Impact of the room geometry on the smoke filling time due to a fire plume

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of a room geometry on the smoke filling time with a fire plume is studied by means of full-scale simulations with the CFD model Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and two-zone models. The results show that the room aspect ratio has little impact on the smoke filling times in the case of small surface rooms. Consequently, the zone models can be used to predict the evacuation time. In the case of large surface rooms, such as atria and hangars, the dynamic of the ceiling jet when it hits the side walls cannot be neglected. In that case, the zone models overestimate the smoke filling time which directly impacts the evacuation time.