Use of zone models on simulating compartmental fires with forced ventilation

Performance of three fire zone models BR12, CCFM.VENTS and CFAST in simulating forced ventilation fires with low heat release and high ventilation rates were studied experimentally. A fire chamber of length 4.0 m, width 3.0 m height 2.8 m with adjustable ventilation rates was used. Burning tests were carried out with wood cribs and methanol to study the preflashover stage of a compartmental fire and the effect of ventilation. The mass loss rate of fuel, temperature distribution of the compartment and the air intake rate were measured. The heat release rates of the fuel were calculated from the measured mass loss rate. The smoke temperature was used as the validation parameter. A scoring system is proposed to compare the results predicted by the three models. An empirical expression for calculating the smoke temperature is assessed. Lastly, the Computational Fluid Dynamics technique is also used for comparing the simulated fire environment.