A COMPARISON OF A FLOW3D BASED FIRE FIELD MODEL WITH EXPERIMENTAL ROOM FIRE DATA

This paper describes the application of a fire field model based on th e FLOW3D CFD software to the simulation of fire induced flows in domes tic sized rooms. Several scenarios are examined consisting of various sized fires, fire locations and door sizes. Comparisons are based on u pper-layer room temperatures, mass fluxes in and out of the fire compa rtment and door-M,ay vertical and horizontal temperature and velocity profiles. For most cases the model agrees reasonably well with the obs erved trends, however the results suggest that significant mesh refine ment is required to produce results in quantitative agreement with exp erimental results. A close examination of the horizontal door-way velo city profiles highlights the need for careful modelling and experiment al practices in this region.