- Author
-
McCarthy, T. G.
- Title
- Numerical Field Model Simulation of Full-Scale Fire Tests in a Closed Spherical/Cylindrical Vessel Using Advanced Computer Graphics Techniques.
- Coporate
- Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
- Report
-
Thesis
September 1991
157 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
large scale fire tests
|
computer graphics
|
fire models
|
fire simulation
- Identifiers
- Fire-1; field model; fires in enclosed vessels
- Abstract
- Personnel and equipment casualties, caused by shipboard fires have adversely affected overall readiness of the U. S. Navy for centuries. Understanding the phenomena of fire in enclosed spaces, such as those found on surface ships and submarines, will greatly enhance the Navy's ability to combat or prevent them. This computer model was developed for use in conjunction with Fire-1, an experimental fire chamber test facility at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. It is a three-dimensional finite difference model which includes the phenomena of conduction, turbulence, global pressure correction, surface radiation and strong buoyancy flows. Given specific data on heat release, it predicts velocities, temperatures, pressures, densities and viscosities throughout its geometry. It has been reasonably validated by comparison with experiments in Fire-1. Advanced graphics techniques, such as color contouring and three-dimensional vector field plotting, have been applied to make output data more informative. This model, if easily modified to more specific geometries, may become a useful tool for naval architects in the design of the fire safe ship.