Thesis Laboratory Work

During the past few weeks I have been undertaking my thesis project in the Lund University fire laboratory. As there have been previous blog posts on lab sessions as part of the IMFSE fire dynamics module I have decided to focus this post on what it has been like to conduct an experimental thesis in one of the labs associated with the IMFSE program.

I initially decided on an experimental thesis because it gave me the opportunity to experience a prolonged period working within a fire lab. This was appealing because it is not a role that I have had much prior exposure in. Lab time and equipment is expensive, so a thesis project gives students a great opportunity to get some hands-on experience with running and managing projects in an experimental setting.

Taking on experimental work does come with risks; there is much more reliance on others to make sure the project keeps to schedule. Whether it comes to designing the test set up and methodology or finding suppliers and ordering in test materials the logistical constraints to the project can often be a major influence on the scope and success of the project. As well as the preparation work for your own experiments, it is also important to ensure that you have enough people working in the lab (a minimum of two people are required in the Lund lab at any one time) but not so many that there is no room to conduct your tests.

It can also throw up some unexpected problems that you would never think to consider. For me, a time constraint I had not accounted for was the amount of time it can take to complete the daily calibrations of the equipment. With a two-hour calibration time a significant chunk of each day was spent getting the equipment up and running. There were also plenty of hours spent trouble shooting when problems with equipment did arise. These can become stressful because you are not always sure if the problem will cause the project to come to an abrupt halt and, if so, how long for?

Original cone calorimeter setup

The working title of my thesis is ‘Burning material behaviour in hypoxic environments: An experimental study examining variable conditions’. By looking into material burning behaviours I am hoping to improve the depth of experimental research used to support the standards for oxygen reduction systems (used as part of a fire protection system strategy). I have been working with pure polymers as well as composite samples and exposing them to oxygen percentages ranging from 20.95% to 15%. This involved using two different test set-ups (cone calorimeter and controlled atmosphere cone calorimeter). The change of experimental arrangement involved additional procedural steps, calibrations, apparatus and risks, should things go wrong.

After running over 50 tests the procedure became habitual and flowed well. Even before full analysis of the results some interesting patterns were evident in the data collected. Sample thickness, irradiance and composite layer burning behaviour demonstrated a clear effect on the experimental outcomes.  

Full controlled atmosphere cone calorimeter setup with oxygen analysers, flow control and N2 supply

Unfortunately, due to the international pandemic of Covid-19 the timeline scheduled for the experimental research that I had planned to complete was reduced from 3 to 2 weeks. This meant that I had to make decisions on which experiments to prioritise in order to collect enough data in the reduced time frame. It’s certainly not something that you think to include when writing up the project risks and limitations! It is however, an example of the sort of unavoidable limitations that can be imposed on projects, and why flexibility and contingency should always be considered to ensure that there is some solution in place should things go wrong. With 53/70 planned experiments conducted there was still enough data to complete the thesis as planned.

Following the work I’ve completed I have a few tips for anyone who plans on completing experimental work as part of their thesis work:

1. Make sure the objectives and materials to be tested are well researched and justified prior to getting to the lab to avoid unnecessarily repeating tests.
2. Contact suppliers of materials early on, as this can cause significant delays in shipping and supply particularly if the material tested is not commonly found and is in very particular sizes and shapes.
3. If there seems to be a gap in the experimental research out there, it might be because it is logistically difficult or expensive to test with the apparatus available. Make sure to discuss plans with the lab team early on to discount variables that are not feasible within the project timescale.
4. Keep, and continuously update, your records on the samples burnt, their size, weight etc. to make sure you have this information available when you come to analyse data. This evidence might help to explain any discrepancies you discover later down the line.
5. Make use of the knowledge and experience of the lab team to help with troubleshooting and fixing equipment as this will speed up the process since they are likely to have come across the problem before.
6. Expect the unexpected. No matter how much you plan there will be some aspects of testing that will not have been prepared for. Although I had done a large amount of preparatory reading on the plastic I intended to burn (ABS) I was not expecting it to be quite as sooty as it turned out to be. This meant that the balston filter and hepa vent needed to be constantly checked and changed. When the supply of balston filters ran low and more needed to be ordered this added an unexpected risk of slowing down the project. A similar issue also occurred with nitrogen cylinders for the hypoxic test scenarios.
7. Be prepared to spend a not insignificant amount of time cleaning sample holders particularly if you are burning plastic samples! (do NOT burn ABS is you want to avoid a days work of post experimental cleaning)

Work closely and support other IMFSE students who are also conducting work in the lab as you will often need to coordinate when to use equipment, and make sure that air and water supplies are available for different apparatus during calibration. By communicating and helping each other you can be more of a help than a hindrance with each other’s work.

Preparation and record keeping of samples (left) conditioning chamber (right)

Finally, I thought I’d borrow one of the photos from Haydn’s setup (thanks Haydn) as it’s a bit more photogenic then the what you can get from the controlled oxygen chamber!

Haydn’s experimental setup

First Semester in Edinburgh

In the middle of all these things happening in the world, when all news/messages/posts are all around one thing, it is important to keep your mental health and be able to transfer your attention to something else. So, relax, make a tea, grab some cookies and let’s recall together how the first semester in Edinburgh was. 

I guess for everyone first semester is special, because it is your first step in the program. I still remember this combination of feelings: excitement and anxiety. From one side you are super motivated and inspired to start a new page in your life, but at the same time you have hundred questions in your head how/what/why/where/when. These questions range from student registration at the university to opening a bank account; and they are all quite natural because you are settling in a new city/country/culture.

