Toxic Gas Emissions from a Timber-Pallet-Stack Fire in a Full-Scale Compartment

A stack of wooden pallets was burnt in a 41 m3 room with air supplied via the door connected to a 3.5 m-long corridor, the only air supply path to the room. Combustion emissions were sampled from within the fire room and analysed using a heated Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analyser, via a heated sampling system. Development of the fire was also captured photographically and presented here with associated measured fire characteristics. Detailed full-scale compartment fire characteristic measurements are provided including source fuel composition, temperature gradient at different locations, mass loss rate, heat release rate, calculated equivalence ratio and measured toxic emission yields. Yield measurements are presented as a function of the equivalence ratio. These measurements are useful for fire investigation and fire modelling purposes. Carbon monoxide yields approaching 0.3 g/g were much higher than those currently recommended for fire modelling. Acrolein and total hydrocarbon yields were in good agreement with other tests in the literature.