Evaluation of a zone model for fire safety engineering in large spaces. (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Johansson, Nils
• Is Part Of: Fire safety journal. Volume 120(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: Modelling -- Performance-based design -- Compartment fires; Fire prevention -- Periodicals; Incendies -- Prévention -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Fire prevention -- Research; Periodicals; 628.92205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.firesaf.2020.103122
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-7112

Abstract

Abstract: Thanks to simple and straightforward calculation methods it is rather easy to estimate gas temperatures in small- or medium sized enclosures; however, the problem becomes more complex if fire safety analyses are to be performed in large spaces where the hot gas layer cannot be regarded as uniform. Using a multi-zone modelling concept could be a good alternative for such situations. However, few such models exist and the evaluation of the concept is scarce. This paper is therefore dedicated to study the multi-zone modelling concept and its usefulness in fire safety engineering by comparing results from such a model with results from a more established numerical method as well as experimental data. The results indicate that the multi-zone model gives reasonable estimates of gas temperatures in well-ventilated large spaces. It is also concluded that there is a potential for the multi-zone concept to be a complement to more advanced numerical modelling methods like Computational Fluid Dynamics. Highlights: Presentation of a novel numerical multi-zone model. Data from three large-scale experiments are compared to data from numerical models. Multi-zone model predicts gas temperatures within 5% of FDS predictions. Multi-zone model predicts gas temperatures within 10% of experimental data for the well-ventilated scenarios.