Okay, somehow you sorted all these administrative things, what is next? Studies! During the first semester in Edinburgh we had four courses. Some people may say, that four courses is pretty relaxed schedule. Initially, I thought the same, but I changed my mind very quickly once lessons started. Personally, I realised a big gap in educational system between the University of Edinburgh and my university at home. So, if I didn’t appear in some social events, it is probably because I was hanging out with “Introduction to Fire Dynamics” or “Mechanics of Materials”. Despite struggles with studies, I really enjoyed the university: comprehensive library, booking of study rooms, shuttle buses, recording of lectures and many other facilities that are designed for students. What I liked the most is the way how lecturers engage students and how they get you interested in the subject. Another advantage is that courses encourage self-study and independent work. Meaning, that you get the opportunity to train your discipline and organisational skills, which are definitely useful skills for the future.

Talking about the future, in Edinburgh we also had an opportunity to participate in FSE Industrial Evening, where fire safety companies, professors and students were able to meet and create a new network. I found that event very useful, because we were able to learn about different companies, their projects and potential career opportunities. In addition, we also had a visit to one of the IMFSE sponsor company, OFR Consultants. You can check how it was in my last blog. We found such activities very valuable, because university time is not only about the studies, it is also about communication and networking. 

As far as student life is concerned, there are many student organisations in the University of Edinburgh, starting from student government and ending with gliding society. You will definitely find something that will match with your interests. In addition, there are various activities and events organised during semester. Also, do not forget, that IMFSE is a family! Thanks for Prof. Grunde for initiating ice-breaking and team-building process through potluck dinner and for our student representatives for hosting several meet-ups.

The first steps in the program would be definitely more difficult without strong support both from the academic and administrative staff, as well as from IMFSE seniors and alumni. Thank you all for everything!

Fire Labs in Lund University

By now, I hope we all are done with the submission of the last report for this study period in Lund, and are waiting eagerly (!!) for the exams starting next week in the midst of “what is going on in the world right now”! So, I wanted to reminisce the good times we had in the two fire labs for the course “Advanced Fire Dynamics”, to lift your spirits up for the upcoming days.

These two labs were a great chance for us to connect with the others, to work together efficiently and effectively, and to learn whole new things about FIRE practically. Of course this has been made possible thanks to the great supervision of Nils Johansson.

I actually don’t want to write much in this blog. I guess we all have a lot of things to read now. So, just some random pictures from the five groups ahead.

See the pictures, ease your mind, then go back to study again.

Best of luck to us…!!!

The room on fire!!!

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Group Photos (I hope everyone is here)

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Working…Working…

Also some free time (I promise, we were on a break)

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And, they burnt perfectly!

So why not some “firey” pictures!

Lastly, a nice shot of the ovealls we got to wear during these two days…

Nice one, Mina 😀

International Women’s Day Post

International Women’s Day has given me some time to reflect on some of the inspiring people I have met during my career in the fire industry and how I personally saw them enrich a largely male dominated profession.

As a fire fighter I found that the organisational chain of command is steeped in naval history. Whilst this helps instil discipline and respect for hierarchical command, which is often needed in dynamic emergency situations, it can also breed an unwelcoming and intimidating environment for the uninitiated. This is certainly true for the female firefighters who enter training as a significant minority and must adapt to overcome this. Fire services throughout the UK have allocated significant resources into the development of community campaigns to encourage more women to enter into active roles as firefighters. These campaigns have yielded varied results and allowed the opportunity for more female firefighters to change the image of the service for generations to come. Through the challenges of a sometimes institutionally inhospitable training environment have come some inspiring leaders who continue to shape the profession for the better.

This photo of me during one of my breathing apparatus training courses shows just how great the gender imbalance can sometimes be!

These challenges are sometimes so insidious that we don’t even realise them at the time. I am reminded of a study mentioned in Behave, the 2017 book by Robert Sapolsky, in which it was found that hurricanes, named in alternating male/female names, are statistically more likely to have higher fatalities when the hurricane has been allocated a female name. It was concluded that this was partly due to the unconscious acceptability of risk given by those in the path of the storm. More potential victims were likely to downplay the danger faced by the storm where it was given a female name. This subsequently resulted in more fatalities where persons downplayed the dangers faced and did not attempt evacuation. Whilst speculative, studies such as this do remind me that we inherently make small but significant contributions and how that this is often played out on an organisational level (often to the detriment of working women in the fire industry).

Despite this, I have met many men and women working well collectively towards the goal of protecting life from fire. In the fire service some of the keenest, most motivated and outwardly driven team members I had were women employed at the previous recruitment drive to encourage more women into the service. It should come as no surprise that these individuals excelled but I find it interesting that, in my experience, mixed gender teams produced a much better working environment and brought the best out of many of those involved.

At the fire engineering consultancy I currently work for I am fortunate enough to learn from both male and female colleagues who collectively shape how I can become better at what we do

This is sometimes under-appreciated in fire engineering mostly because it suffers from the same gender imbalance as many other professions. STEM subjects often find it challenging to promote their attractiveness to young women deciding on their future profession. IMFSE is a great example of why choosing to enter a STEM subject is so rewarding as it has allowed such a creative and diverse mixture of men and women to collectively develop their talents in fire engineering.

I am proud that we are part of a solution to the integration of diverse teams in the fire engineering profession. Bringing more varied minds to the fire safety discussion will help to improve the international fire community. Those inspirational women leaders I met in the fire service and in fire engineering consultancy are being created here. It’s an exciting thing to observe and celebrate today of all days.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Some of IMFSE students in Edinburgh