Equipment for the analysis of fire behavior:
- Test booth for electric burner according to UNE 23723-90
- Radiator test booth according to UNE 23721-90
- Equipment for drip testing according to UNE 23725-90
- Limiting oxygen index test according to UNE-EN ISO 4589-2
- Flame speed test equipment according to UNE 23724-90
- Equipment for determining the point of inflammation of liquids, SetaFlash series 3
- noncombustibility equipment according to UNE 23102-90
- Laboratory scale fire resistance furnace
- Pyrolysis microcalorimeter, PCFC-FTT
- Gas analysis equipment, MX6, with HCl and VOC sensors
Other analysis equipment:
- Thermal properties analyzer (conductivity meter) Quickline-30
- Thermal properties analyzer (conductivity meter) ISOMET2114
Support equipment:
- Climate chamber with a range of -20ºC to 60ºC
- QUV accelerated ageing chamber
- Drying stove Heraeus Series 7000
- Hot plate press for the preparation of samples
- Gas filtration booth to work with chemical products
- Rotavapor type extraction system
- Soxhlet type extraction system
The Fire Lab was set up at the EPSEB in 2002, as the result of a collaboration agreement with the Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service (SPEIS) of Barcelona City Council. This agreement led to the transfer to the School of equipment from the former Fire Service Fire Laboratory, which had been located in the Eixample Fire Station until 2000. The person responsible for the agreement and launch of the laboratory at the School was Joan Carles López, the head of SPEIS until 1995 and a professor at the UPC. The spirit of the initiative was to train students and raise their awareness of fires and their prevention.
In 2005, the laboratory entered a new stage in which research was given a more important role. Although teaching and knowledge transfer aspects were maintained and even augmented, some lines of research were initiated that were focused, on the one hand, on the study and improvement of materials’ reaction to fire and, on the other, on the use of computational simulation techniques of fire propagation.
Over the years, this facility has been consolidated to become an innovative laboratory, with high scientific output in its area. At the same time, new equipment has been provided, so that better training can be offered to students.
One of the objectives of the Fire Laboratory is to train students and develop research lines in the fields of fire behavior of building materials and the spread of fires in buildings.