Estimation of thermal effects on receptor from pool fires

The aim of this contribution is to provide an overview of the calculation procedures of risk analysis, that is, the effects and consequences of pool fires. Fires and explosions are the most significant and most common causes of damage to equipment and of injuries and death in industry. Damages are a direct consequence of the generated heat flux. Mathematical tools for the prediction of heat flux at a distance can be divided into four classes: semi-empirical models, field models, integral models and zone models. Semi-empirical modeling is a relatively simple technique providing models predicting heat flux at a distance. There are two types of semi-empirical models: point source models and surface emitter models. By their nature, semi-empirical models depend strongly on experimental data. Correlations are able to describe the general features of a fire. Semi-empirical models are ideal for routine hazard assessment purposes because they are mathematically simple, and hence easily understood. However, if more models describing the same phenomenon are available, significant differences in the heat flux prediction can be expected. In this contribution, differences in the prediction of the heat flux from pool fires are discussed.