Verification and Validation of Selected Fire Models for Nuclear Power Plant Applications. Volume 5. Consolidated Fire Growth and Smoke Transport Model (CFAST).
Verification and Validation of Selected Fire Models for
Nuclear Power Plant Applications. Volume 5.
Consolidated Fire Growth and Smoke Transport Model
(CFAST).
(4779 K)
Peacock, R. D.; Reneke, P. A.
NUREG-1824; EPRI 1011999; Volume 5; 206 p. May 2007.
Sponsor:
Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA
Keywords:
nuclear power plants; verification; validation; fire
models; fire protection engineering; risks; ASTM E 1355;
NFPA 805; fire protection; fire growth; smoke transport;
equations; zone models; plumes; ceiling jets; vents;
heat transfer; heat detectors; fire suppression;
sprinklers; sensitivity; heat release rate; high
temperature gases; oxygen; carbon dioxide; smoke;
compartments; pressure; heat flux; temperature; tests;
flame height; oxygen concentration; CFAST
Abstract:
As the use of fire modeling tools increases in support
of day-to-day nuclear power plant (NPP) applications
including fire risk studies, the importance of
verification and validation (V&V) studies for these
tools also increases. V&V studies provide the fire
modeling analysts increased confidence in applying
analytical tools by quantifying and discussing the
performance of the given model in predicting the fire
conditions measured in a particular experiment. The
underlying assumptions, capabilities, and limitations of
the model are discussed and evaluated as part of the V&V
study. The main objective of this volume is to document
a V&V study for the Consolidated Fire Growth and Smoke
Transport (CFAST) zone model. As such, this report
describes the equations that constitute the model, the
physical bases for those equations, and an evaluation of
the sensitivity and predictive capability of the model.
CFAST is a two-zone fire model capable of predicting the
fire-induced environmental conditions as a function of
time for single- or multi-compartment scenarios. Toward
that end, the CFAST software calculates the temperature
and evolving distribution of smoke and fire gases
throughout a building during a user-prescribed fire. The
model was developed, and is maintained, by the Fire
Research Division of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST), which officially released the
latest version of the CFAST model in 2004.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899