Fire Testing

Fire testing flue gas treatment systems

ERG designs flue gas treatment systems for fire testing facilities, including furnaces and test rigs assessing the combustion properties of building cladding, cables and batteries. These plants operate in discrete test runs producing highly variable flue gases, so the gas cleaning train must ramp up and down reliably while handling rapid changes in temperature and composition.

Duty and operating conditions

Fire testing facilities generate short‑duration, high‑intensity exhaust streams as different materials burn, char or off‑gas over the course of a test. Flue gas treatment systems must cope with:

Rapidly changing gas flowrates and temperatures.
Transient releases of corrosive gases and dense smoke.
Periods of low or no flow between tests.

To manage these conditions, ERG’s packages are typically manufactured from stainless steel to withstand instantaneous temperature peaks and corrosive species released at different points in the test cycle. Automated control of flow and temperature at the equipment inlet is critical to keep the scrubbers and filters within their design envelopes.

Typical fire testing gas cleaning configuration

A typical ERG fire testing flue gas treatment package includes:

A high‑energy venturi scrubber to capture soot and ash, providing efficient removal of fine particulates from the exhaust.
A packed tower scrubber to remove acidic contaminants from the gas stream following particulate removal.
A carbon filter stage, where required, to polish any unburned hydrocarbons or residual VOCs before discharge.

Each package also incorporates:

A suitably sized fan for variable‑flow operation.
Access structures for inspection and maintenance.
Instrumentation and control systems tailored to intermittent test duty.
Chemical dosing and effluent handling systems matched to expected loads.
Automated air‑admittance dampers to regulate gas flowrate and temperature at the treatment system inlet.

If you are planning a new fire testing facility or upgrading an existing off‑gas treatment system, ERG’s sales team.