Spark arrester
Encyclopedia
A spark arrestor is any device which prevents the emission of flammable debris from combustion
sources, such as internal combustion engine
s, fireplace
s, and wood burning stoves. Spark arrestors play a critical role in the prevention of wildland fire and ignition of explosive atmospheres. As such, their use is required by law in many jurisdictions worldwide.
__FORCETOC__
were steam locomotive
s. Wood and coal-burning locomotives produce ember
s which are readily transported by the wind. One popular design was the Radley-Hunter spark arrestor, which used a spiral-shaped cone to separate embers from the exhaust flow by centrifugal force.
The problem of equipment-started fires continued into the 20th century. University of California, Berkeley
researchers J.P. Fairbank and Roy Bainer provided the first known academic research on the subject. Their experiments demonstrated that hot particulate matter larger than 0.023 inches (0.584 mm) in diameter was capable of igniting wildland fuels.
In the 1950s, the United States Forest Service
became interested in reducing the number of fires started by logging equipment in the National Forest System. This interest led to a partnership with the Society of Automotive Engineers and the development of the following test standards for spark arrestors:
Modern technologies have largely eliminated the production of large particulate matter from internal combustion engines. However, as engines wear, carbon
deposits can build up on the internal walls of the engine. When these deposits break free, they exit through the exhaust system and present a potential fire hazard. Vehicles without properly functioning spark arrestors have been suspected of starting numerous wildfires, including the devastating Track Fire near Raton
, New Mexico
in June, 2011
Today, spark arrestors can be found as OEM
or aftermarket components on many types of equipment, such as large agricultural machines, off highway vehicles (OHVs), and small engines (chainsaws, string trimmers, leaf blower
s, etc).
(or a chimney pot
) to prevent floating embers from a fire (particularly one burning wood) setting light to a flammable roofing surface (shingle, thatch, or bitumen-felt) or falling onto combustible material on the ground. Such a spark arrestor typically consists of a double layer of metal mesh
, which catches the ember and allows the flue gas to escape.
Large power station
boiler
s are commonly fitted with electrostatic precipitator
s.
. These spark arrestors are typically found on heavy agricultural and construction equipment (tractor
s, combine
s, bulldozer
s, etc), but some have been developed for motorcycle
s and other all-terrain vehicles.
to prevent large particles from leaving the exhaust system. This is the simplest and most common type of spark arrestor. Screen type devices are used on most motorcycles, ATVs, and small engines.
Exemptions exist for automobiles legally registered with their state's department of motor vehicles
. During periods of extreme fire danger, land managers may prevent the use of all motorized equipment, even if a properly functioning spark arrestor is installed. Spark arrestor inspections are performed by trained agency law enforcement or fire prevention personnel. They may occur on an individual basis, or as part of an inspection checkpoint during busy recreation weekends. Operators caught using unqualified or modified devices could be cited. Penalties for violating spark arrestor laws depend on the issuing agency. If it is determined a noncompliant vehicle was responsible for starting a fire, the operator could be held liable in civil or even criminal court.
Certification testing of spark arrestors is performed by the USDA Forest Service Technology and Development Center in San Dimas, CA. The technical requirements are outlined in Forest Service Specification FS5100-1. All spark arrestors meeting the requirements of 36 CFR 261.52 must be certified and listed in the USDA Forest Service Spark Arrestor Guide. This guide is a comprehensive directory of all qualified products available in the United States, and is published biannually. The Spark Arrester Guide is used by field inspectors and consumers to verify product certification status. Manufacturers pursuing spark arrestor qualification in the United States should consult the USDA Forest Service's "Manufacturer's Submission Procedure" for both general purpose and small engine spark arrestors.
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
sources, such as internal combustion engine
Internal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
s, fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
s, and wood burning stoves. Spark arrestors play a critical role in the prevention of wildland fire and ignition of explosive atmospheres. As such, their use is required by law in many jurisdictions worldwide.
__FORCETOC__
Engines
The earliest platforms for spark arrestors in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s. Wood and coal-burning locomotives produce ember
Ember
Embers are the glowing, hot coals made of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material that remain after, or sometimes precede a fire. Embers can glow very hot, sometimes as hot as the fire which created them...
s which are readily transported by the wind. One popular design was the Radley-Hunter spark arrestor, which used a spiral-shaped cone to separate embers from the exhaust flow by centrifugal force.
The problem of equipment-started fires continued into the 20th century. University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
researchers J.P. Fairbank and Roy Bainer provided the first known academic research on the subject. Their experiments demonstrated that hot particulate matter larger than 0.023 inches (0.584 mm) in diameter was capable of igniting wildland fuels.
