- Author
-
Fung, F. C.
|
Zile, R. H.
- Title
- Test and Evaluation of the Smoke Control Capabilities of the San Diego Veterans Administration Hospital. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Veterans Administration, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 77-1225
April 1977
163 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
hospitals
|
smoke control
|
smoke movement
- Abstract
- A study was made by the National Bureau of Standards to evaluate the smoke control capabilities of the San Diego Veterans Administration Hospital. A unique feature of the hospital is the presence of independent air-handling units for each for smoke control following the systematic pressurization concept. Systematic pressurization is a means of smoke control whereby a building is divided into either vertical or horizontal compartmented zones such that the air-handling systems are designed to exhaust the immediate fire zone and pressurize the adjacent surrounding zones upon detection of smoke. An experimental technique of smoke simulation and smoke movement measurement was used for the study. The effectiveness of the systematic pressurization smoke control concepts is demonstrated by the simulated smoke concentration profiles and pressure measurements. An extensive series of experiments designed to evaluate the above smoke control concepts were performed by the NBS in cooperation with the VA. Two types of experiments were performed with the building air-handling system operating in normal and various smoke control modes. First, simulated smoke infiltration measurements were obtained by using the sulfur-hexafluoride smoke simulation technique. Second, pressure measurements were obtained across elevator doors, and doors leading from the building central core to each wing. Both SF6 concentrations and pressure measurements are key indicators of smoke movement in this evaluation. Six basic air-handling test configurations were established and pressure difference data was collected at fifteen locations on each floor measured. At least two floors and more generally three floors were measured for each mode. Each of the six configurations tested are summarized in table 7, and the measured data are summarized in table 8. A total of six smoke simulation experiments were conducted. The results and test conditions for each test are tabulated in tables 1 to 6 inclusively. It is concluded that air-handling systems in the San Diego VA Hospital can be effective in controlling smoke movement if the proper vertical and horizontal systematic pressurization concept as described in this report is applied. This is illustrated in figures 7,8,11, and 12. A computer smoke movement simulation analysis is also presented. Computer calculations compared favorably with field data. Parametric analysis was also performed on smoke control modes for varying environmental and leakage conditions to further study the smoke control uses of the air-handling system and to demonstrate the capability of the computer simulation program.