Fire Tests Involving Storage of Flammable and Combustible Liquids in Small Containers

Abstract

The storage of containerized flammable and combustible liquids has been the subject of fire testing to determine the mitigating effects of a sprinkler system during a fire situation. This paper reviews the results of 85 sprinklered fire tests that have been made available and includes small, intermediate and large scale storage test configurations.¹ The storage configurations tested include solid pile/palletized, rack and shelf arrays that are found in warehouse and retail facilities. The flammable and combustible liquids used as test commodities were Class IB, IC, II, IIIA, and IIIB liquids. Steel, plastic and glass containers were used to contain these liquids. Several major variables have been found to determine the rate of fire growth and affect the ability of a sprinkler system to successfully control or suppress the reviewed fires. These include liquid properties, container design and size, packaging material, ignition scenario, storage arrangement and sprinkler system design parameters.

The most critical variable affecting fire control or suppression with "worst-case" liquids in their class was container design. The sprinkler system design parameters played a key role in the growth rate, magnitude and control of many of the fires. However, a number of fires using plastic containers could not be controlled regardless of the sprinkler system design. Steel containers have been proven to be more fire resistant than plastic containers. Sprinkler systems have been shown to be effective in controlling and suppressing fires using "worst-case" flammable liquids in steel containers. The occurrence of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVE's) was eliminated with steel containers prone to this type of failure mode when equipped with plastic spouts and nozzles. These plastic spouts and nozzles functioned as "pressure relieving devices." The data base on glass and fiber containers was not sufficient to conduct a complete assessment of these container types.