Airborne releases from fires involving chemical waste - a multidisciplinary case study

A multidisciplinary study of fires in chemical waste at a Danish chemical company has been carried out in order to estimate the concentrations of combustion products in the surroundings. The first part of the study addressed the characterisation of the waste and the assessment of fire cases which formed the basis for the experimental work and determination of fire effluents.

The combustion experiments were carried out using a tubular furnace, following DIN 53436. Secondly, the source term concentrations were estimated, and calculations of plume rise and dispersion of combustion products in the surroundings were performed. Finally, an uncertainty assessment has been carried out for each part of the study.

For some of the issues the uncertainties are described qualitatively and for others the uncertainties are expressed quantitatively.