A053 Thermal radiation exposure

Experimental verification of a thermal radiation model for human skin heat exposure

Brief:

Skin pain and burns at an elevated skin layer temperature due to incident heat flux could be used to evaluate thermal hazards for some enclosed fire environments and mathematical expressions were proposed in literature for fire safety evaluations. In this work, a mathematical model for determining the skin layer temperature due to incident radiant heat flux is examined with experimental verification. Heat balance on the skin layer due to the heat flux and conductive heat transfer through it is considered. Specifically, the skin layer temperature at the head portion of an artificial thermal manikin was measured at certain incident radiant heat flux and compared with that calculated from the mathematical model. The results showed that the predictions were slightly higher than the measured values and the mathematical model would be useful in hazard assessment for some fire environments involving exposure of humans to a thermal radiation.

This work is part of an MEng dissertation. Student: P.S. Hui (MEng)

Further information:

Wong LT, Hui PS, 2006. Experimental verification of a thermal radiation model for human skin heat exposure, Building Services Engineering Research and Technology 27(1) 55-61.