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AIVC

#9034

~I

Development of Smoke
Management Systems

By William A. Webb, P.E.


Member ASHRAE

moke control has been a concern of became popular, requiring additional smoke restriction. Atria and covered malls are

S man since fire was discovered and


brought inside for warmth and
cooking. Using trial and .error,
chimneys, flues and fireplaces were invented
to control smoke. This paper describes
management considerations.
Since then, high-rise and atrium build-
ings have emphasized the need for sophisti-
cated methods of smoke control or smoke
management. In a high-rise building, the
examples of large volume spaces:' Other
examples of such spaces include malls,
mega-structures having characteristics of
both a mall and an atrium, convention cen-
ters and airport tenninals.
recent significant events which have con- objective is commonly to prevent or limit This paper does not discuss new tech-
tributed to the current state of smoke man- smoke spread beyond the area or floor of nology. It is intended to explain work per-
agement system design. origin, i.e., "control" smoke. For atrium formed since the 1960's to help understand
Concern for smoke in building fires did buildings, the goal is often to direct smoke the current state of smoke management sys-
not get much attention until a series of high- by exhausting it or venting it safley, i.e., to tem practice and design.
rise fires in the 1960's. It was the National "manage" the smoke. Throughout this
Research Council of Canada which took the paper, the ASHRAE5 and NFPA6,7 defini- Experience
lead in identifying the nature and extent of tions of "smoke control system" and Although there have been relatively few
the fire challenge in high-rise style build- "smoke management system" will be used as high-rise fires and little experience with
ings. 1,2,3 ·A significant issue was smoke follows: smoke control system performance, there
spread caused by what we now refer to as •Smoke Control System: An engin- has been an increased awareness of fire
"stack effect" and by HVAC system opera- eered system that uses mechanical fans to safety among the public, and a misguided
tion. Following notable high-rise fires in produce airflows and pressure differences perception that current materials yield
Chicago and New York, Illinois Institute of across barriers to limit smoke movement. greater smoke and are more toxic than those
Technology in 1970 and the US General
Services Administration in 1971 held confer- • Smoke Management System: An
em:es to evaluate and recommend improved engineered system that includes all methods
that can be used singly or in combination to About the author
fire safety provisions for high-rise build-
ings. 4 That led to adoption of high-rise modify smoke movement. 'v William A. Webb, P.E., is senior vice-
bujldiqg fire safety requirements in the This article concerns information president and chief engineer at Rolf Jensen
model building codes and those of the about fire size, smoke production and & Associates, Deerfield, Illinois. Webb has
major dties of North America. Among the assessing the risk to occupants to be used in a Bachelor of Science degree in fire protec-
features required were means to prevent designing smoke management systems. tion and safety engineering from the Illinois
Although much of the information pre- Institute of Technology, and is a registered
smoke from spreading between floors or engineer in 13 states and a Certified Safety
groups of floors. Among the systems to sented concerns atria, it actually applies to
Professional. He is a member of several pro-
accomplish this included stair shaft pressu- any large volume space, including covered
fessional associations including ASHRAE.
rization, HVAC system shutdown, fire floor malls, 6 for ·example, describes a. large He is a former chairman of ASHRAE's
venting or exhausting, and automatic sprin- volume space as, "An uncompartmented Technical Committee on Fire and Smoke
kler protection. The specific features space, generally two or more stories in Control, and the Guideline Project Commit-
required or allowed varied among the height, within which smoke from a fire tee for Commissioning Smoke Management
individual codes. Over time, large volume either in the space or in a communicating Systems.
spaces such as shopping malls and atria space can move and accumulate without

