beginning of the 1980s, with
the aim of controlling spill fires of LNG. The results were very promising, reducing radiation levels by up to 95 %, but for some reason
most oil companies decided to use high expansion foam. However,
recently, a manufacturer of foam glass (Pittsburgh Corning) has developed a protection concept using foam glass, FOAMGLAS® PFS,
which has shown excellent results in fire tests.
Seminar with fire tests
The objective of the feasibility study and the seminar has been to increase awareness of foam glass and what it is, to demonstrate how it
can be used today and to show its potential for fire protection purposes. Peter Sundberg from the Glass Research Institute took part in
the seminar, describing the properties, manufacturing processes etc.
of foam glass. Öistein Lillelien from Pittsburgh Corning Scandinavia
(www.foamglass.com) described the product, FOAMGLAS® PFS,
and the tests that had been recently conducted in the USA on LNG
spills. Stefan Nordahl from Hasopor Hammar AB (www.hasopor.
com) which manufactures foam glass from recycled glass, described
the use of the material in lightweight fill applications. SP’s Henry
Persson, who is the project leader of the Swedish Fire Research Board
project, described the ideas and principles of the use of foam glass
for fire protection, and experience to date. The demonstrations that
were carried out in the fire laboratory gave the participants a feeling
for the fire protection potentials of the material, as shown in the photographs.
Questions requiring further investigation
The seminar was concluded with a discussion of interest in the potential application, and the need for further knowledge if foam glass is
to be used as an alternative for other methods of fire protection. The
conclusion from the discussions can be briefly summarised by saying
that all participants were convinced of the potential of the material to
reduce the intensity of a fire. However, a number of aspects require
further investigation before practical application. The most fundamental question from a design point of view is to determine the optimum thickness of the layer of foam glass. Other potential question
areas that were discussed included water absorption resulting from
long exposure outdoors, the need to package the expanded glass,
ageing properties, access to protected areas, the effect of low temperatures and other problems during the winter, the effect on the net
bunded volume, and to what extent the size and shape of the expanded glass particles could be changed to provide the best coverage of
the surface of a fuel. Hopefully, these questions can be investigated in
a continuation project.
The results of the feasibility study has been published in SP report
2010:40 (in Swedish).
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brandposten #42 2010
37
A breakthrough in European
shipbuilding
MICHAEL RAHM
[email protected]
+46 10 516 55 09
PHOTO MEYERWERFT
BESST is a project financed by the EU Seventh Framework programme, with the aim of assisting the competitiveness, environmental performance and safety of ships built by European shipyards. The main focus of the work is on passenger
vessels, ferries and ‘megayachts’. An important element of the work is to investigate the opportunities for replacing steel
by lighter structural materials in order to win benefits in terms of fuel consumption, cargo capacity, stability etc. SP Fire
Technology’s role in BESST is to ensure total fire safety despite the replacement of noncombustible construction materials (i.e. steel) with combustible composites.
BESST is investigating the possibilities of using lightweight materials in cruise ships.
European shipyards are being exposed to encroaching competition
from lowcost countries on an overestablished market. With added
pressure from the climate threat, and a generally increased awareness
of safety, this has resulted in pressure for improved passenger safety
and reduced environmental impact.
It was against this background that BESST was initiated by EuroYards, a group that represents several leading European shipyards,
with the aim of developing new vessels for which improved life cycle
performance (LCP) compensates for higher initial cost. The concept
of LCP covers primarily the factors of cost, environmental impact
and safety. The technical objectives of BESST can be summarised as:
• To develop methods and tools for appraising LCP that consider the
life cycle cost (LCC), environmental impact, safety and any specific
requirements from society or insurers.
• To develop innovative technical solutions for the most important
systems on a ship, and to combine these in such a manner as to
produce optimum benefit for the ship’s performance.
Benefits and challenges of lightweight materials
Investigations in earlier research projects have shown a considerable potential in replacing traditional steel structures with lightweight
composite designs. The resulting weight savings can improve stability,
improve payload and reduce fuel consumption.
There are many technical challenges in building vessels using light38 brandposten #42 2010
weight composite materials. What will be the effect on noise and vibration through the structure? How should metal and composite materials be joined together? Will only specialised shipyards be able to
carry out repairs on these ships?
Another important question is the effect of composite materials on
safety on board in the event of a fire. Current regulations permit the
use of flammable materials in loadbearing structures if it can be demonstrated that they provide the same safety levels as with traditional
design using steel. SP Fire Technology’s contribution to BESST is to
show that design proposals based on the use of lightweight materials
meet this requirement for equivalent safety.
