Scale modeling on natural smoke filling in a vertical shaft

Smoke movement in vertical shafts of high-rise buildings was studied experimentally with a physical scale model. It was pointed out that the location of fire would be important in determining the smoke traveling time in vertical shafts. Scenarios of a fire in a compartment at three different levels adjacent to the shaft were considered. Empirical correlations on the smoke traveling time were derived from the results reported. Comparison with the previous experimental data was made. The results further confirm that the location of the fire compartment adjacent to the vertical shaft is important in understanding the smoke filling process.