Sandia National Laboratories’ Lurance Canyon Burn Site (LCBS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides controlled fire environments in which to perform fundamental studies, simulate transportation and handling accidents for nuclear safety studies, and evaluate and certify hazardous materials shipping containers. LCBS has the following testing facilities:
- The Fire Laboratory for Accreditation of Modeling by Experiment (FLAME)
- Three open pools
- A bunker-like structure called the igloo
Tests conducted at LCBS also include rocket propellant fires and test units containing explosives. The LCBS offers excellent data acquisition capabilities, including up to 120 thermocouple channels. The facility also maintains a large database of fire temperatures and velocities and heat flux measurements on various test item sizes and shapes.
Sandia Burn Site – Steam Test
Sandia Burn Site – 100 Gallon, Fireball Test
LCBS provides accurate monitoring and measurement of Temperature—using standard or specially designed sensors
- Heat flux – using slug calorimeters and transpiration radiometers
- Wind – speed and direction
- Fuel recession – head and ultrasonic
Experienced engineers can aid in the design and evaluation process – whether it be fire modeling or test design. The LCBS can be configured to meet a wide variety of customer needs for fire testing.