36 ASHRAE Journal August 1995


of earlier generations. There has been less smoke shaft could be utilized. Of the three • Pressurization of the stair shaft with
fire and smoke control experience with alternatives, the report states that direct a pressurized vestibule; and
atria. Fires in atria, however, demonstrate venting is considered the most reliable. • Pressurization of multiple levels.
the need for testing to see that a system
functions as intended. Natural Venting . A ~op pressurization stairwell system
Natural venting to control smoke 1s descnbed by Fung. ll Air was injected in
Current Technology movement in buildings via vertical shafts is the shaft at the top with additional
described by Tamura and Wilson. IO Sim- ~llowances ~dded for each door opening
Current technology for smoke man-
ply described, the method uses smoke mto the stalf: 100 cfm (47 Lis) for each
agement has dwelt on high-rise protection
shafts to exhaust smoke from a building. door having a perimeter of not more than
and atria. The following provides a brief
Elevator shafts and stairwell shafts are 2.0 ~t. (6 m) that was equipped with a tight-
?verview of the techniques for these build-
vented to the outside at the top or bottom. f1ttmg weather stripping or 200 cfm (94
mg types.
Top venting increases the number of stories LI~) for every other door having a
from which air flows into the shaft and penmeter of not more than 20 ft. (6 m) into
Smoke Control and High-Rise
decreases the number of stories into which the stair shaft.
Smoke control design is based on Each stair shaft had a vent at street
empirical and mathematical models. The air flows from the shaft. Bottom venting
has the opposite effect. This method does level opening either directly outside or into
models need not be sophisticated because a vestibule or corridor that had a similar
the smoke control system for such buildings present a satisfactory arrangement under
c.old weather conditions. During summer- opening to the outside having an opening
depends heavily on the building's inherent
time, a reversal of the normal stack effect of not less than 0.5 ft. 2 (0.05m2) for every
compartmentation. Pressure differentials door that opened into the stair shaft other
across boundaries which form that com- could occur and permit smoke to exhaust
through the bottom vented shaft. If this than doors at the street level, but in no case
partmentation control air movement and should the total equal less than 20 ft. 2
were a stairwell, however, occupants would
thereby control smoke movement. These
be exposed to smoke as they mo¥ed down (l.9m 2). The system was evaluated through
are the systems used for high-rise buildings. smoke movement tests utilizing sulphur
NFPA 92A7 and Klote and Milkes give the stairway to exit at ground level. Another
problem can occur in the pressure differ- hexaflouride (SF6) trace gas. Further evalu-
~ecom~ended practices for the design, ations were performed utilizing computer
mstallation, testing, operation, and main- ence at the bottom of bottom vented shafts
during winter conditions. The article simulation techniques.
tenance of new and retrofitted mechanical . While the tests and computer simula-
and ventilation systems for smoke control. reports that the force in a tall building could
be excessive for the stairwell door at the tion demonstrated that the stairwell would
An approach relying on establishing pres- remain free of smoke, the high noise level of
sure differentials between floors to control base of the shaft. Admittedly, the pressure
~t the base would also be great for top vent- the large high-velocity pressurization unit
smoke was suggested in the GSA 1971 Con- required to achieve pressurization could be
ference. It is referred to as "Building Pres- mg shafts, and could be greater. It is clear
~hy t~e ~eport states that venting has prac- objectionable. It was also determined that
surization" or the "Pressure Sandwich" the force to open stairwell doors under
because it exhausts the fire floor while pres- tical hm1ts as an effective smoke control
measure. stairway pressurization could be excessive
surizing the adjacent floors. Although that and a design specification would be
system is still frequently used, some of the . Another means of natural venting
"'.h1ch has proved to be effective, is to pro- required to limit the maximum force
model codes no longer require it. needed to open the pressurized stairwell
vide a smoke vestibule at each stair with
direct access to the outside. The most relia- doors.
Building Pressurization Bottom ventilation of stairs was advo-
ble means to achieve the ventilation is to
The pressurized building method of have an open air balcony. Where weather cated in a report of fire tests, analyses, and
controlling.smoke in high-rise buildings has conditions prohibit such an arrangement evaluation of stair pressurization and
b~en descnbed by Tamura and McGuire.9 automatically operated dampers on th~ exhaust in high-rise office buildings pre-
Sunply described, the method consists of exterior wall can be utilized. pared by the Polytechnic Institute of
exhaustin~ the fire floor while pressurizing Brooklyn Center for Urban Environmental
s.urroundmg floors. Often this is accomp- Stairway Pressurization Studies. 12 The report concluded that the
lished by operating automatic dampers in The means of smoke control in build- direction of air flow in the stairs should be
the building ventilation system. Return ings which has received the most attention ~~~ard at all levels. This would prevent any
dampers on the fire floor remain open and both in building codes and in literature, and m1tial smoke and gases which may have
all other return dampers in the system close. on whic~ the .most testing has been per- entered the stair from traveling downward.
Supply dampers to the fire floor will close formed, 1s stairway pressurization. While The roof terminus for the exhausted smoke
and all other supply dampers will remain this method appears to provide a simple and gases was also considered to be prefer-
open. Under this system, some auxiliary and effective means of maintaining egress able to the street (lobby) level (with down-
means may be needed to keep egress routes path~ free of smoke, there is controversy on ward flow) where fire fighters would be
free of smoke. Tamura and McGuire9 sug- specific arrangements. The controversy is entering and occupants leaving. It was
gest an air injection rate of 300 cfm (142 cent~r~d around t~e location for injection learned that when more than three doors
Lis) for each typical stair door into the stair of air mto the stalf shaft. The engineer's op~n into the stair shaft, the stair pressuri-
shaft. primary choices are: zation was defeated. In addition, the same
In lieu of using the return as an problems with the force to open the door as
exhaust, the fire floor could be directly • Top pressurization; encountered with top pressurization can
vented through automatic dampers, or a • Bottom pressurization; occur with bottom pressurization.

