NFPA Journal - Summer 2024 - 22

Dispatches
DINENNO PRIZE
ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
F
ifty years ago, assessing a material's
fire properties and behaviors
using small-scale test methods was
challenging, and results were often
clouded by questionable accuracy.
A researcher
operating a cone
calorimeter. The
device is widely
used in fire
research, materials
development, and
regulation of materials
and products.
It was also a problem that fascinated a young
researcher named Dr. Vytenis " Vyto " Babrauskas.
In the 1980s, Babrauskas, then a fire science
researcher with the National Bureau of Standards-
now known as the National Institute for Standards
and Technology, or NIST-began developing his own
small-scale device that could accurately reflect the
radiative environment of actual fires. The device
Babrauskas assembled, which he called a " cone
calorimeter, " showed the response of a material to
external radiant heat, such as ignition and burning
under the influence of thermal radiation. Testing
measured the heat release characteristics of
materials using oxygen consumption calorimetry
in addition to the release rates of smoke and combustion
products. The cone calorimeter was proven
NFPA RECOGNIZES THE GROUNDBREAKING CONE
CALORIMETER WITH THIS YEAR'S PHILIP J. DINENNO PRIZE
to be efficient and accurate, and the novel aspects
of the device-its use of oxygen consumption calorimetry
and its cone heater design-were notable
improvements over existing test methods.
Another young fire science researcher, Dr. Marc
L. Janssens, was quick to see the development of
the cone calorimeter as a significant innovation
in fire science-the first small-scale test method
to accurately reflect the radiative environment of
real-scale fires. The cone calorimeter has been crucial
in Janssens' 44-year fire testing and research
career, and his work and research were pivotal in
helping deploy the use of cone calorimeter technology
around the world.
To acknowledge the development and deployment
of the cone calorimeter and the important
role it has played in fire science for the past four
decades, Babrauskas and Janssens are the 2024
recipients of the Philip J. DiNenno Prize, given
annually by NFPA to recognize pioneering innovations
that significantly impact building, fire, and
electrical safety.
The prize is named in honor of the late Philip
J. DiNenno, former CEO of Hughes Associates, in
recognition of his exceptional contributions to fire
safety. The DiNenno Prize includes a monetary
award of $50,000. The formal presentation of the
DiNenno Prize will take place on Sunday, June 16, at
the NFPA Conference & Expo®
in Orlando, Florida.
The cone calorimeter is widely used in fire
research, materials development, and regulation
of materials and products. The technology can be
found in fire research facilities and testing laboratories,
industry, and academic institutions.
The cone calorimeter has had a significant impact
on public safety, including safety and material testing,
for which it is used worldwide as a regulatory test
method for building products, consumer products,
and transportation, largely through the standardization
activities in ASTM and ISO. It has also been
an important fire-prevention tool; by understanding
how different materials perform when exposed to
external radiation representative of real-scale fire
conditions, it is possible to develop new materials
that are less flammable. As a research and development
tool, the cone calorimeter provides a powerful
22 | NFPA JOURNAL * SUMMER 2024
PHOTO BY TRACEY NICHOLLS, © COPYRIGHT CSIRO AUSTRALIA
NFPA Journal - Summer 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Summer 2024
