In this study, the effects of smoke vent conditions on compartment fire phenomena were numerically investigated using fire dynamics simulator. Three smoke vent types (Casement, Overhang, and Middle) and three opening widths (0.72 m, 1.44 m, and 2.16 m...
In this study, the effects of smoke vent conditions on compartment fire phenomena were numerically investigated using fire dynamics simulator. Three smoke vent types (Casement, Overhang, and Middle) and three opening widths (0.72 m, 1.44 m, and 2.16 m) were analyzed. The minimum
opening angles required to satisfy an effective area of 1 ㎡ were applied. The numerical method was validated based on the previous experimental data for the temperature and velocity of vent flow. Overall, the Casement showed a higher smoke layer height, a lower smoke layer temperature, and a greater mass flow rate of the vent flow, especially under a large opening width condition. Flow coefficients estimated from the numerical results were about 0.60 ~ 0.68 for the Casement, 0.19 ~ 0.59 for the Overhang, and 0.54 ~ 0.64 for the Middle. The present results indicate that, even under the same effective area condition, the smoke vent type, opening width, and opening angle significantly affect the compartment fire phenomena and should therefore be carefully considered in fire safety design.