Some facts on BESST (Breakthrough in European Ship and Shipbuilding Technologies)
Financed by the EU Seventh Framework programme and participating partners
Budget about EUR 30 millions
65 Partners
Project start: 2009-09-01
Project conclusion: 2013-02-28
www.besst.it
n
SP meets
Indian vehicle
manufacturers
Fire extinguisher with water mist
for engine rooms and enclosed
compartments
PHOTO FREDRIK ROSÉN
A workshop, on the theme of fire risks in vehicles, was held on 26th27th May in India, and attracted 150 participants from SP, ARAI (the
Automotive Research Association of India) and Indian manufacturers
of vehicles and components. India has an enormous fleet of buses, in
a wide range of conditions, which are involved in a large number of
incidents each year. The most recent of these, at the end of May, saw
30 persons die in a bus fire in southern India.
- There is a great demand in India for knowhow on how to improve the fire safety of vehicles, says SP Fire Technology’s Fredrik
Rosén. We would like to be able to contribute with our specialised
knowledge and experience in areas such as risk assessment and fire
tests of components and entire vehicles. We also offer our expertise
in the field of vehicle electrical systems, such as for electric and hybrid
vehicles.
- Cooling and suffocating water mist
- Environment friendly and rapid
extinguishing
- Minimal cleaning after fire
- Corrosion protected for rugged
environment
- 35.000 systems installed
Over 150 participants attended the workshop.
Fredrik Rosén also hopes that Swedish manufacturers of automotive components can benefit from SP’s visit to India. The Indian automotive industry is growing at a remarkable rate, providing export
opportunities for Swedish companies.
11 million vehicles in 2009
The automotive industry in India has grown substantially in recent
years, selling over 11 million vehicles in 2009. The value of the Indian automotive industry has been estimated as amounting to over
USD 28 000 million, and has been growing at an annual rate of over
16 % in recent years. Source: Automotive Sweden.
You can read more about ARAI at www.araiindia.com
Visit us at FIRES IN VEHICLES
in Gothenburg 29-30th of September
www.fogmaker.com
FREDRIK ROSÉN
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 86
brandposten #42 2010
39
Fire investigations – a challenge
accepted by Volvo Buses .....
Jan Andersson Jan-Olov Åkersten
In terms of accidents per passengerkilometre, buses provide the safest form of road travel. Everyone in the bus industry recognises the importance of ensuring that this remains so. One of the more important aspects of this safety work is
constantly to improve the fire safety of buses. A bus fire always presents a risk of death or injury of passengers and, even
though such cases may be rare, they can result in psychological injury to those involved. This applies, too, for the rescue
services personnel and for fire investigators.
What caused the fire?
Considerably simplified, the results of a fire can be divided into three
main areas – death or injury to persons, material damage, and loss
of confidence in the safety of bus travel. Even though a fire may not
result in any physical harm or injury to the driver or passengers, it is
important to understand what caused it. Without such knowledge, it
is not possible to prevent the fire from happening again. This is why,
back in the 1970s, Volvo Buses started to investigate fires, with which
work the company has continued ever since. The owner of the vehicles, or the driver, seldom know what caused a fire. The fire and res-
cue services often arrive too
late in the progress of a fire to
be able to say how it started.
Local independent fire investigators often have only a very
limited knowledge of fires in
vehicles in general, and knowledge of buses in particular. An
inadequate investigation into
the cause of a fire is often of
more of a hindrance than help.
Thorough knowledge of the
types of vehicles involved, together with knowledge of fire
risks and fire development, are
necessary for a worthwhile investigatory result.
Fire investigation by Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses has investigated fires and their causes since 1973. Since
the start, this function has been a central operation of Volvo Buses in
Göteborg, but the work has also always been global. For the company, it is immaterial whether the fire to be investigated occurred
in Borås in Sweden or in Hong Kong. If the reason for it is unclear,
and if something new can be learnt from the fire, Volvo Buses will be
there to carry out an investigation at site. The company’s chief fire investigator is Jan Andersson, originally a vehicle electrician, and who
40 brandposten #42 2010
PHOTOS VOLVO BUSSAR
Guest contributor
Pictures from investigations of bus fires in Spain, Denmark and Sweden.
nated by Jan-Olov Åkersten, originally a technician, and who has
worked for the company for over 25 years.
The Volvo 9700 - voted Bus of the Year in 2008.
has worked for Volvo Buses for over 40 years, with involvement in
fire investigations since the start.
When and how often does Volvo Buses investigate the causes of fires?
Today, Volvo Buses operates a global reporting system. All incidents
(whether fires or traffic accidents) are reported via a standard form in
order to ensure the quality of the content of the report. Reports are
sent via email to Göteborg, and the company decides within three
days whether to participate in the investigation. In total, the company
participates in 2025 investigations per year.
