Combustion efficiency analysis and thermal radiation risk quantification for spill fire in sealed ship cabin

In this study, the authors conducted a series of one-dimensional spill fire experiments in a sealed model-scale ship cabin with different leakage rates to reveal the combustion characteristics. The results showed that a stable combustion stage with a consistent combustion area and flame height appears around the cut-off of the fuel, where the consumption of oxygen increases when the leakage rate increases. And the CO₂ concentration increases more rapidly and the upward trend is found to appear earlier. Compared with the film thickness in the open space, that of the spill fire in the sealed ship cabin is slightly thinner because of the ventilation control effect. Using the “oxygen-consumption” method, the η of this stage was calculated and verified with the “mass loss rate” method. With these two methods, the HRR of spill fie when burning steadily is calculated. This work also improved the predicting model for the flame height of rectangular pool fire and developed a predicting model for the flame height of a steadily burning spill fire. The error is 14.35 %. Additionally, a predictive model of thermal radiation risk in ship spill fire is developed, and the death risk and unacceptable risk areas are delimited.