firetestingtechnology

Fire Tw R E s s Wes ex RH19 2H

NBS Smoke DensityChamber(ASTM E662; BS 6401; NFPA 258)

And options for:(ISO 5659; ABD0031 (ATS 1000.001); NES 711)

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ASTM E662:Standard test method forspecific optical density ofsmoke generated by solidmaterials

BS 6401:Method for measurement,in the laboratory, of thespecific optical density ofsmoke generated bymaterials

NFPA 258:Recommended practice fordetermining smokegeneration of solidmaterials

And options for:ISO 5659:Plastics Smoke generation.Determination of opticaldensity by a single chambertest

IMO FTP Part 2:Smoke and toxicity test

ABD0031 (ATS 1000.001):for smoke emission for non­metallic components

NES 711:Determination of smokeindex

The NBS Smoke Density Chamber iswidely used in all industrial sectorsfor the determination of smokegenerated by solid materials andassemblies mounted in the verticalorientation within a closedchamber.

It measures the specific opticaldensity of smoke generated bymaterials when an essentially flatspecimen, up to 25 mm thick, isexposed to a radiant heat source of25kW/m2, in a closed chamber,with or without the use of a pilotflame. The radiant heat source canbe easily replaced with the ConicalRadiant Furnace for testing ofspecimens in the horizontalorientation according to ISO 5659and IMO FTP Part 2 requirements.

Features of the FTT NBSSmoke DensityChamber (SDC)• Test chamber with full width

opening door, allowing easyaccess for sample loading andchamber cleaning.

• Photomultiplier control unitwith manual zero and spancontrols designed to be usedwith the FTT software toperform automatic control ofthe test procedure on the SDC.

• Controls are mounted besidethe chamber for convenientoperation. They are notobstructed when the door isopen.

• Three term temperaturecontroller for radiant heatsource with digital display.

• Chamber walls are pre­heatedfor easier start­up andconvenient equipmentoperation.

• Safety blowout panel, easilyreplaceable, allows for safeoperation of test method.

• Gas measurement ports areavailable, for optionalmeasurements of toxic gases.

• Cabinet designed with astandard 19" rack, for simpleaddition of gas analysers, chartrecorder and other control units.

• Air cooled radiometer forfurnace flux calibration.

The FTT SDC has been designedspecifically to incorporate theISO 5659 Conical Radiant Furnace.This extends the potential of theSDC by allowing testing at heatfluxes up to 50 kW/m2, horizontalorientation of the specimen andthe measurement of mass loss rateof the specimen. It takesapproximately 15 minutes tochange from ASTM E662 to theISO 5659 configuration and theequipment conforms to the recentIMO test protocols.

SoftwareThe FTT SDC is supplied with asoftware package called SDCsoft,which was designed as a dataacquisition and presentationpackage allowing either manual orautomatic control. This enables amore efficient use of theinstrument, leading to larger dailythroughput of testing andenhanced quality graphical datapresentation. ‘SDCsoft’ is aMicrosoft Windows based packagewhich collects test data and assistswith all calibration routines. It canbe used for several applicationsincluding standardised testing toASTM E662, ISO 5659 and BS 6401etc.

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SDCSoft enables:Calibration of the photomultiplieramplifier: Full scale and zerotransmission values are calibratedinto the software. All recorded anddisplayed transmission values arecorrected, in real time, by thesoftware for calibration, whateverthe amplifier range setting.

Automatic file naming: SDCSoft willsave the data to a file nameautomatically generated from thedate and test number. This is toprevent any valuable data beingoverwritten. Alternatively the usercan manually enter a file name.

Data collection:The start of an experiment isinitiated by the activation of a foot­switch or the push of a button onthe computer screen. Informationabout the test and the sample isentered prior to the run. This isstored to disk, together with thenumerical data generated duringthe test. Data is collected andstored at user defined intervals.The intervals can be defined over arange from 1 to 60 seconds. Realtime data is displayed on the VDUduring the course of a test. Theinformation is displayed in graphicaland textual form.

