Gross Heat of Combustion
The Gross Heat of Combustion is also known as the Higher Heating Value (HHV) or Gross Calorific Value (GCV), and is the total amount of heat released when an object (often a fuel) is completely burned, with all water vapour produced from the combustion condensing into liquid water and represents the maximum potential energy that can be extracted.
The Gross Heat of Combustion (and HHV or GCV) is measured using a bomb calorimeter, which is a sealed insulated container (bomb) with excess oxygen under pressure, with a water bath, in which a known mass of fuel is burned. The heat released during combustion is absorbed by the water in the bath surrounding the bomb, which causes a measurable temperature increase using the calorimeter's constant (measure of its heat capacity) and the temperature change of the water.
Other related terms include Lower Heating Value (LHV) and Net Calorific Value (NCV), these differ from HHV and GCV which account for the energy released when the water vapour is condensed back into liquid, while LHV/NCV calculations do not.
This is one of the test approaches to material analysis that is included in the University of Queensland, Australia's Cladding Materials Library. The library lists some 81 materials and product make-ups that constitute potential cladding solutions for buildings, that have been analysed and or tested. The Cladding Materials Library from Queensland was mentioned in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report of the public inquiry into the fire at Grenfell tower on 14 June 2017: Part 14 Recommendations in the section A construction library 113.39:
“Those who design buildings, particularly higher-risk and complex buildings, would benefit from having access to a body of information, such as data from tests on products and materials, reports on serious fires and academic papers. In Chapter 112 we have referred to the Cladding Materials Library set up by the University of Queensland, which could form the basis of a valuable source of information for designers of buildings in general. We recommend that the construction regulator sponsor the development of a similar library, perhaps as part of a joint project with the University of Queensland, to provide a continuing resource for designers.”
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- BS 9991:2015 Fire safety in the design, management and use of residential buildings. Code of practice.
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