Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft Curtain Interaction: Large Scale Experiments and Model Development. International Fire Sprinkler-Smoke and Heat Vent-Draft Curtain Fire Test Project.
Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft Curtain
Interaction: Large Scale Experiments and Model
Development. International Fire Sprinkler-Smoke and
Heat Vent-Draft Curtain Fire Test Project.
(16628 K)
McGrattan, K. B.; Hamins, A.; Stroup, D. W.
NISTIR 6196-1; 158 p. September 1998.
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
(NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161.
Telephone:
1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000;
Fax: 703-605-6900.
Website: http://www.ntis.gov
Order number: PB99-144297
Keywords:
sprinklers; smoke; vents; draft curtains; large scale
fire tests; experiments; computational fluid dynamics;
field models; numerical models
Abstract:
The International Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft
Curtain Fire Test Project organized by the National Fire
Protection Research Coundation (NFPRF) has brought
together a group of industrial sponsors to study the
interaction of sprinklers with roof vents and draft
curtains of the type typically found in large
warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and warehouse-like
retail stores. The Technical Advisory Committee
consisting of representatives of the sponsoring
organizations and other interested parties planned and
conducted thirty-nine large scale fire tests in the
Large Scale Fire Test Facility at Underwriters
Laboratories in Northbrook, Illinois. Thirty-four
experiments were performed with a heptane spray burner,
five were performed with racks of Group A Plastic
commodity. The test parameters were chosen to address
relatively large, open-area buildings with flat
ceilings, adequate sprinkler systems and roof venting.
In parallel with the large scale fire tests, a program
was conducted at the National Institute of Standards and
Technolgoy to develop a numerical field model
incorporating the physical phenomena of the experiments.
Bench scale experiments were performed to provide inputs
for the Industrial Fire Simulator 2 (IFS2) model in
terms of the thermal properties of the sprinklers and
vent links, spray distribution, and commodity burn rate.
