Oxygen consumption calorimetry

Firefighting has always been a major concern for our society. And unfortunately, it remains so, with the media constantly reminding us of the topicality of this issue.

The twentieth century saw the development of the study of the fire behavior of materials, with in particular the appearance, in its second half, of new tools enabling the quantification of the energy released by a burning object.

First of all, there was the realization that heat flow is one, if not the, key parameter governing the development of fire. Knowledge of this parameter provides a better understanding of the various aspects of fire risk. Oxygen consumption calorimetry has become the preferred technique for measuring heat flow.

Indirect calorimetry involves measuring oxygen consumption during combustion, and then calculating the amount of energy released. It has been shown that the energy released during combustion is proportional to the quantity of oxygen consumed, the proportionality factor being virtually constant. This discovery led to the development of new tools known as oxygen consumption calorimeters.

This article describes the technique used, briefly presents a few devices to illustrate the wide variety of possible configurations. Finally, it lists the various uses of these calorimeters.