A numerical analysis of the fire characteristics after sprinkler activation in the compartment fire

Abstract

Understanding fire characteristics under sprinkler spray is valuable for performance-based safety design. However, fire characteristics during fire suppression by sprinkler spray has seldom been studied in detail. In order to present a fire suppression model by sprinkler spray and determine the fire characteristics after sprinkler activation in a compartment, a numerical analysis was conducted using a fire dynamics simulator (FDS). A simple fire suppression model by sprinkler spray was calibrated by comparing ceiling temperatures from experimental data. An extinguishing coefficient of 3.0 was shown to be suitable for the fire suppression model. The effect of sprinkler spray on the smoke layer during fire suppression was explained, revealing a smoke logging phenomenon. In addition, the smoke, which spread under the influence of the sprinkler spray, was also investigated. The temperature, velocity, and mass flow rate of the smoke layer through the doorway was significantly reduced during fire suppression compared to a free burn case.