ASHRAE Journal August 1995 37


Development of Smoke Management Systems

Bottom pressurization with the vesti- Smoke Management and Atria A system designer needs to decide
bule pressurized were reported by Zinn, Smoke management design for atria is whether the fire will be considered a steady
Bankston, Cassanova, Powell, and more complicated because of the number fire or an unsteady fire. A steady fire has a
Koplon. 13 The article reports on fire tests of factors that affect air and smoke move- constant heat release rate. An unsteady fire
conducted at the Henry Grady Hotel in ment. In simple terms, however, the smoke is one that varies with respect to time. Fire
Atlanta. The report concluded that stair- management systems for atria rely on Protection engineers often use a "t-
well pressurization at a maximum of 0.15 chimney and venting technology. Atrium squared" approximation for unsteady fires.
inches of water column combined with ves- smoke management considerations and A "t-squared" fire is one in which the burn-
tibule pressurization prevented smoke design criteria are found in NFPA 92B ing rate varies proportionally with the
movement from the fire area to the stairwell (199la) 6 and Design of Smoke Manage- square of time. "T-squared" fires are
with the stairwell doors closed. In addition, ment Systems. 8 Tho of the model codes classed by speed of growth, as ultra-fast,
the open-door flow rate used by stairwell (BOCA;1993 14 ICBO 1994 15 ) have fast, medium and slow, based on the time
and vestibule supply fans prevented the adopted atrium smoke management sys- to reach a heat release rate of 1,000 Btu/sec
movement of smoke into the stairwell when tem requirements based on NFPA 92B (1,055 kW).
the vestibule and stairwell doors were held (199la). 6 The ICBO provisions have been In the absence of specific heat release
open to the fire area for several minutes. No criticized on the basis that there is a lack of rate data, one should assume a steady fire.
more than three doors were opened into the any fire Joss history to support the need for This will yield a more conservative result
stairwell at a time. The effectiveness of the elaborate smoke control systems. Some than using an unsteady fire. An ·average
system is in doubt if additional doors were have also taken the position that designers heat release rate for the design fuel area
open, which must be assumed during an using the Code will rely on automatic sprin- could be estimated. This is the approach
emergency evacuation. klers fo r fire control when calculating the used in BOCA 14 and ICBO. 15 BOCA uses
The report also stated that stairwell smoke management system and that it is 4,400 Btu/s (4640kW) for mercantile,
door measurements show that the pressure unlikely that additional smoke manage- storage and industrial occupancies and
losses are large when a single fan pressu- ment will be necessary for life safety in such 2,000 Btu/s (2110 kW) for residential and
rized a vertical shaft in a multi-story build- cases, making the cost of a smoke manage- other occupancies; ICBO uses 50 Btu/ft. 2.
ing. "Such an arrangement requires ment system complying with the ICBO s (567 kW/m2) for mercantile and residen-
unacceptably high pressures near the sup- requirements unjustifiable. It is clear that tial and 25 Btu/ft. 2 • s (284 kW/m2) for
ply fan in order to maintain necessary mini- atrium smoke management requirements offices. In each case, the assumed fire size
