Specialized Testing and Accident Reconstruction Services

Our test capabilities include:

• An instrumented combustion tube to study the ignition and combustion of fine particulates, droplets and gases
• A multi-phase shock tube to examine shock propagation in liquid and multi-phase media
• A reactor to measure chlorine induced neutralization kinetics
• A large scale test facility where large scale combustion tests can be performed
• A nanoparticle laboratory for morphology characterization of fine particulates
• An assortment of combustion systems
• A blow-down chamber
• interactions Between Biological Contaminants and Pipewalls in Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Instrumented Combustion Tube

We have an assortment of various test systems that can be used to measure the kinetics of ignition and combustion, flammability and deflagration overpressures. The effectiveness of fire suppression and other protection systems can also be evaluated in these systems.  We complement our in-house capabilities with strategic partnerships with larger organizations, universities and defense labs where large scale tests can be conducted.  This strategy enabled us to work with sample sizes ranging from a few milligrams to several kilograms of the flammable material

Photograph of instrumented combustion tube.  Sequence of photographs from a combustion test on biological particulates. Example: Spore Ignition Tests.

We performed ignition tests on live Bacillus anthracis spores and its biological simulant (Bacillus thuringiensis spores) in a one-of-a-kind instrumented and calibrated combustion tube to measure the kinetics of ignition.  A photograph of the combustion tube housed inside a BSL glove box is shown below along with a phase contrast micrograph of the Bt spores prior to introduction into the combustion tube.