Experimental study of combustion characteristics of PET laminated photovoltaic panels by fire calorimetry

PET laminated photovoltaic modules present a high level of fire hazard, with varying levels of risk in complex external environments. This paper presents the experimental results of the ignition and combustion behavior of a PET laminated photovoltaic panel using the Fire Propagation Apparatus. The ignition time, heat release rate, combustion equivalent ratio, and total heat release were measured at different external heat flows and ventilation levels. The ignition time was determined as a function of the external radiant heat flow and the ventilation volume, respectively. The experimental results showed that the ignition time was sensitive to the change of external heat flow under different experimental conditions, but at lower external heat flow, the increase of ventilation had a great contribution to the shortening of the ignition time. The oxygen consumption method was used to determine the heat release rate under multiple boundary conditions, the value of which depends on the close coupling effect of external radiant heat flow and ventilation and is positively correlated with both. The immediate effect of boundary conditions on combustion efficiency was analyzed by equivalence ratios. For the total heat release, the external radiant heat flow directly plays a decisive role, but the ventilation volume can play a great role in promoting, especially under the low external heat flow.