The impact of equivalence ratio on the fire characteristics of Kerosene/air flame produced by NexGen burner for aeronautic application

This paper provides an experimental investigation of a Kerosene/air flame (produced by the NexGen burner designed by the FAA, and here calibrated for ISO 2685/AC20-135 standards fire tests conditions), which is used to generate flame/burnt gases impinging on material samples in the field of fire safety. The purpose of this study is to characterize this burner, and experimental means are implemented to better understand the effects of the equivalence ratio on the spatial distribution of the gas temperature (thermocouples) and the heat flux (heat flux gauge). A parametric study was carried out by varying the global equivalence ratio (ER); highlighting a flickering phenomenon, a relation between the ER and the heat flux, and determining empirical correlations. Hence, the measured flame temperature, heat flux, and heat release rate increase up to a critical value of equivalence ratio equal to 1.03 (flame temperature (1101.5 °C) and heat flux (140 kW/m2).