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Author
Klote, J. H. | Davis, W. D. | Forney, G. P. | Bukowski, R. W.
Title
Field Modeling: Simulating the Effects of HVAC Induced Air Flow From Various Diffusers and Returns on Detector Response. International Fire Detection Research Project. Year 4 Report/Data.
Coporate
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Sponsor
National Fire Protection Research Foundation, Quincy, MA
Report
Year 4 Report/Data, 1998,
Distribution
AVAILABLE FROM National Fire Protection Research Foundation (NFPRF), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269-9101. Telephone: 617-984-7283; Fax: 617-984-7010. Website: http://www.nfpa.org
Keywords
air conditioning | fire models | heating | smoke detectors | ventilation
Abstract
Rapid activation of fire protection systems in response to a growing fire is one of the important factors required to provide for life safety and property protection. Airflow due to the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system can significantly modify the flow of smoke along the ceiling and must be taken into consideration when a particular system is designed. At present, the standards used to guide the design of systems contain very little quantitative information concerning the impact of airflow produced by HVAC systems. This project is part of a multi year, International Fire Detection Research Project sponsored by the National Fire Protection Research Foundation (NFPFR), and it describes the results of the fourth year of the project during which numerical simulations of smoke movement in response to HVAC flows resulting from ceiling mounted slot diffusers, wall mounted slot diffusers, high sidewall diffusers, and ceiling diffusers from which airflow drops to the floor. The computer model calculated smoke detector activation using a mass density simulation which was consistent with a 13 deg C temperature correlation used during the first two years of the project.