Characterisation of sparklers and bengal flames using the fire propagation apparatus

Ruddy Branka (1) , Guy Marlair (1) , Jean-Pierre Bertrand (1) , Hubert Biteau (1)

1 INERIS - Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques

Understanding the decomposition mechanism of fireworks is essential to improve the safety related to their storage (CHAF project). A study has been carried out on sparklers and Bengal flames to identify the nature of the combustion gases produced and investigate the potency of toxic emissions. Tests have been realised using the Fire Propagation Apparatus (FPA). It has become a widely used device for materials characterisation in fire research. It allows to directly measure the CO2, CO, NOx and THC productions. The emission of soot, the concentrations of HCl, SO2 and HCN can also been obtained. From the experiments, it appears that the major gases produced were CO2, CO and SO2. Pyrotechnics also present the peculiarity to carry an oxidiser and do not require O2 from the air to burn. To explore this specificity, combustion experiments have been carried out in air as well as in nitrogen atmosphere. Results have been compared to underline the variations in the production of combustion gases depending on the reacting atmosphere. Under N2 atmosphere, it emerges that the emission of CO2 decreases while the CO increases. In the future, other tests will be realised coupling FPA and FTIR to better characterise the emission of toxics.

Mots clés: FIRE PROPAGATION APPARTUS; SPARKLERS; BENGAL FLAME

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Ruddy Branka, Guy Marlair, Jean-Pierre Bertrand, Hubert Biteau. Characterisation of sparklers and bengal flames using the fire propagation apparatus. 11. International Symposium on Fireworks, Apr 2009, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. pp.29-40. ⟨ineris-00973336⟩