There are various methods for calculating radiant heat, as shown in the table below, and our program can perform calculations using any of these methods. However, we recommend the "Mudan method" described in the NFPA Handbook as the most practical method.
In methods other than NISTIR6546, the radiant exitance is taken as the average value over the entire flame height.
The actual state of the flame is that the lower part near the oil surface burns brightly, while above it is mostly smoke with occasional flickers of red flame. NISTIR6546 calls this bright area the Luminous Band, and assumes that its radiant dispersibility is approximately 100 [kW/m2] regardless of the type of oil, and provides a formula for calculating the height of that area.
While the radiation intensity at points several times the tank diameter can be measured using the mean radiation exitance method, the luminous band concept seems more practical for areas closer to the tank.