- Author
- Tamura, G. T. | Klote, J. H.
- Title
- Experimental Fire Tower Studies on Mechanical Pressurization to Control Smoke Movement Caused by Fire Pressures.
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Book or Conf
- International Association for Fire Safety Science. Fire Safety Science. Proceedings. 2nd International Symposium. June 13-17, 1988, Hemisphere Publishing Corp., New York, Tokyo, Japan, Wakamatsu, T.; Hasemi, Y.; Sekizawa, A.; Seeger, P. G.; Pagni, P. J.; Grant, C. E., Editors, 761-769 p., 1989
- Keywords
- fire research | fire safety | fire science | smoke movement | pressure | pressurization | smoke control | escape means | temperature effects | fire tests | purging | elevators (lifts) | elevator shafts
- Identifiers
- buoyancy force; thermal expansion
- Abstract
- In designing a mechanical smoke control system to protect escape routes, it is necessary to have information on the adverse pressure differences caused by the various mechanisms and on the level of mechanical pressurization needed to overcome them. This paper deals with pressure differences caused by both the buoyancy force and thermal expansion due to fire. The tests were conducted in the ten-story experimental fire tower in conjunction with a project on smoke control technology for a fire safe elevator. The calculated values of adverse buoyancy force agreed well with the measured values, for fire temperatures from 450 to 850 deg C. Also, the minimum amounts of mechanical pressurization required for neutralization were equal to the adverse pressures caused by the buoyancy force. Those caused by thermal expansion due to the rapid temperature rise were determined with the outside wall vents closed and with them opened. The test results verified that adverse pressures caused by fire can be controlled by mefchanical pressurization to prevent smoke contamination of protected spaces. The mechanical pressurization system should be operated as soon as possible as the purging time for a contaminated elevator shaft or lobby can be long.