BUILDINGS FIRE SAFETY

7. CFD and parametric fire curve

CE III - Semester II

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The structure of SR EN 1991-1-2

Section 1 Generalities
Section 2 Structural Fire design procedure
Section 3 Thermal actions for temperature analysis
Section 4 Mechanical actions for structural analysis

Annex A (informative) Parametric temperature-time curves

Annex B (informative) Thermal actions for external
members – Simplified calculation method
Annex C (informative) Localised fires
Annex D (informative) Advanced fire models
Annex E (informative) Fire load densities
Annex F (informative) Equivalent time of fire exposure
Annex G (informative) Configuration factor

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 Advanced fire models
1*) Nominal Temperature-Time Curve
Standard temperature-time curve, Exterior Comparment
paramenters - Not
fire curve & Hydrocarbon curve
required
2*) Simplified fire models

- HESKESTADT - Parametric fire curve Info required:

- HASEMI q (t) uniform temperature Heat released rate
q (x, y, z, t) Inside the compartment Fire surface
Boundary properties
Opening surfaces
Ceiling height

3*) Advanced fire models +

Exact geometry of
- 2 zones model - One zone model
the compartment
- Combination of 2-Zone and 1-Zone
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
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 Modele de foc avansate
• 1 zone model Localized fire
• 2 zones model
• combination 1 zone+2 zone
• computational fluid dynamics
methods (CFD)

Pre-flashover Post-flashover

LOCALIZED FIRE GENERALIZED FIRE

Advanced fire models allow for the calculation of the real

temperature distribution inside the fire compartment.
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Advanced fire models
Software for 2 zone model: Ozone v2.2

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 The red curve represent the heat release rate curve HRR – input data
 During the simulation the program changes the HRR curve – the blue line- at
the flashover there is a sudden jump to the peak value, when the steady state
period begins. (Flashover occurs at 500 ˚C)
 In all cases, the surface under the graph remains the same, -is equal with the
design value for HRR. 6
 OZone: Gas temperature

θHot
θCold

In the figure above are given the upper layer hot gas temperature (red curve) and
the lower cold layer temperature (blue curve), before the flashover. After the
flashover occurs, the programs switches from 2 zones to one zone. 7
 OZone: Smoke layer height

The program gives the variation of the smoke layer interface as a time variation
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Ozone: Study case

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CFD Advanced fire modelling
Fluid dynamics: Software Sofie – RANS code

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Sofie – output results: gas temperature

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CFD Advanced calculation models
Fluid dynamics: Software Fire Dynamic Simulator FDS 5

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Fire Dynamic Simulator FDS 5 – Gas temperature

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 Recap: Fire models and the necessary data for calculations
MODEL Nominal Time Parametric Localised One zone 2 zone CFD
fire equivalencies fire model model
fire

Complexity
Simple Medium Advanced
Fire Pre- Temp-time
behaviour
Post-flashover Pre- Post- flashover/ relation
flashover Localised
flashover
fire
Temperature Not uniform Uniform Uniform Time and
distribution Uniform over the whole compartment in the fire over each space
plume layer dependant

Fire type Thermal load Thermal Fire load

load
Parameter Without Ventilation conditions Ventilation conditions
physical Compartiment size Ceiling Compartiment size
s
parameters Boundary thermal height Boundary thermal
properties properties
COMPF2 CCFM FDS
EN 1991-1-2 OZone CFAST SMARTFIRE
SFIRE-4 OZone SOFIE
Design
Simple equations Tables Simple
Hand calculations equations Computer models 14
 Thermal fire models

Thermal fire models

Nominal Standard temperature-time curve

temperature-time
Exterior fire curve
curves
(prescriptive rules) Hydrocarbon fire curve

Compartment fire
Simplified calculation
Natural fire models
Localised fire
(performance based
rules) Zone models
Advanced fire
models
Field models

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 CALCULATION MODELS FOR FIRE

NOMINAL FIRE CURVES

 Standard fire curve - ISO 834
FIRE MODELING
 Hydrocarbon fire curve
C
 Exterior fire curve
O
M
TIME EQUIVALECIES P
L
COMPARTMENT FIRES E
 parametric fire X
 localised fire I
T
1-2 ZONE MODELS Y

CFD Computational fluid dynamics

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 Thermal and mechanical actions

Actions for thermal analysis

W
G Thermal actions
A
C FIRE
T Actions for structural analysis
Q I
O Mechanical actions
N
S Dead load G
Live load Q
Snow S
Wind W

Fire

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 Rezistenţa la foc – Serie de Evenimente

Loads

Steel
columns
time
1: Ignition 2: Thermal action 3: Mechanical action

time
4: Thermal response 6: Possible failure
5: Mechanical response

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Combination rules for Mechanical Actions
SR EN 1990: Structural design basis

Room temperature (ambient conditions)