Investigations influence product development
Associated with the work of Volvo Buses fire and accident investigations are a product safety committee. If an investigation finds something that Volvo Buses could change in order to prevent an incident
being repeated, it is submitted to the safety committee, which then
decides whether the modification should be introduced to new vehicles or even to those already delivered. This committee is co-ordi-
Have the insurance companies a part to play in preventing
fires?
Another driving force behind the search for reasons for bus fires is
provided by the insurance companies. Twenty years ago, most buses were insured against fire, and the insurance companies paid for
the cost of fire claims. The bus operators were satisfied with the situation, without knowing the exact cause of a fire. At that time, the
number of fires was such that the insurance companies’ payouts were
within a reasonable level. There was no particular concentration on
the actual causes of fires, but then something happened. The number
of fires in engine compartments rose, costs rose and insurance premiums rose which, in turn, resulted in fewer buses actually being insured against fire. Statistics showed that all manufacturers were suffering, with much indicating that the reasons were probably due to
increased fuel pressures in combination with more acoustic insulation of bus engines in order to meet new environmental requirements.
Another cause was probably to be found in reduced maintenance of
the vehicles as a consequence of privatisation and the greater price
competition between bus companies when applying for new routes
or services. This brought the real reason for the fires more into focus,
and thus also the question of who was to pay. A real turning point
in this trend towards an increasing number of engine compartment
fires came with the widespread use of fixed installed fireextinguishing
systems in bus engine compartments. Volvo Buses’ experience is that
such systems are the single most effective measure that a busowner
can apply. Since 2004, the insurance companies have required such
systems to be installed, since when no total fires starting in the engine
compartment have occurred.
Volvo Buses accident investigation commission
Jan Andersson and Jan-Olov Åkersten work closely together, and are
the key persons in Volvo Buses’ accident investigation commission. In
order to prevent a fire from occurring again, there is a constant feedback of results from all fire investigations. All incident reports and investigation results are saved by the accident investigation commission
and are available for the company’s project managers and product
developers in what is known as a knowledge bank. The company’s
internal objective is constantly to improve fire safety in those areas that the company can influence, as well as in areas for which the
company is not responsible, through information to i.e. independent
body builders. Cooperation with SP, other bus manufacturers, insurance companies and legislators naturally also contribute to the company foreseeing longterm and common improvements for fire protection in all buses within the next decade.
n
brandposten #42 2010
41
Large scale use New employees at
SP Fire Technology
of fuel pellets
PHOTO INGVAR HANSSON, MSB
PHOTO ERIKA HJELM
SP Fire Technology is participating in a major Danish research project (Large scale Utilisation of Biopellets for Energy Applications, LUBA) to investigate the risks of spontaneous ignition and emissions of toxic gases in connection
with bulk storage of fuel pellets.
Mattias Arnqvist, Hans Olsen, Kaisa Kaukoranta and Jonatan
Hugosson.
Pellets can be stored in silos or as in the picture, in heaps on the
ground.
The demand for renewable energy is increasing, in Denmark as in
other countries. Present consumption of biomass pellets per year in
Denmark amounts to about 500 000 tonnes, with this figure expected to quadruple over the next few years. This increase in demand,
together with an actual fall in production of pellets in Denmark,
means that the country will have to import about 90 % of its pellets
from all over the world. Such importation, together with the associated increased handling of pellets, means in turn that there will be a
greater demand for safe largescale storage of pellets.
Storage of biomass can present the risk of toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, being formed and emitted to the environment. There
is also a risk of spontaneous temperature rise in the store, and thus
associated energy losses and, in the worst cases, with spontaneous ignition. It can be seen that there are both health risks and economic
consequences. The objective of the LUBA project is to investigate
which properties of biomass pellets influence the risk of emissions
of toxic gases and spontaneous temperature rises, and by how much
these characteristics can vary from one type of pellet to another. The
project involves development of several methods of experiment and
analysis in order to be able to investigate all the parameters concerned. An important part of the work is also to develop methods of
being able to take samples of materials in a representative manner.
The threeyear project brings together the Danish Technology Institute (DTI), SP Fire Technology, the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology (DBI), DONG Energy, Vattenfall, Verdo
and the University of Aalborg at its Esbjerg campus.
ANDERS LÖNNERMARK
[email protected]
+46 10 516 56 91
42 brandposten #42 2010
Mattias Arnqvist
Has been working with SP Fire Technology since April as a technical
officer in the Fire Dynamics section. He joined SP directly from the
fire engineering course at Lund University, and has now just finished
his final qualification project, dealing with evacuation hoists. He
spends his spare time with his girl friend, family and friends, as well
as on exercise and cooking
Hans Olsen
Employed since January 2010 as a technical officer in the Fire Resistance section. He was previously employed by the armed forces as a
marine engineer, and has spent the last twelve years working on thermodynamic testing at Volvo Cars. He is trained as a Naval Marine
Engineer, and as a graduate mechanical engineer with Chalmers.
