Temperature and Smoke Prediction in Structural Fires
Abstract Temperature and smoke level predictions in several rooms of a structural fire are possible with a variety of available computer codes. The accuracy and applicability of the results is greatly enhanced though the comparison of the calculations with experimental data. Experimental work assists in understanding fire behavior in structural fires. Temperature measurements at different locations during a house fire provide necessary data for the development of mathematical models, which attempt to simulate the fire on a computer. In this paper, a small 46 square meter single-level house was the subject of a complete experimental burn, with temperature measurements and fire observations during the entire burn. The CFAST computer code (Consolidated Model of Fire Growth and Smoke Transport) can be used to calculate temperatures and smoke levels in the various rooms of the house during the burn. Five fire scenarios are considered in the simulation, with progressively increasing realism regarding the actual fire specification. It is seen that calculations with the most realistic fire simulation (permitting burning in all rooms during the course of the fire) are in very good agreement with the experimental data, with regard to rate of fire spread throughout the structure, and the accuracy of the calculations of flashover, temperatures and smoke levels in each of the rooms.