Evaluation Of The Ability Of Fire Dynamic Simulator To Simulate Positive Pressure Ventilation In The Laboratory And Practical Scenarios

Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) is a tactic that is used on fire grounds across the world everyday, both to improve tenability after the extinguishment of a fire and/or offensively during fire attack to improve firefighting conditions. PPV has proven that it can be a useful tool on the fire ground, but it can also kill or injure fire fighters and civilians if used improperly. Data from three full-scale experiments are compared with simulations completed with the computational fluid dynamic model Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS). The full-scale experiments characterize a Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) fan in an open atmosphere, in a simple room geometry and in a room fire. All experiments qualify and quantify the comparison of the experimental results with the FDS results. A concluding scenario is modeled utilizing the calibration of the full-scale experiments to examine the effects of PPV on a fire in a two-story, colonial style house.

A panel of experts appointed by the National Research Council assessed the scientific and technical work of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The scope of the assessment included the following criteria: (1) the technical merit of the current laboratory programs relative to the current state of the art worldwide; (2) the adequacy of the laboratory facilities, equipment, and human resources, as they affect the quality of the laboratory technical programs; and (3) the degree to which the laboratory programs in measurement science and standards achieve their stated objectives and desired impact. The book finds that, overall the technical merit of the programs reviewed within the BFRL is very high and generally at a state-of-the-art level. The programs have clear ties to the overall BFRL Strategic Priority Areas and are well aligned with the mission of NIST, which is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

A series of experiments was run in a masonry educational building examining the ability of fire service Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) fans to limit smoke spread or to remove smoke from areas where potential occupants may be located. The PPV fans are able to accomplish this by creating pressures higher than that of the fire to manage where the smoke and hot gases flowed in the building. Preliminary experiments examined the pressure increase created by portable fans and mounted fans in different configurations and locations. The two main fire scenarios included a long hallway with classrooms and a gymnasium. Both scenarios included fires that produced a large amount of smoke and hot gases, and instrumentation was placed to assess tenability criteria and how PPV tactics can either increase or decrease tenability. Measurements included temperature, pressure, thermal imaging and video views.