E fi ,d   G G   Q,1Q1   0,i Q,i Qi

i 1

Ex: Office with the variable load Q

E d = 1,35 • G + 1,5 • Q + 0,6 • 1,5 • W + 0,5 • 1,5 • S

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Valori ale coeficienţilor  pentru clădiri – SR EN 1990

Anexa Naţională a SR EN 1991 recomandă folosirea valorii

cvasipermanente 0,2 în cazul acţiunii directe a focului. 20
Combination rules for Mechanical Actions
SR EN 1990: Structural design basis

Fire conditions  Accidental load

E fi ,d  G  1Q1   2Qi
i 1

Ex: Office with variable load Q

E = G + 0,5 Q
fi,d

E = G + 0,2 W + 0,3 Q
fi,d

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Loading factor

Gk   fiQk ,l
 fi  Loading factor is an average load coefficient
 G Gk   Q ,l Qk ,l for fire conditions.

1 Mximum loading level for R30

0.9
Load Factor Efi,d / Rfi,d,t [-]

0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Massivity Am/V [1/m ]

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Calculation examples

1 Parametric fire curves (Annex A SR EN 1991)

• Parametric temperature - time curves apply only for
compartments with the floor surface area of maximum 500 m2,
without ceiling voids and with the maximum ceiling height of 4 m.
• It is assumed that the whole thermal load within the room is
completely consumed by the fire.

• Parametric temperature - time curves for the growth period:

Θg =20+1325 (1- 0,324 e-0,2 t* - 0,204 e-1,7 t* - 0,472 e-19 t*

Where:
Θg – gas temperature inside the compartment [˚C]
t* = t Γ [h]

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 Fire Compartment

Localized fire Generalized fire

q (t) uniform in the compartment
q (x, y, z, t)

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Simplified fire calculation models
Generalized fire – Parametric fire curve
 The parametric fire curves are a simple method to evaluate the
approximate evalution of a post- flashover fire inside a compartment.
This method takes into account the compartment size, the thermal
load, ventilation conditions (opening factor) and the thermal properties
of the bounding surfaces. Parametric fire curves are more realistic fire
descriptions because the regression period is considered.

 The parametric fire curves are detailed in Annex A EN 1991-1-2.

 The parametric fire curves method, given Eurocode is based on the
studies carried out by Wickström (1981/82). Starting from the heat balance
equation inside a fire compartment, he suggested that the fire development
depends only of the opening factor and the thermal inertia of the bounding
surfaces. His work was largely influenced by the Swedish curves
(Magnusson & Thelandersson 1970) and he obtained a single formula for
fire growth phase.
Due to the limited experimental data for Swedish curves derivation, the
formula developed by Wickström has limited application to compartments
with a surface area of maximum 500 m2, ,the thermal inertia of the walls
is less than 2000 J/m2s½K (good insulator materials not suitable). 25
Simplified fire calculation models
Generalized fire – Parametric fire

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 In Annex A of the eurocode SR EN 1991-1-2 is described the parametric fire
model – Parametric fire
This method takes into account:
• ventilation conditions inside the compartment – using the opening factor O,
• thermal load denoted qf , and
• thermal properties for separation elements (boundary surfaces) using the
parameter b. (b represents the average thermal absorbtivity of the lining
surfaces).
! For a particular set of ventilation conditions – O and thermal properties – b the
HRR of the parametric curve is the same as for ISO 843 temperature time curve.
Two thermal regimes Temperature[°C] Anexa A din SR EN 1991-1-2
1100
are considered: Iso-Curve
1000
O = 0.04 m ½
900 O = 0.06 m ½
 Ventilation controlled :
O = 0.10 m ½
As the ventilation factor 800
O = 0.14 m ½
increases, the maximum 700
O = 0.20 m ½
temperature is lower and 600
the fire duration is For given b, qfd,
500
shorter. At & Af
400
 Fuel controlled : when 300
there is sufficient oxygen, 200
the fire duration is
100
determined by the time [min]
0 27
thermal load – available 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Anexa A – SR EN 1991-1-2

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 Using the parametric temperature-time curve, calculate the total duration and
the maximum temperature of a fire occurred inside a 4.0 m x 6.0 m
compartment, having the ceiling height of 3.0 m and a window of 3.0 m width
by 2.0 m height. The thermal load density is 800 MJ/m2 over the entire floor
area. The walls and ceiling are made of concrete with the following properties:

Thermal conductivity k = 1.6 W/mK

Densitaty ρ = 2300 kg/m3
Specific heat cp = 980 J/kg K
Thermal inertia b = √k ρ cp = 1900 W s0.5/m2 K
Room length l1 = 6.0 m
Room width l2 = 4.0 m
Floor surface Af = l1 x l2 = 24 m2
Thermal load density qf,d = 800 MJ/ m2

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