Kaisa Kaukoranta
Kaisa started her work with us in April 2010, taking over from BrittMari Strömbäck after the latter’s retirement as administrator in the
Fire Dynamics section. She has previously worked as an aftermarket coordinator with a company manufacturing industrial furnaces.
Likes most things, but is particularly interested in sport and music.
Jonatan Hugosson
Jonatan has been working with us since February 2010 as a research engineer in the Fire Dynamics section, concentrating on
the field of fires and risks in underground facilities. This is part
of the overall work of knowledge development in SP’s tunnel
working area. Jonatan is a graduate engineer in technical physics
and electrical technology from Linköping Institute of Technology. Before joining SP, he worked for the last two years for CERN
in Geneva, on its central version management. Spends his non
working time on Italian cooking, gardening and culture.
The service of SP Fire Technology is expanding nationally and internationally. Commissions from industry are increasing as well as our
research activities. The department already employs about 60 persons but we need to grow to about 70 shortly. As a concequence we
plan to build new offices and new laboratories in order to be able to
meet our customers’ requirements and interests.
We are working in a global market. International activities are approaching 50 % of our turnover. We therefore need to recruit skilled
staff; technical officers, engineers and scientists. If you are interested
in a challenging and inspiring job, please visit our website www.sp.se.
PHOTO ERIKA HJELM
Are you interested in a challenging job?
Björn Sundström
Tel +46 10 516 50 86
[email protected]
“I enjoy working for SP as it’s a
creative, friendly and inspiring
environment that gives high priority to individual development
and knowledge.”
Jonatan Hugosson
Ph.D. student
New SP reports
Michael Försth and Arne Roos
On the importance of spectrally resolved absorptivity data in
fire technology (SP Report No. 2009:48)
The absorptivity of a surface is a measure of how much of the incoming radiation that can be absorbed. Radiation in fires is a significant component of the transport of heat from a burning object to another that has not, as yet, been ignited. This project has investigated
the absorptivity of several different products. It has been a common
assumption that the absorptivity of a material increases when the
material starts to carbonise due to heating. The background to this
assumption is that the surface becomes darker, i.e. it absorbs more
visible light. However, this project found that the absorptivity often actually decreases as a material is exposed to heat and starts to
carbonise. This is because the energy in the radiation from a fire is
concentrated to the infra red (IR) range. While the absorptivity of a
surface or visible light increases as the surface carbonises, it actually
decreases for IR light. This conclusion could be drawn because the
absorptivity was measured as a function of wavelength. The report
gives suggestions for how the absorptivity of surfaces, and thus their
rate of temperature rise in the event of a fire, can be reduced for surface coverings in buildings.
Funding: Swedish Fire and Research Board
Haukur Ingason, Håkan Frantzich, Suzanne de Laval and Lisa
Daram
Funktionsbaserad design för tunnlar med avseende på säkerhet - Förstudie (=Performance based design for tunnels
with respect to safety – A feasibility study) (SP Report No.
2009:51)
This report describes the present level of knowledge for functionbased design of tunnels with respect to their safety during normal use
and during fires. The report is a feasibility study prior to the investigation of more extensive modifications of the conditions governing
the determination of design factors and capacities for tunnel safety.
The work has shown that closer links between methods of risk analysis and performance specifications at the detail level are desirable for
future regulations. Only in Swedish.
Funding: National Road Administration
Hak Kuen Kim, Anders Lönnermark and Haukur Ingason
Effective Fire-fighting Operations in Road Tunnels (SP Report
No. 2010:10)
This report describes a method of assessing the risks associated with
firefighting in road tunnels. A classification system has been developed, allowing for the response time of the rescue services, the type
of accident, the type of tunnel and the traffic situation. This classification system can provide valuable assistance to road authorities in
discussions with fire and rescue services before construction of a tunnel.
Funding: SP. See article on page 30 of this issue of BrandPosten.
Haukur Ingason and Ying Zhen Li
Model-scale Tunnel Fire Tests – Point extraction ventilation
(SP Report No. 2010:03)
This report describes 1:23 modelscale trials investigating the efficiency of mechanical point extraction in tunnels. Systems with one extraction point only, and with one extraction point on each side of the
fire, were investigated. The results showed that such extraction systems can be very effective in controlling the spread of fire and smoke
from very large fires in tunnels. Design models for calculating temperatures, backlayering, radiation and flame lengths are presented.
Funding: Swedish Fire Research Board.
All reports can be downloaded from www.sp.se (”Publications”
tab).
brandposten #42 2010
43
Sender
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Fire Technology
P O Box 857
SE-501 15 BORÅS, Sweden
Next issue
February 2011
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