Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

This research deals with the combined effects of a fire and mechanical ventilation on the bidirectional flow occurring at a doorway for a fire scenario with a three compartment assembly. Based on large scale fire tests, an experimental campaign is performed in order to investigate the effect of the ventilation rate and the fire heat release rate on the doorway flow. The analysis focuses on the velocity profiles at the doorway, the location of the neutral plan and the amplitude of the velocities entering and leaving the fire compartment. The conclusions point out the significant effects of the ventilation on the features of the doorway flow. The mechanical ventilation modifies the relative contribution of in and out flows and may stop the release of smoke. Moreover, the relative position of the doorway regarding the fire location and the direction of the ventilation flow has to be considered. A correlative approach is proposed supporting the analysis.