A method suitable for the measurement of heat release rates of both large-and small-scale fires has evolved during the past decade. This method, known as oxygen consumption calorimetry, has advantages over traditional calorimetric methods, which rely on the measurement of sensible energy, a difficult task in open systems. Oxygen consumption calorimetry requires only that products of combustion be collected and their composition and flow rate measured. This is a significantly easier task, but it does require sophisticated gas analysis equipment. The instrumentation requested here will permit the completion of a small-scale oxygen consumption calorimeter. This calorimeter, modeled after the Cone Calorimeter developed at the Center for Fire Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will permit undergraduate students to perform a wide range of state-of-the-art fire measurement experiments for both laboratory assignments and independent research project. It will be possible to demonstrate the factors influencing the dynamics of fires within structures and the quantitative methods to measure and characterize these factors.
