Publications Details

Heat Transfer Through a Passive Fire Protective Board from an Impinging Hydrogen Flame

Felipe, Christina; Blaylock, Myra L.; LaFleur, Chris B.; Bran Anleu, Gabriela A.

This report documents analysis to determine whether a hydrogen jet flame impinging on a tunnel ceiling structure could result in permanent damage to the Callahan tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts. This tunnel ceiling structure consists of a passive fire protective board supported by stainless steel hangers anchored to the tunnel ceiling with epoxy. Three types of fire protective boards were considered to determine whether heat from the flame could reach the stainless-steel hangers and the epoxy and cause the ceiling structure to collapse. Heat transfer analyses performed showed that the temperature remains constant where the steel hangers are attached to the passive fire protective board. According to these results, the passive fire protective board should provide adequate protection to the tunnel structure in this release scenario. Tunnel structures with similar suspended fire-resistant liner board materials should protect the integrity of the structure against the extremely low probability of an impinging hydrogen jet flame.