THE BEHAVIOR OF A FIRE-PROTECTION FOAM EXPOSED TO RADIANT HEATING

A one-dimensional, steady-state model is developed which predicts the behavior of a fire-protection foam exposed to radiant heating. Foam ev aporation rate, energy balance, and temperature distribution within th e foam are calculated for a given radiant heat input and foam expansio n ratio. Results indicate that the energy balance is dominated by heat absorption and evaporation, The model is compared to experimental dat a from foam samples exposed to heat input from gas-fired panels. Measu red and calculated temperature profiles are in good agreement. Dimensi onless results remove the dependence on heating rate and collapse the temperature gradient in the bulk of the foam layer to a single value. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.