Studying the Response of Building Systems to Fire Using a Virtual Cybernetic Building Test-Bed.
Studying the Response of Building Systems to Fire Using
a Virtual Cybernetic Building Test-Bed.
(164 K)
Davis, W. D.
Fire Suppression and Detection Research Application
Symposium. Research and Practice: Bridging the Gap.
Proceedings. Fire Protection Research Foundation.
January 22-24, 2003, Orlando, FL, 412-421 pp, 2003.
Keywords:
fire suppression; fire detection; fire research; fire
safety; fire protection; fire models; detector response;
smoke detectors; heat detectors; gas detectors; sensors
Abstract:
As the ability to predict fire conditions in buildings
using sensor signals improves, these predictions can be
used to inform first responders about the building
status and provide the possibility of using the building
systems to contain the fire and aid in egress. While
current fire models are used to predict the evolution of
fire in buildings, the simulations do not include the
interaction with actual building controllers. The NIST
Virtual Cybernetic Building Test-Bed (VCBT) is designed
to provide a method of coupling simulations of incidents
such as fire to the response of actual building
components such as HVAC controllers in multi-room,
multi-floor buildings. This paper will give an overview
of the VCBT and will provide descriptions of algorithms
used to simulate heat, gas and smoke detectors. Methods
for converting the sensor signals to provide information
concerning fire conditions in buildings will be
discussed.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899