Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires

Poor electrical contact is one of the main reasons for electrical fires. Glowing contact triggered by poor contact can reach high temperature on electrical wires. The peak temperature can be up to 1,000 °C. Thus, the radiative thermal hazards of glowing contact cannot be ignored. In this study, the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jing Zhang, Wenhui Ju, Tao Chen, Guofeng Su, Changzheng Li, Wenzhong Mi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003375
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849314362064371712
author Jing Zhang
Wenhui Ju
Tao Chen
Guofeng Su
Changzheng Li
Wenzhong Mi
author_facet Jing Zhang
Wenhui Ju
Tao Chen
Guofeng Su
Changzheng Li
Wenzhong Mi
author_sort Jing Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Poor electrical contact is one of the main reasons for electrical fires. Glowing contact triggered by poor contact can reach high temperature on electrical wires. The peak temperature can be up to 1,000 °C. Thus, the radiative thermal hazards of glowing contact cannot be ignored. In this study, the radiative heat flux of glowing contact is measured and quantified. A thermo-electrical Multiphysics model of glowing contact describes the distribution of the radiative heat intensity. An empirical model of radiation heat flux of glowing contact is obtained by two-step fitting based on the simulation data. Results demonstrate that the radiative heat flux of glowing contact decreases with distance and increases with time. PVC insulation layers are exposed to high fire risk when the distance between glowing contact and PVC is within 7 mm. Simulation results show that the contour lines of radiation are approximately elliptical due to the slender cylindrical glowing oxide bridge. The two-dimensional Gaussian distribution is applied to fit the simulation data. It can be utilized for studies on glowing contact’s ignition characteristics.
format Article
id doaj-art-c6a371a9bd3747ad920fd6d6bb72fef2
institution Kabale University
issn 2214-157X
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
spelling doaj-art-c6a371a9bd3747ad920fd6d6bb72fef22025-08-20T03:52:28ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-06-017010607710.1016/j.csite.2025.106077Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical firesJing Zhang0Wenhui Ju1Tao Chen2Guofeng Su3Changzheng Li4Wenzhong Mi5School of Safety Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Key Laboratory of Investigation and Evaluation on Natural Hazards and Industrial Accidents, Ministry of Emergency Management, Beijing, 100084, ChinaPeople’s Insurance Company(Group) of China Limited, Beijing, 100031, ChinaSchool of Safety Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Key Laboratory of Investigation and Evaluation on Natural Hazards and Industrial Accidents, Ministry of Emergency Management, Beijing, 100084, ChinaSchool of Safety Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Key Laboratory of Investigation and Evaluation on Natural Hazards and Industrial Accidents, Ministry of Emergency Management, Beijing, 100084, China; Disaster Accident Investigation Technology Center, Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Hefei, 230601, China; Corresponding author at: School of Safety Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.Disaster Accident Investigation Technology Center, Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Hefei, 230601, ChinaSchool of Safety Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Key Laboratory of Investigation and Evaluation on Natural Hazards and Industrial Accidents, Ministry of Emergency Management, Beijing, 100084, China; Disaster Accident Investigation Technology Center, Hefei Institute for Public Safety Research, Tsinghua University, Hefei, 230601, ChinaPoor electrical contact is one of the main reasons for electrical fires. Glowing contact triggered by poor contact can reach high temperature on electrical wires. The peak temperature can be up to 1,000 °C. Thus, the radiative thermal hazards of glowing contact cannot be ignored. In this study, the radiative heat flux of glowing contact is measured and quantified. A thermo-electrical Multiphysics model of glowing contact describes the distribution of the radiative heat intensity. An empirical model of radiation heat flux of glowing contact is obtained by two-step fitting based on the simulation data. Results demonstrate that the radiative heat flux of glowing contact decreases with distance and increases with time. PVC insulation layers are exposed to high fire risk when the distance between glowing contact and PVC is within 7 mm. Simulation results show that the contour lines of radiation are approximately elliptical due to the slender cylindrical glowing oxide bridge. The two-dimensional Gaussian distribution is applied to fit the simulation data. It can be utilized for studies on glowing contact’s ignition characteristics.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003375Electrical firesPoor electrical contactsGlowing contactsThermal radiation measurementMultiphysics
spellingShingle Jing Zhang
Wenhui Ju
Tao Chen
Guofeng Su
Changzheng Li
Wenzhong Mi
Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
Case Studies in Thermal Engineering
Electrical fires
Poor electrical contacts
Glowing contacts
Thermal radiation measurement
Multiphysics
title Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
title_full Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
title_fullStr Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
title_full_unstemmed Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
title_short Experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
title_sort experimental and modeling research on thermal radiation characteristics of glowing contact in electrical fires
topic Electrical fires
Poor electrical contacts
Glowing contacts
Thermal radiation measurement
Multiphysics
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25003375
work_keys_str_mv AT jingzhang experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires
AT wenhuiju experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires
AT taochen experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires
AT guofengsu experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires
AT changzhengli experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires
AT wenzhongmi experimentalandmodelingresearchonthermalradiationcharacteristicsofglowingcontactinelectricalfires