Emulation of condensed fuel flames with gaseous fuels supplied through a porous copper calorimeter

Summary The burning rate emulator (BRE) is a burner that emulates condensed fuel flames using gaseous fuel/inert mixtures by matching four properties: the heat of combustion; the heat of gasification; the laminar smoke point; and the surface temperature. Matching the heat of gasification requires measuring the burner heat flux, for which the BRE has embedded heat flux gauges and a copper top‐plate calorimeter. Seven condensed fuels were emulated: acetone, ethanol, methanol, polyethylene, polymethylmethacrylate, polypropylene, and polystyrene. The gaseous fuels were methane, ethylene, and propylene, diluted with nitrogen. Emulation data and flame images are shown to demonstrate emulation accuracy. A new method of emulation is developed that shifts the focus on which properties are prioritized and yields ~15% improvement in flame height. Calibration and use of the calorimeter are shown to have improved accuracy (within 5%) which provides confidence in the results.