Experimental investigation of small-scale CS2 (carbon disulphide) pool fires

Abstract

This work reports the characteristics of CS2 pool fires such as Mass Burning Rate (MBR), flame length, flame temperature, concentration of combustion products (CO2 and SO2) measured for two pool diameters (d =0.05 m and 0.1 m) in the laboratory scale test setup and with well calibrated instruments. Measurements indicate that the MBR of CS2 pool fires (d ≤ 0.1 m) is governed mainly by conduction and convection like hydrocarbons and decrease with an increase in diameter. For d =0.05 m the MBR of CS2 pool fires are 1.5 times higher than gasoline. Due to convection, at d =0.1 m, the MBR of CS2 pool fire was similar to gasoline but 1.5 times higher than diesel and ethanol. Depending on the background CS2 flames are invisible (in daylight) and whitish blue (in dark environment) having shorter flames with negligible thermal radiation in comparison to diesel, gasoline and ethanol. Emission measurements revealed that even for a very short duration (60–120 s) burning of CS2 pool fire produced higher concentration (>200 ppm) of SO2 as prescribed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for Immediate Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH). A correlation among pool diameter, time of burning and concentration of SO2 is developed, which can be used to assess the fire risks associated with the processing, storage and transportation of CS2. © 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers