Experimental study of the burning behavior and key parameters of gasoline pool fires with different ullage heights

Pool fires with different ullage heights are a common type of fire accident. A series of gasoline pool fire experiments with two sizes (D = 40 cm, 60 cm) and six ullage heights (h = 0, 0.2D, 0.4D, 0.6D, 0.8D, 1.0D) are conducted. The burning process, axial temperature profile, radiative heat feedback, and burning rate are measured and analyzed. The result shows that the fuel vapor layer and the down-reaching flame layer are distinguished based on the axial temperature profile for the steady burning stage. Meanwhile, the down-reaching flame length (Ldown) increases more profoundly for large tank diameters under the same ullage height. Subsequently, the dimensionless down-reaching flame length (Ldown* = Ldown/D) increases exponentially with the dimensionless ullage heights (h* = h/D). Finally, based on the classical burning rate model for the low ullage height and the heat transfer process from the flame to the fuel surface, a correlation with different ullage heights is established to calculate the burning rate, which is then validated against the experimental data in the paper and literature values. The results are of importance to understand the burning rate and the radiative heat feedback to the fuel surface for pool fires with different ullage heights. •The burning behavior of the radiation-controlled pool fires under different ullage heights is analyzed experimentally.•Dimensionless down-reaching flame length (Ldown*) increases exponentially with the increase of h*.•A new correlation is established to predict the steady burning rate for pool fires with different ullage heights.