The aim of this study was to design a fire ventilation system with impulse jet fans for an underground car park. With respect to the number of parameters affecting the spread of smoke that need to be considered, there is a good chance of miscalculations if only conventional plain calculations are used in the design process. To avoid mistakes, visualize the fluid flow, and to compare the design variants it is practical to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this study, CFD simulations were used to compare alternative designs of a fire ventilation system. In one alternative the exhaust shafts were located in both parts of the car park and the jet fans were directed to the corresponding shafts. The air exchange rate was 10-times per hour. In another alternative both exhaust shafts were located on one side opposite to the main air supply, and the air exchange rate was 15-times per hour. The results showed preference of the second alternative, when the smoke was completely exhausted and the visibility improved substantially, whereas in the first alternative the car park was not sufficiently ventilated even 600 seconds after the fire had been put out. The results emphasize that proper location of elements of the ventilation system is crucial to attain high efficiency of fire ventilation.
The aim of this study is to design a fire ventilation system with impulse jet fans for an underground car park. During the planning, it is necessary to consider all aspects of fluid behaviour however, there is a number of parameters that can affect the flow of smoke that need to be considered. There is a good chance of miscalculations when computing the overall fluid flow using conventional plain calculations. To avoid mistakes, visualize the fluid flow and also to directly compare the different design variants it can be practical to use computer software, specifically CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations. By CFD it is possible to better analyse and keep control of the flow of fluid, heat transfer and other related phenomena. It also helps predict the contamination level of Carbon Monoxide, heat and smoke intensity and distribution. In this study CFD simulations were used to design, test and compare two alternatives of fire ventilation system. The two alternatives differed from each other in the location of the impulse jet fans and exhaust ventilation shafts, and in the ventilation intensity (10-times per hour in the first alternative and 15-times per hour in the second alternative). The results have shown that the first alternative is not suitable as the car park was not sufficiently ventilated after 1500 seconds after the simulation had begun, whereas in the second alternative the smoke was almost completely exhausted and the visibility was significantly improved. The simulation results emphasize the important effect of design and location of the different elements on the functionality and efficiency of a fire protection system.
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