In the 1950s, the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
became interested in reducing the number of fires started by logging equipment in the National Forest System. This interest led to a partnership with the Society of Automotive Engineers and the development of the following test standards for spark arrestors:
- SAE J335 – Multiposition Small Engine Exhaust System Fire Ignition Suppression
- SAE J342 – Spark Arrestor Test Procedure for Large Size Engines
- SAE J350 – Spark Arrestor Test Procedure for Medium Size Engines
Modern technologies have largely eliminated the production of large particulate matter from internal combustion engines. However, as engines wear, carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
deposits can build up on the internal walls of the engine. When these deposits break free, they exit through the exhaust system and present a potential fire hazard. Vehicles without properly functioning spark arrestors have been suspected of starting numerous wildfires, including the devastating Track Fire near Raton
Raton
Raton may refer to:* Raton Basin, a geologic structural basin in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico* Raton Downtown Historic District, a Registered Historic District in Raton, New Mexico...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in June, 2011
Today, spark arrestors can be found as OEM
OEM
OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
or aftermarket components on many types of equipment, such as large agricultural machines, off highway vehicles (OHVs), and small engines (chainsaws, string trimmers, leaf blower
Leaf blower
A leaf blower is a gardening tool that propels air out of a nozzle to move yard debris such as leaves. Leaf blowers are usually powered by two-stroke engine or an electric motor, but four-stroke engines were recently introduced to partially address air pollution concerns. Leaf blowers are...
s, etc).
Buildings
Spark arrestors are also fitted to the top of a flueFlue
A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. In the United States, they are also known as vents and for boilers as breeching for water heaters and modern furnaces...
(or a chimney pot
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
) to prevent floating embers from a fire (particularly one burning wood) setting light to a flammable roofing surface (shingle, thatch, or bitumen-felt) or falling onto combustible material on the ground. Such a spark arrestor typically consists of a double layer of metal mesh
Mesh
Mesh consists of semi-permeable barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible/ductile material. Mesh is similar to web or net in that it has many attached or woven strands.-Types of mesh:...
, which catches the ember and allows the flue gas to escape.
Large power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s are commonly fitted with electrostatic precipitator
Electrostatic precipitator
An electrostatic precipitator , or electrostatic air cleaner is a particulate collection device that removes particles from a flowing gas using the force of an induced electrostatic charge...
s.
Centrifugal
Centrifugal type spark arrestors employ stationary vanes, baffles, or other devices to trap large particles by centrifugal forceCentrifugal force
Centrifugal force can generally be any force directed outward relative to some origin. More particularly, in classical mechanics, the centrifugal force is an outward force which arises when describing the motion of objects in a rotating reference frame...
. These spark arrestors are typically found on heavy agricultural and construction equipment (tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s, combine
Combine harvester
The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The name derives from the fact that it combines three separate operations, reaping, threshing, and winnowing, into a single process. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn ,...
s, bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
s, etc), but some have been developed for motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s and other all-terrain vehicles.
Screen
Screen type spark arrestors use a physical meshMesh
Mesh consists of semi-permeable barrier made of connected strands of metal, fiber, or other flexible/ductile material. Mesh is similar to web or net in that it has many attached or woven strands.-Types of mesh:...
to prevent large particles from leaving the exhaust system. This is the simplest and most common type of spark arrestor. Screen type devices are used on most motorcycles, ATVs, and small engines.
United States
Laws governing spark arrestor use in the United States depend on the jurisdiction. Internal combustion engines operating on USDA Forest Service and most other federally managed lands must meet the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations 36 CFR 261.52. This mandate requires the operator to have a certified and properly maintained spark arrestor installed at all times. Many state and local land management agencies defer to the federal requirement.Exemptions exist for automobiles legally registered with their state's department of motor vehicles
Department of Motor Vehicles
In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
. During periods of extreme fire danger, land managers may prevent the use of all motorized equipment, even if a properly functioning spark arrestor is installed. Spark arrestor inspections are performed by trained agency law enforcement or fire prevention personnel. They may occur on an individual basis, or as part of an inspection checkpoint during busy recreation weekends. Operators caught using unqualified or modified devices could be cited. Penalties for violating spark arrestor laws depend on the issuing agency. If it is determined a noncompliant vehicle was responsible for starting a fire, the operator could be held liable in civil or even criminal court.
Certification testing of spark arrestors is performed by the USDA Forest Service Technology and Development Center in San Dimas, CA. The technical requirements are outlined in Forest Service Specification FS5100-1. All spark arrestors meeting the requirements of 36 CFR 261.52 must be certified and listed in the USDA Forest Service Spark Arrestor Guide. This guide is a comprehensive directory of all qualified products available in the United States, and is published biannually. The Spark Arrester Guide is used by field inspectors and consumers to verify product certification status. Manufacturers pursuing spark arrestor qualification in the United States should consult the USDA Forest Service's "Manufacturer's Submission Procedure" for both general purpose and small engine spark arrestors.