The graphical form is an auto­scaling graph with time on thex­axis and transmission (%) andspecific optical density on two y­axes.

Textual data includes:• Instantaneous transmission (%)

and specific optical density (DS)• Time from start of test• Maximum DS and time to

maximum DS

• Current range setting and filterposition

• Mass (ISO 5659)• Prompts (visual and audio)

when the range setting or filterposition requires changing whenoperating in manual mode.When operating under softwarecontrol the range setting isautomatically changed.

The experimental data storedduring a run includes:• Time (seconds), t• Transmission (%) at time t• Specific optical density at time t• Range and filter positions at

time t• Mass (g) at time t (ISO 5659)

On completion of the test, the clearbeam transmission is recorded tocorrect the data for deposits on theoptical system. A report including agraph and table of specific opticaldensity (DS) against time isproduced. The report can beprinted on any device with aWindows driver.

OptionsAITM 3.0005 – Airbus ABD 0031:The ABD0031 (formerly ATS1000.001) option is a gas samplingsystem which includes a vacuumchamber, vacuum pump, handmetering pump and gas analysisdetection tubes.

Provision is made forgaseous/volatile test products to bedrawn through three ports on thetop of the chamber at any time forsubsequent analysis. One of theseports is used to connect to theABD0031 vacuum box.

ASTM E662

ISO 5659/IMO

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Measuring principle Specific optical density – white light source and photomultiplier tube

Light source 6.5 V 2.75 A tungsten filament lamp

Operating heat flux of radiant heat furnace 25 ± 0.5 kW/m2 (standard furnace) up to 50 kW/m2 for ISO 5659/IMO fire model

Dimensions (mm) 1900 (H) × 1630 (L) × 660 (D)

Internal dimensions of chamber (mm) 914 (H) × 914 (L) × 610 (D)

SERVICES

Power Supply 110/230 VAC ­ 50/60 Hz ­ 16 A

Extraction system Flow rate of at least 50l/s

Gas supply Propane at 1 bar (14.5psi) Filtered compressed air at 2 bar

Water (ISO 5659 only) Flow rate of 200­300ml/min

Mass Balance Accurate to 0.5%

Due to the continuous development policy of FTT technical changes could be made without prior notice.

FTIR EN 45545­2 and ISO 19702:The FTT FTIR system can be usedwith the SDC or other instrumentsto measure the concentration oftoxic species in accordance withthese standards to aid in providingdata for use in combustion toxicityassessment.

Heated Line:FTT also offers a heated gassampling system. The systemincludes a heated filter, 2m heatedline and 2 × temperaturecontrollers.

NES 711:The NES 711 attachment comprisesa spark ignition burner and stirrerfan. The FTT SDCSoft software iscompatible with this option.

ABD0031 Vacuum Box

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Unrivalled Experience inDesign and ManufacturingFTT’s site in East Grinstead, is home to the largest group of fire scientists andinstrumentation design engineers working on fire testing instrumentation, and is at the heart of our design andmanufacturing. For more than 30 years FTT has provided the highest quality instruments and service for fire testing and research professionals worldwide, directly and through its extensive global sales and support network.

Quality• World­class

manufacturing inaccordance withmultiple internationaland national standards,including: EN, ISO &ASTM

• ISO 9001, ISO 14001certified

Integrity• A dedicated team

passionate about firetestinginstrumentation andcontinuous productimprovement

• Delivering reliable,robust and easy­to­useinstruments for thepast 30 years

Excellence• A world­class team

made up of qualifiedfire scientists,mechanical, electricaland electronic fireinstrument designengineers andproduction, installationand maintenanceengineers

Global• World­wide

distribution networkfor global sales,installations, training,maintenance andtechnical support

• Leading global supplierof the ConeCalorimeter, LargeScale Calorimeter, NBSSmoke Chamber andOxygen Index

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