Carbon dioxide generation calorimetry—Errors induced by the simplifying assumptions in the standard test methods

Carbon dioxide generation (CDG) calorimetry is commonly used for measuring heat release rates of materials. Calorimetric equation provided in the ASTM E 2058 and the NFPA code 287 is a simplified equation since the water content in the ambient air and the fumes as well as the expansion factor of the combustion gases are neglected. This paper provides general equation for CDG calorimetry based on the Tewarson formulation. A comparison is proposed between the Standard test methods (simplified equation) and the general one. It is shown that the errors induced by the simplifying assumptions are negligible for oxygen depletion factor values commonly encountered in the Fire Propagation Apparatus (where large dilution factors of the combustion gases are used before the measurements of species concentrations).