02-02.

QXD 11/14/2001 10:57 AM Page 24

2–24 Fire Dynamics

Foam Sofa and where dimensionless variables are indicated with the
4000 superscript asterisk.
•
Notice that in Equation 32 the ‰ dimensionless
 time, t2,
Q = 0.1736 (t – 80)2 has been reduced by the time t2 f . This reduction ac-
counts for the gas travel time, tf > ti , between the fire
Rate of heat release (kW)

3000
source and the location of interest along the ceiling at the
specified
‰  r/H. For dimensionless times after ignition less
than t2 f , the initial heat front has not yet arrived at r/H,
2000 so the gas temperature is still at the ambient value, as
shown in Equation 31. In dimensional terms, the gas
travel time is given by the following, after using the defi-
nition of t2 in Equation 39:
1000
0.813(1 = r/H)
tf > ti C H4/5 (40)
(A*c)1/5
0 Substitution of Equation 29 into Equation 28 shows that
0 100 200 300 400 500
for power-law fire growth, the quasi-steady assumption
Time (s)
will always be valid beginning at a sufficiently long time
after ignition. For the specific case of t 2 fire growth, substi-
Figure 2-2.3. Heat release rate history for a burning
tution of Equation 38 and the expression for the gas travel
foam sofa.22
time, Equation 40, into Equation 28 results in the following
requirement if a quasi-steady analysis is to be appropriate:

temperatures and velocities during the growth of fires t > ti 0.813(1 = r/H)
B H4/5 (41)
in three different sizes of wood crib. Subsequent to this 2 (A*c)1/5
original experimental study, Heskestad and Delichat-
sios26 corrected the heat release rate, Qg , computed for In the limit of very large values of t > ti , Equation 41 will
the crib tests and also generalized their results to other always be satisfied and a quasi-steady limit is achieved,
types of fuels by using the more relevant, convective heat as shown by an alternative method in Reference ‰ 24. The
g c. The resulting dimensionless correlations
release rate, Q value of the quasi-steady
‰  excess temperature, !T2 qs , in
for maximum ceiling jet temperatures and velocities are this limit of t2 I t2 f becomes, from Equation 32
given by Π4/3
‰  t2
‰  !T2 qs C (42)
!T2 C 0 t2 D t2 f (31) 0.126 = 0.210r/H

¡ ‰  ¢4/3 The preceding correlations of ceiling jet temperatures and


t > t f ‰  velocities are the basis for the calculated values of fire de-
!T2 C £ 2 2 ¤ t2 B t2 f (32) tector spacing found in NFPA 72®, National Fire Alarm
0.126 = 0.210r/H
Code ®, Appendix B, “Engineering Guide for Automatic
‹
>0.63 Fire Detector Spacing.”27 In NFPA 72, three or four selected
U2 r fire heat release rates assumed to increase proportionally
„ C 0.59 (33)
!T2 H with the square of time are used as the basis for the evalu-
ation. These fire heat release rate histories are chosen to be
representative of actual fires involving different commodi-
where ties and geometric storage arrangements. The chosen re-
t > ti lease-rate histories are as follows:
t2 C ‰  (34)
A*cH>4 >1/5
Slow, g C 0.00293t 2
Q (43)
U
U2 C (35) Medium, g C 0.01172t 2
Q (44)
(A*cH)1/5

(T > Tã)/Tã Fast, g C 0.0469t 2

Q (45)
!T2 C (36)
(A*c)2/5 g>1H>3/5 Ultrafast, g C 0.1876t 2
Q (46)
g g is in kW and t is in s.
AC (37) where Q
:ãcpTã

Qgc EXAMPLE:
*c C (38) Sofa fire: Consider how the following calculation dem-
(t > ti )2
‹
onstrates a use of the correlation (Equations 32 and 33) for
‰  r calculating the ceiling jet maximum temperature and ve-
t2 f C 0.813 1 = (39) locity produced by a t 2 fire growth.
H