A closed-form method is developed for estimating quasi-steady mass flow rates in room fires ventilated only through a single rectangular wall opening. This method uses lin earized forms of the vent flow and plume entrainment equations. Two forms of plume entrainment equations are considered: axisymmetric plumes and line fires located against walls. Mass flow rates calculated by this method are compared with mass flow rates measured in a series of room fire experiments.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Rockett, J.A. , "Fire Induced Flow in an Enclosure,"Combustion Science and Technology, 12, 1976, pp. 165-175.
2.
Prahl, J., and Emmons, H.W., "Fire Induced Flow through an Opening," Combustion and Flame, 25, 1975, pp. 369-385.
3.
Steckler, K.D. , Baum, H.R., and Quintiere , J.G., Fire Induced Flows through Room Openings — Flow Coefficients, NBSIR 83-2801, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C., March 1984.
4.
Mowrer, F.W. , and Williamson, R.B., "Estimating Room Temperatures from Fires along Walls and in Corners," Fire Technology, 23, 1987, pp. 133-145.
5.
Kawagoe, K., "Fire Behavior in Rooms," Report No. 27, Building Research Institute, Tokyo, 1958.
6.
Heskestad, G. , "Engineering Relations for Fire Plumes," Fire Safety Journal, 7, 1984, pp. 25-32.
7.
Alpert, R.L. , and Ward, E.J., "Evaluation of Unsprinklered Fire Hazards ," Fire Safety Journal, 7, 1984, pp. 127-143.
8.
Alpert, R., "Response Time of Ceiling-Mounted Fire Detectors," Fire Technology, 8, 1972, pp. 181-195.
9.
Zukoski, E., Kubota, T., and Cetegen, B., "Entrainment in Fire Plumes," Fire Safety Journal, 3, 1980, pp. 107-121.
10.
Morton, B.R. , Taylor, G., and Turner, J.S., "Turbulent Gravitational Convection from Maintained and Instantaneous Sources," Proceedings of the Royal Society, A234, 1956, pp. 133-145.
11.
Grella, J.J. , and Faeth, G.M., "Measurements in a Two-Dimensional Thermal Plume along a Vertical Adiabatic Wall," Journal of Fluid Mechanics , 21, 1975, p. 701.
12.
Quintiere, J.G., Rinkinen, W.J., and Jones, W.W., "The Effect of Room Openings on Fire Plume Entrainment," Combustion Science and Technology, 26, 1981, pp. 193-201.
13.
Williamson, R.B., Revenaugh, A., and Mowrer, F.W., "Ignition Sources in Room Fire Tests and Some Implications for Flame Spread Evaluation," Fire Safety Science — Proceedings of the Third International Symposium, Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd., 1991, pp. 657-666.
