- Author
-
Notarianni, K. A.
|
Davis, W. D.
- Title
- Use of Computer Models to Predict the Response of Sprinklers and Detectors in Large Spaces.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- Society of Fire Protection Engineers and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Computer Applications in Fire Protection. Proceedings. June 28-29, 1993,
Worcester, MA,
27-33 p.,
1993
- Keywords
-
computers
|
fire protection
|
computer models
|
sprinkler response
|
detector response
|
aircraft hangars
|
test fires
|
fire models
- Identifiers
- building layout; measurements taken; FPETOOL; DETACT-QS; LAVENT; HARWELL FLOW3D
- Abstract
- Measurements were made during fire tests conducted in an aircraft hangar with a ceiling height of 30.4 m. Fire gas temperatures and disk temperatures were measured above the fire and along the ceiling in locations corresponding to the expected location of detectors or sprinklers. Instrument locations were determined utilizing the computer fire models FPETOOL, DETACT-QS, and LAVENT. The results of the fire experiments were then compared to the predictions from the computer models in order to determine the limits of applicability of the models and to develop recommendations for use in large spaces. In the analysis conducted, computer fire models underpredicted the ceiling jet temperatures and thus are conservative in their activation predictions. For large spaces, a model should be developed that includes hot gas transport time and fire plume dynamics. In the ongoining phase of this project, a computational fluid dynamic model, HARWELL FLOW3D, is used to model the space. Initial comparisons between the computational fluid dynamic calculations and the experiment for the centerline plume temperatures are in reasonable agreement.