-
Engineering and technology
- Other engineering and technology
Soot is a significant contributor to the consequences of a fire event in an enclosed environment such as a nuclear facility. In addition to its substantial contribution to the overall thermal radiation (and the subsequent fire growth and spread), when substantial amounts of soot are produced by a fire,its deposition (an aspect that will not be addressed in this work) in filters may cause clogging and therefore alter significantly the ventilation system (and hence the confinement of radioactive substances), or may cause premature failure of equipment, or delayed failure due to corrosion by acidic compounds. Furthermore, the oxidation of soot can produce carbon monoxide, the chief killer in fires, and obscuration due to soot can also impair manual intervention and evacuation.