mum pressures at the opposite end of the will continue to receive attention in the is 100 square feet (9.3m 2). This is a
shaft. The use of several smaller fans is a model codes. reasonable assumption for typical spaces
possible alternative to the single-fan protected by automatic sprinklers.
approach. A multi-fan system will require Design Approach
the determination of the number, size and Smoke Production
location of fans for optimum pressuriza- To properly design smoke manage-
ment for a large space, one needs to know Having determined the fire size, one
tion conditions. The multi-fan scheme can calculate the rate of smoke production
would also probably reduce the shaft region the heat release rate of the expected fire to
determine the fire size. From that, one can using equations such as those found in
affected by large pressure tops to open NFPA 92B. 6 This is the approach used by
doors~'
estimate the amount of smoke based on the
composition of standard building materi- BOCA. It establishes a design criteria that
These techniques have been integrated the smoke management system keep the
and applied in building code requirements als. It is then possible to calculate the time
for smoke to reach a point that could smoke layer interface above the highest
such as those of BOCA 14 and ICB0. 15 unprotected opening to adjoining spaces or
BOCA 14 requires sprinklers, pressur- endanger the occupants and to compare
that time to the egress time. If the smoke six feel above the highest floor level of exit
ized stairs, or smokeproof enclosures and access open to the atrium. ICBO requires
HVAC system control for high-rise build- layer time is less than the egress time, a
smoke management system should be pro- this distance to be ten feet (3 m). The
ings. No additional smoke control is BOCA criteria requires that the smoke be
required on the basis that the aforemen- vided to exhaust smoke at a minimum of
the rate at which the smoke is produced. controlled at or above the six feet (1.8 m)
tioned provisions provide adequate life level for not less than 20 minutes (1,200
safety in the absence of floor openings such Design Fire sec). BOCA contains a calculation method
as atria. based on NFPA 92B6 to.evaluate compli-
ICB0 15 has similar requirements for As previously noted, the starting point
for smoke management system ca:Jculations ance with the criteria as follows:
high-rise buildings, except pressurized stairs
is determining the size of the fire. The pur-
.require vestibules. High-rise buildings
require smoke control, designed using an pose is to determine the heat release rate. Z = 0.67H - 0.28Hln [ tQY~H'h]
approach based on NPPA 92A 7 and Until recently, heat release rate data for
NFPA 92B6 • The system is required to be common objects and the means to use this In SI,
designed, installed and tested with the
intention of providing a tenable environ-
data were not in a form readily available to
de~ign engineers. There is information Z = l.llH - 0.28H In [ tQY~H'h]
ment for the evacuation or relocation of available now, in NFPA 92B6 , the SFPE
occupants during a fire. The code contains Handbook 16 and the NFPA Handbook. 17 where:
equations from the NFPA documents to be One could also estimate heat release rate Z = Height from floor to the smoke
used to accomplish the objective. from fire tests. interface, feet(m).

