The growth of the spreading diameter with the time t of an instantaneous release on a smooth horizontal surface is given by the following expression(Mudan, Ref. /7-1/):
The maximum diameter:
The time to reach the maximum diameter:
The maximum diameter, D
m, occurs when almost all the fuel is consumed by the fire. Thus, it will exist only for a very short time. Use of D
m will result in an overestimation of the fire hazard. Use of a time averaged pool diameter, shown in next equation, provides more realistic results:
Reference: Scandpower A/S,SINTEF-NBL"Handbook for Fire Calculations and Fire Risk Assessment in the Process Industry" 3rd Edition 1997
