Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management

The process of ensuring basement airflow and explosion safety is currently a critical concern. Designing a smoke management system for a multi-story basement poses a significant challenge for engineers because the basement is located underground, making natural ventilation through openings nearly im...

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Main Authors: Duc T. Le, Tri Minh Nguyen, Yen H.P Duong, Tan M. Le, Viet T. Tran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIDIC Servizi S.r.l. 2024-11-01
Series:Chemical Engineering Transactions
Online Access:https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/14880
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author Duc T. Le
Tri Minh Nguyen
Yen H.P Duong
Tan M. Le
Viet T. Tran
author_facet Duc T. Le
Tri Minh Nguyen
Yen H.P Duong
Tan M. Le
Viet T. Tran
author_sort Duc T. Le
collection DOAJ
description The process of ensuring basement airflow and explosion safety is currently a critical concern. Designing a smoke management system for a multi-story basement poses a significant challenge for engineers because the basement is located underground, making natural ventilation through openings nearly impossible. Furthermore, the placement of stacking vehicles in the basement increases the risk of fire and smoke spread due to the high density of vehicles in a limited area. To address these challenges, Fire Dynamics Simulation (FDS), a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, was chosen to provide solutions for the combustion process and to predict risks. FDS enables the visualization and prediction of fire scenarios on a large scale without compromising safety or requiring substantial investment. This research aims to predict the efficiency of smoke management in a level-2 basement containing two car stackers in an actual office building in Melbourne, Australia. The model incorporates Very-Large Eddy Simulation (V-LES) for turbulence, with fire modeled using the Heat Release Rate (HRR) of 15 MW and an ultrafast T-square fire growth. The study examines the performance of the smoke management system by considering different criteria relating to temperature, visibility and toxic gas level with an exhaust fan capacity of 4 m3/s under two scenarios: successful activation of the sprinkler system and failure to activate the sprinkler system. The obtained results show a requirement of better smoke management system in the structure due to the risks to human life in both scenarios.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2283-9216
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher AIDIC Servizi S.r.l.
record_format Article
series Chemical Engineering Transactions
spelling doaj-art-e60f749103814bc48b19e8b05bd33a312024-12-01T00:37:53ZengAIDIC Servizi S.r.l.Chemical Engineering Transactions2283-92162024-11-01113Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke ManagementDuc T. LeTri Minh NguyenYen H.P DuongTan M. LeViet T. TranThe process of ensuring basement airflow and explosion safety is currently a critical concern. Designing a smoke management system for a multi-story basement poses a significant challenge for engineers because the basement is located underground, making natural ventilation through openings nearly impossible. Furthermore, the placement of stacking vehicles in the basement increases the risk of fire and smoke spread due to the high density of vehicles in a limited area. To address these challenges, Fire Dynamics Simulation (FDS), a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, was chosen to provide solutions for the combustion process and to predict risks. FDS enables the visualization and prediction of fire scenarios on a large scale without compromising safety or requiring substantial investment. This research aims to predict the efficiency of smoke management in a level-2 basement containing two car stackers in an actual office building in Melbourne, Australia. The model incorporates Very-Large Eddy Simulation (V-LES) for turbulence, with fire modeled using the Heat Release Rate (HRR) of 15 MW and an ultrafast T-square fire growth. The study examines the performance of the smoke management system by considering different criteria relating to temperature, visibility and toxic gas level with an exhaust fan capacity of 4 m3/s under two scenarios: successful activation of the sprinkler system and failure to activate the sprinkler system. The obtained results show a requirement of better smoke management system in the structure due to the risks to human life in both scenarios.https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/14880
spellingShingle Duc T. Le
Tri Minh Nguyen
Yen H.P Duong
Tan M. Le
Viet T. Tran
Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
Chemical Engineering Transactions
title Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
title_full Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
title_fullStr Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
title_short Enhancing Fire Safety in Multiple-Level Basements: Utilizing Computational Tools for Smoke Management
title_sort enhancing fire safety in multiple level basements utilizing computational tools for smoke management
url https://www.cetjournal.it/index.php/cet/article/view/14880
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AT yenhpduong enhancingfiresafetyinmultiplelevelbasementsutilizingcomputationaltoolsforsmokemanagement
AT tanmle enhancingfiresafetyinmultiplelevelbasementsutilizingcomputationaltoolsforsmokemanagement
AT vietttran enhancingfiresafetyinmultiplelevelbasementsutilizingcomputationaltoolsforsmokemanagement