Enclosure Environment Characterization Testing for the Base Line Validation of Computer Fire Simulation Codes (NUREG/CR-4681,SAND86-1296)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: March 1987
Date Published: March 1987

Prepared by:
Steven P. Nowlen
Sandia National Laboratories
P.O. Box 5800
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185
Operated by Sandia Corporation
for the U.S. Department of Energy
Under Contract No. DE-AC04-76DP00789

Prepared for:
Electrical Engineering Branch
Division of Engineering Technology
Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

Under Memorandum of Understanding DOE 40-550-75

NRC FIN A-1010

Availability Notice

Abstract

This report describes a series of fire tests conducted under the direction of Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The primary purpose of these tests was to provide data against which to validate computer fire environment simulation models to be used in the analysis of nuclear power plant enclosure fire situations. Examples of the data gathered during three of the tests are presented. though the primary objective of this report is to provide a timely description of the test effort itself.

These tests were conducted in an enclosure measuring 60x40x20 feet constructed at the Factory Mutual Research Corporation fire test facility in Rhode Island. All of the tests utilized forced ventilation conditions. The ventilation system was designed to simulate typical nuclear power plant installation practices and ventilation rates.

A total of 22 tests using simple gas burner, heptane pool, methanol pool, and PMMA solid fires was conducted. Four of these tests were conducted with a full-scale control room mockup in place. Parameters varied during testing were fire intensity, enclosure ventilation rate, and fire location.

Data gathered included air temperatures, air velocities, radiative and convective heat flux levels, optical smoke densities, inner and outer enclosure surface temperatures, enclosure surface heat flux levels, and gas concentrations within the enclosure in the exhaust stream.