Microscale Fire Calorimeter for Combustion and Toxicity Testing
aerospace
Microscale Fire Calorimeter for Combustion and Toxicity Testing (US11579103B2)
Providing fast, low-volume testing for thermal and toxic hazards
For more information, contact the FAA's Technology Transfer Program at Email NATL-Technology-Transfer@faa.gov
Overview
The Federal Aviation Administration have patented a method that enables precise, flame-free analysis of fire chemistry using milligram-scale material samples in a Microscale Fire Calorimeter (MFC). By premixing pyrolysis gases from a heated sample with oxygen under tightly controlled conditions, the system replicates various fire stages from oxygen-rich to oxygen-starved allowing researchers to evaluate the combustion byproducts and their toxicity. This innovation allows for highly efficient and safe flammability testing of solid materials, offering insights critical to public safety, environmental protection, and material design.
The Technology
Traditional fire testing methods often require large samples, open flames, or complicated setups to study combustion. This technology introduces a compact, precise method using a Microscale Fire Calorimeter (MFC) that mimics realistic fire conditions with unprecedented control. When a solid material is thermally decomposed (pyrolyzed), it emits gaseous byproducts. These gases are then premixed with oxygen and combusted in the MFC’s reaction zone at high temperatures, without a visible flame. The MFC system precisely regulates oxygen availability, simulating different fire stages such as over-ventilated (oxygen-rich) and under-ventilated (oxygen-poor) conditions. This allows researchers to analyze how combustion chemistry changes as fires become more intense or oxygen-deprived. The system captures and quantifies the resulting gases and soot, enabling evaluation of environmental pollutants and toxic species produced during each combustion phase. This approach supports safer, smaller-scale laboratory testing while providing valuable data for applications such as material development, regulatory compliance, and forensic analysis. It bridges the gap between benchtop research and real-world fire scenarios.


Benefits
- Safe Testing: Enables flame-free evaluation of milligram-scale solid samples, enabling combustion studies where large-scale testing is not feasible.
- Cost Efficiency: Reduces expense and complexity compared to traditional calorimetry.
- Stronger Safety and Environmental Decisions: Replicates different ventilation conditions to study emissions realistically, providing key insights for fire toxicity and environmental pollution assessments.
Applications
- Material Innovation and Certification: Quantifies combustion efficiency to support the design, testing, and regulatory approval of fire-resistant and low-toxicity polymers, composites, textiles, and other engineered materials.
- Aerospace and Aviation Safety: Validates aircraft cabin components against fire safety standards for toxicity and heat release, supporting FAA and EASA certification.
- Construction and Consumer Safety: Evaluates building products, electronics, furniture, and appliances for fire performance, toxic emissions, and regulatory compliance.
- Forensics and Incident Investigation: Reconstructs fire scenarios to determine how specific products or materials contribute to fire growth, emissions, and toxicity.
- Environmental and Health Research: Measures pollutant emissions under controlled combustion conditions and links byproducts to human health impacts for toxicology and public health studies.
- Education and Training: Provides a practical laboratory and teaching tool for studying combustion chemistry, fire behavior, and material performance across fire stages.
Technology Details
aerospace
US11579103B2
US11579103B2
DOT/FAA/TC-22/22 Microscale Flammability Criterion for Constituents of Aircraft Cabin Materials (August 2022)
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