Numerical investigation of smoke dynamics in unconfined and confined environments

Chan Sol Ahn, Boo Hyoung Bang, Min Woo Kim, Tae Gun Kim, Scott C. James, Alexander L. Yarin, Sam S. Yoon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Because of their implications to safety, the study of plume dynamics in high-rise buildings is a research area of interest to building engineers. In this study, the temperature, velocity, and pressure of smoke rising in buildings of various sizes were considered as functions of fire size, and were simulated using the Fire Dynamics Simulator software. Numerical results were validated against the analytical solutions for confined (building enclosure) and unconfined (open-air) systems. As the building area decreased and the fire size increased, buoyancy-driven flow accelerated and the overall building temperature increased. Additionally, the low pressure at the bottom of the building, which resulted from buoyant smoke, increased the vertical pressure gradient throughout the building. These parametric investigations can be used by building engineers concerned with smoke dynamics to develop design-safety guidelines.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)571-582
Number of pages12
JournalInternational Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Volume127
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Dec

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by ICT & Future Planning ( NRF-2016M1A2A2936760 , NRF-2017R1A2B4005639 , NRF-2013R1A5A1073861) and the Technology Development Program to Solve Climate Changes of the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science of South Korea. This work was also supported by the National Research Council of Science & Technology (NST) grant by South Korea government (MSIP) (No. CRC-16-02-KICT ).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Buoyant smoke dynamics
  • Fire Dynamics Simulator
  • High-rise buildings
  • Wall effects

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes

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