38 ASHRAE Journal August 1995


t= Time for interface to descend to Z; This analysis demonstrates that the air Control Systems!' Among the performance
use 1,200 seconds. change rate method causes over-design, i.e., to be considered is capacity, endurance, and
H = Atrium height; floor to flat ceil- greater exhaust capacity than required, for reliability under elevated temperatures,
ing, feet(m). large volume spaces and under-design for intermittent use and accelerated aging. The
Q = Steady state heat release rate small volume spaces having modest most significant challenge. of the project
Btu/s (kW). heights. will be to establish the temperature require-
A= Horizontal cross-sectional area ments. There is disagreement within the
of the above ceiling space being filled, ft 2 design community on the need for elevated
(m2). Maximum A to be used shall be: A Occupant Risk temperature performance of smoke control
= 21 H 2 • The next step in the process is the fans. The smoke is usually only slightly
If the calculations demonstrate that response time of detectors which would be above ambient having been cooled by dilu-
the geometry of the space is such that this used to initiate the smoke management sys- tion and automatic sprinklers. In some
performance will be achieved without a tem and occupant evacuation. One would cases, however, a fan may be required to
mechanical exhaust system, no such system also calculate response time of automatic function in higher temperatures near the
will be required. Based on some calculated sprinklers to evaluate if one's assumption fire. This issue will receive considerable
examples, however, it appears unlikely to about the fire size is appropriate. NFPA debate.
meet the stated criteria without a mechan- 92B6 and Klote and Milke 8 describe the
ical exhaust system. If an exhaust system is means to perform these calculations. Conclusion
required, BOCA uses the following equa- Next, one would evaluate the egress Smoke management system design is
tion to determine the minimum exhaust time using procedures such as those in becoming more sophisticated and
rate: NFPA 101, 18 Fruin, 19 the SFPE handbook thorough. It is important that the objective
or the NFPA handbook. The approach is of the system be clearly established at the
V = 20.8 Q~13 z5 13 + 3.98Qc similar to a hydraulic flow calcu~ation. outset of the design and that concurrence
In SI, of all those involved in designing, approv-
ing and operating the building be achieved.
System Evaluation
V = 0.070 QY3 z5 13 + O.OOZQc The major fire protection features
Beyond performance standards and needed to achieve the smoke management
where: criteria, it is necessary to establish a means objectives are:
V= The volumetric rate of smoke to determine that the systems achieve the
production, cfm (Lis). intended objective. Systems must be evalu- 1. A means to control fire growth,
Qc= Convective portion of the heat ated during design and after installation. In usually automatic sprinkler protection.
release rate, Btu/s (kW) = 0.7Q. addition to Klote and Milke, ASHRAE 2. Adequate exit facilities.
BOCA uses 165 °F (74 °q as the temp- continues to develop documents to advance 3. A detection and alarm system to
erature of the smoke being exhausted. the state of the art of smoke management.
activate the smoke control system and to
According to the Appendix A of NFPA ASHRAE has developed Guideline
92B, the density of smoke is approximately notify occupants to initiate evacuation and
5-1994, Commissioning Smoke Manage-
equal to the density of air. The smoke layer ment Systems. The purpose of the docu- to summon firefighters.
temperature can be calculated to determine ment is to provide methods for verifying 4. Adequate smoke control hardware:
the air flow rate. Alternatively, one can use and documenting that the performance of fans, dampers, controls and barriers.
ambient temperature as an approximation, smoke management systems conforms with Excerpt From: Automatic Sprinkler
which is how determining the volumetric the design intent. This project was prompt- Systems for Fire Protection by P. Nash and
exhaust rate is treated in an example in an ed by a recognized need for testing to deter-
R. A. Young Paramount Publishing
appendix of NFPA 92B. The exhaust rate is mine that a smoke management system
then to be adjusted in accordance with a achieves its design intent using objective Limited 1991. •
table to allow for increase in time for the methods and measurable results as ,::·
smoke layer interface to reach the critical opposed to unspecified performance objec- u Reader Response Rating
height. tive and criteria such as "exhaust smoke at · · ASHRAE Journal would like to ask that
Comparing the exhaust rate deter- a rate so as to see an exit sign from 50 feet .: you rate this article now that you have read
mined on this basis with that determined (15 m) away in 10 minutes" or to "clear it. Please circle the appropriate number on
from the air change rate design basis of smoke in 10 minutes!' °'eReader Service Card to be found at che
four or six air changes per hour formerly ASHRAE has begun a project to pre- . back of the publication.
used in the model codes yields the fol- pare a standard "Test Method for Rating Rating:
qt~e/ilely Helpful . ......•...... 450
lowing: Air Moving Equipment for Smoke HelPful ...............•.. . .... 451
Some1y_ha1 Helpful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
NQI Heli!ful . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453

