Citation

Prado G, Jagoda J, Lahaye J. Fire Safety J. 1978; 1(4-5): 229-235.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1978, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Smoke formation in the combustion of polymeric materials is discussed in the context of the general field of carbon formation during pyrolysis and combustion of hydrocarbons. During the combustion of polymers, heat transfered from the flame to the solid causes degradation of the material at its surface into a complex gas mixture containing hydrocarbons. As these vapours approach regions of higher temperature near the flame, they give rise to carbon nuclei which ultimately form soot particles (principal constituent of smoke). Two limiting cases are discussed: (i) thermal decomposition of a fraction of the hydrocarbons before the flame front; (ii) incomplete combustion of the hydrocarbons in the flame front. In the first case, one may expect high mass concentration of particles of relatively large diameter (100 nm). Nucleation in the flame front, on the other hand, will result in a large number of small particles (25 nm), with a lower mass concentration. The actual process responsible for soot formation in polymer combustion is not yet well known, and more information is needed.