This subject introduces the student to fire engineering in buildings. It encompasses the fire science, design, installation and regulatory requirements of common fire protection systems. This module aims to enable the students to understand the fundamental principles underlying fires in buildings, dominant mechanisms controlling spread of fires and fire development in enclosures and buildings, smoke movement and smoke control and fire severity, to characterize the stages of fire development, the mechanism of fire suppression systems. This module will help the students to develop engineering skills in designing buildings for fire safety and fire analysis.
Covers the basics of fire science from ignition through heat transfer to growth and spread of fires to the practical design, installation & regulatory requirements of common fire protection systems in buildings.
Topics covered include:
Heat release rates: Design fires, including experiment based and generic, e.g. t-squared. Air entrainment and fire plumes. Tenability criteria and visibility. Outline of methods available to control the effects of smoke, Stages of fire growth in a compartment fire, time dependent t2 fires and steady state design fires, measurement of heat release rates, calculation of heat release rates using oxygen consumption calorimetry methods.
Detector response: Response of ceiling mounted detectors; interaction between sprinkler sprays and fire plume: Gas temperatures in plume and near ceiling; minimum size fire for detector activation; Albert’s fire plume theory and use in determining sprinkler & heat detector response times and response time indexes.
Smoke control of Atria and large spaces: Smoke plumes and layers. Exhaust ventilation to control the smoke layer to allow safe means of escape. Venting of smoke and heat for property protection. Natural and mechanical ventilation options. Controlling the smoke generated by fires in the main enclosure and from adjoining compartments, e.g. a shop unit in a mall. The spill plume. Various atria designs and the smoke control requirements. Calculation methods available.
Smoke control of enclosed staircases and lobbies using either natural/ mechanical – shaft systems & pressurisation systems: Natural/mechanical smoke shafts, pressurisation system classification, single & two stage systems, leakage paths & rates, quantity of air required as per current regulations, over pressure relief requirements, fire officer requirements, design calculation for class C & D systems, equipment requirements, system monitoring and alarms, testing and commissioning.
Smoke Control in Car parks:
Current regulations, standards and guides relating to the ventilation of car parks and loading bays and the options available to the design engineer. The background to impulse ventilation will be explained and its application in car park ventilation. Engineered solutions will also be discussed including smoke control in car parks.
Dust Explosion Hazards & Prevention: Group A & B dusts, ignition sensitivity, limiting oxygen concentrations, lower & upper explosive limits, explosion severity test, pressure- time characteristics, dust explosion groups and classification, dust explosion protection- containment, venting and suppression systems, risk assessment reports.
Clean Agent Gas Suppression Systems for Computer Data Facilities: Computer room fire development, computer room location within buildings, architectural considerations, fire interlocks with electrical & mechanical services installations, automatic fire detection & alarm installations. Fire protection installations – portable extinguishers, pre-action sprinkler systems, FM200, Inergen, gas suppression systems, agent quantity calculations, sizing of gas storage compounds, over pressure relief venting requirements, hold time and leakage considerations, system engineering design, system components, operation, safety, storage, pipework and nozzles etc.
Automatic sprinkler protection systems: Sprinkler protection systems conforming to LPC/BS 5306 Pt 2 1990 and BS EN 12845 standard. Types of automatic sprinkler systems; legislation; general considerations; extent of sprinkler protection; types of sprinkler systems; sprinkler heads and spray patterns; sprinkler fusing temperature ratings. Manual Sprinkler system design calculations, methods of sizing pipes and water supplies, hydraulic calculation and pipe sizing, sprinkler arrangements, pre-calculated sprinkler pipe arrays, sizing the range pipes, sizing of the distribution pipes, equivalent length in pre-calculated systems.
Instruction, discussion, problem-solving exercises (including class group participation) and in course assessment. The students will be expected to undertake independent study.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 80 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 20 |