Abstract
In this work, a CFD tool is used to study the thermal behaviour of a two-storey residential house subjected to a typical domestic fire scenario. The fire resistance behaviour of the building is evaluated considering two alternative building techniques; steel-skeleton combined with drywall systems and reinforced concrete with brick walls. When gypsum plasterboard is subjected to a high temperature environment, water molecules bound in its crystal lattice are released; this “dehydration” process enhances the building’s fire resistance. The Fire Dynamics Simulator CFD code, developed by NIST, is used to simulate the
momentum-, heat- and mass-transfer phenomena occurring inside the building during a fire; a mixture-fraction model is used to describe the combustion phenomena in conjunction with a radiative heat transfer model. The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) concept is used to describe the developing reactive turbulent flow. The physical properties of the utilized multilayered construction materials are taken into account to accurately describe their thermal response; the highly detailed computational geometry is based on actual architectural drawings. Numerical predictions of the temporal evolution of various quantities, such as gas velocity, gas- and wall-temperatures, toxic gas concentrations, smoke movement and visibility, are obtained for the entire three-dimensional domain that represents the interior of the building. Gas velocity and temperature predictions are used to visualize the developing flow-field and to estimate the heat flux to which each building element is exposed. Predicted wall temperatures allow the comparative assessment of the two investigated construction techniques in terms of fire resistance. Finally, toxic gas concentrations and smoke production and dispersion predictions enable risk assessment for the tenants of the building in the event of a fire.
momentum-, heat- and mass-transfer phenomena occurring inside the building during a fire; a mixture-fraction model is used to describe the combustion phenomena in conjunction with a radiative heat transfer model. The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) concept is used to describe the developing reactive turbulent flow. The physical properties of the utilized multilayered construction materials are taken into account to accurately describe their thermal response; the highly detailed computational geometry is based on actual architectural drawings. Numerical predictions of the temporal evolution of various quantities, such as gas velocity, gas- and wall-temperatures, toxic gas concentrations, smoke movement and visibility, are obtained for the entire three-dimensional domain that represents the interior of the building. Gas velocity and temperature predictions are used to visualize the developing flow-field and to estimate the heat flux to which each building element is exposed. Predicted wall temperatures allow the comparative assessment of the two investigated construction techniques in terms of fire resistance. Finally, toxic gas concentrations and smoke production and dispersion predictions enable risk assessment for the tenants of the building in the event of a fire.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 9 |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 2011 |
Event | Middle East Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures - Dubai, United Arab Emirates Duration: 8 Feb 2011 → 10 Feb 2011 Conference number: 1 https://smar.empa.ch/ |
Conference
Conference | Middle East Conference on Smart Monitoring, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Civil Structures |
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Abbreviated title | SMAR 2011 |
Country/Territory | United Arab Emirates |
City | Dubai |
Period | 8/02/11 → 10/02/11 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- CFD
- Fire modelling
- Fire spreading
- Residential building