References
1. McGuire, J.H. 1%7a. Smoke Movement in
Buildings. Fire Technology 3(3): 163-174.

ASHRAE Journal August 1995 39


Development of Smoke Management Systems
I
I

l
2. McGuire, J.H. 1967b. Control of Smoke in 9. Tamura, GT. and McGuire, J.H. 1973. The 14. BOCA. 1993. The BOCA National Building
I
1
Building Fires. Fire Technology 3(4): 281-290. pressurized building method of controlling
smoke in high-rise buildings. NRCC-13365.
3. Galbreath, M. 1968. Fire in High Buildings. Ottawa, Ontario: National Research Council of
Code. Country Qub Hills, IL: Building Officials
& Code Administrators International, Inc.
Fire study No. 21. Ottawa, Canada: National . Canada.
Research Council of Canada. 15. ICBO. 1994. The Uniform Building Code.
10. Sharry, J.A. 1973. An atrium fire. Fire Jour- Whittier, CA: International Conference of Build-
4. Jensen, R.H. High-Rise Fire Protection. nal, 67(6): 3941. Tumura, GT. and Wilson, A.G. ing Officials.
Where Do We Stand? Where Do We Go?
1970. Natural venting to control smoke move-
Proceedings Chicago Committee on High-Rise ment in buildings via vertical shafts. ASHRAE
Buildings, Sept. 1972. Report No. 2:5-17. 16. SFPE. 1988. Handbook of Fire Protection
Transactions 76(2): 279-289.
engineering. Boston, MA: Society of Fire Protec-
5. ASHRAE. 1994. Commissioning smoke man- tion Engineers.
agement systems. ASHRAE Guideline 5. 11. Fung, F.CW. 1973. Evaluation of a pressu-
Atlanta: American Society of Heating, Refriger- rized stairwell smoke control system for a
ating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. 12-story apartment building. NBSIR 73277. 17. NFPA. 199lb. Fire protection Handbook,
Gaithersburg, MD: National Bureau of 17th ed. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection
6. NFPA. l 991a. Guide for smoke management Standards. Association. ·
systems in malls, atria, and large areas. NFPA
92B. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection 12. DeCiccio, P.R., Cresci, R.J., and Correale,
Association. W.H. 1972. Fire tests, analyses and evaluation of 18. NFPA. 1994. Code for safety to life from fire
stair pressurization and exhaust in high-rise in buildings and structures. NFPA 101. Quincy,
7. NFPA. 1993a. Recommended practice for buildings. Brooklyn, NY: Polytechnic Institute of MA: National Fire Protection Association.
smoke control systems. NFPA 92A Quincy, MA: Brooklyn.
National Fire Protection Association.
13. Zinn, BT., Bankston, C.P., Cassanova, R.A., 19. Fruin, J.J. 1987. Pedestrian Planning and
8. Klote, J.H. and Milke, J.A. 1992. Design of Powell, E.A., and Koplon, N.A. 1974. Fire spread Design. Mobile, AL: Elevator World, Inc. Educa-
smoke management systems. Atlanta: and smoke control in high-rise fires. Fire Tech- tional Services Division.
ASHRAE. nology 10(1):35-53.

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