Electrical cable trays are used in large quantities in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and are one of the main potential sources of fire. A malfunction of electrical equipment due to thermal stress for instance may lead to the loss of important safety fun...
Electrical cable trays are used in large quantities in nuclear power plants (NPPs) and are one of the main potential sources of fire. A malfunction of electrical equipment due to thermal stress for instance may lead to the loss of important safety functions of the NPPs. The investigation of such fires in a confined and mechanically ventilated enclosure has been scarce up to now and limited to nuclear industry. In the scope of the OECD PRISME‐2 project, the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) conducted more than a dozen fire tests involving horizontal electrical cable trays burning either in open atmosphere or inside mechanically ventilated compartments to investigate this topic. A semi‐empirical model of horizontal cable tray fires in a well‐confined and mechanically ventilated enclosure was developed. This model is partly based on the approach used in FLASH‐CAT and on experimental findings from IRSN cables fire tests. It was implemented in the two‐zone model SYLVIA. The major features of the compartment fire experiments could then be reproduced with acceptable error, except for combustion of unburned gases. The development of such a semi‐empirical model is a common practice in fire safety engineering concerned with complex solid fuels.