Using Sensor Signals to Analyze Fires.
Using Sensor Signals to Analyze Fires.
(261 K)
Davis, W. D.; Cleary, T. G.; Donnelly, M. K.; Hellerman,
S.
Research and Practice: Bridging the Gap. Fire
Suppression and Detection Research Application
Symposium. Proceedings. Fire Protection Research
Foundation. January 23-25, 2002, Tampa, FL, 205-224 pp,
2002.
Keywords:
fire suppression; fire detection; fire research; fire
safety; fire protection; ceiling jets; fire detectors;
experiments; fire models; zone models; fire hazards;
flashover
Abstract:
Building fire sensors are capable of supplying
substantially more information to the fire service than
just the simple detection of a possible fire. Nelson, in
1984, recognized the importance of tying all the
building sensors to a smart fire panel. In order to
accomplish a smart fire panel configuration such as
envisioned by Nelson, algorithms must be developed that
convert the analog/digital signals received from sensors
to the heat release rate (HRR) of the fire. Once the HRR
of the fire is known, a multiroom zone fire model can be
used to determine smoke layers and temperatures in the
other rooms of the building. This information can then
be sent to the fire service providing it with an
approximate overview of the fire scenario in the
building. This paper will describe a ceiling jet
algorithm that is being developed to predict the heat
release rate (HRR) of a fire using signals from smoke
and gas sensors. The prediction of this algorithm will
be compared with experiments. In addition, an example of
the predictions from a sensor-driven fire model, SDFM,
using signals from heat sensors, will be compared with
measurements from a full-scale, two-story, flashover
townhouse fire.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899