Features, Limitations and Uncertainties in Enclosure Fire Hazard Analyses: Preliminary Review.
Features, Limitations and Uncertainties in Enclosure
Fire Hazard Analyses: Preliminary Review.
(2676 K)
Mowrer, F. W.; Stroup, D. W.
NISTIR 6152; 29 p. March 1998.
Sponsor:
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
Available from:
National Technical Information Service
(NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161.
Telephone:
1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000;
Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush
Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847;
Website:
http://www.ntis.gov
Order number: PB98-144546
Keywords:
fire hazards assessment; hazard assessment; compartment
fires; computational fluid dynamics; predictive models;
field models; fire models; hazard assessment; nuclear
power plants; nuclear reactor safety; zone models
Abstract:
A significant number of fire modeling tools have been
developed to analyze the hazards and risks associated
with fires in buildings. These tools range from
empirical correlations of data suitable for hand
calculations, through control volume (zone) models of
increasing sophistication, to state-of-the-art
computational fluid dynamics (field) models. Properly
applied, these tools permit development of a better
understanding of the dynamics of building fires and can
aid in the fire safety decision-making process. This
report presents a review of three fire modeling tools
(FIVE, COMPBRN III, CFAST) currently being used in fire
safety design and a fourth model (LES) of the field
model type which is beginning to be used in fire
protection engineering. This review focuses on the
application potential for these models in the nuclear
power industry. In view of the uncertainties associated
with fire modeling predictions, extreme care must be
excerised in the interpretation of fire modeling
results. For scenarios where the level of predicted
hazard is well below the damage threshold, the results
can be used with a high level of confidence provided
there is a high level of confidence that all
risk-significant scenarios have been considered. For
scenarios where the level of predicted hazard is near
the damage threshold, the results should be used with
caution in view of the uncertainties that exist. In
order to address some of the uncertainties in fire
modeling, a multi-level approach is proposed which
combines professional judgment, correlations, zone
models and field models.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899