Uses of Fire Dynamics Simulator V4

for Large Scale/Industrial Incidents

Jason E. Floyd

2004 Loss Prevention Symposium

AIChE 2004 Spring Meeting
New Orleans, LA
April 25 – April 29, 2004

HUGHES ASSOCIATES, INC

FIRE SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS)
„ Developed by NIST Building and Fire
Research Laboratory
„ Companion software called Smokeview for
viewing/animating FDS output
„ Large eddy simulation (LES)
„ Single parameter mixture fraction
„ Gray gas, finite volume radiation heat transfer
„ 1D temperature dependent heat conduction
through surfaces
 Additional FDS Capabilities
„ Multi-block grids (single processor or MPI)
„ Ignition of remote objects
„ Pool fires with calculated heat release rates*
„ Fire spread and growth over solid fuels
(charring and thermoplastic)*
„ Droplets* - fuel spray fires, sprinklers
(convention and mist)
„ Fire suppression by oxygen depletion and
fuel cooling or delivered water*

*Level of physical detail in submodels may not support its use for all applications
 Acknowledgements
„ Kevin McGrattan (NIST) – Lead software developer
„ Glenn Forney (NIST) – Smokeview developer
„ Howard Baum (NIST) – Radiation and combustion
theory
„ Ronald Rehm (NIST) – Large outdoor fires, wind
„ Dave Sheppard (ATF) – Sprinker spray
measurements
„ Uri Vandsburger(VT), Chris Wieczorek (FM)–
Underventilated fires, validation data
„ Simo Hostikka (VTT) – Radiation heat transfer
„ Marino di Marzo (UMD) – Droplet heat transfer
 Fire vs. Combustion
Simulation
„ Combustion simulation – Numerical modeling
of the physical and chemical processes
related to combustion at highly resolved
temporal and spatial scales.
„ Fire simulation – Large scale numerical
modeling of combustion and transport
processes at the dominant hydrodynamic
length and time scales.
 Guiding Development
Principles
„ Target user is the practicing FPE/AHJ
‹ Code must be “easy” to use
• Creation of input files
• Usability of output files
‹ Code must be low cost (hardware+software)
‹ Code must be fast

„ Keep submodels of similar relative accuracy

 Hydrodynamics
„ Conservation of Mass
∂ρ r r
+ u ⋅ ∇ρ = − ρ∇ ⋅ u
∂t
„ Conservation of Species
∂ρ Yi r r
+ u ⋅ ∇ρ Yi = − ρ Yi ∇ ⋅ u + ∇ ⋅ ρ D∇Yi + W&i′′′
∂t
„ Conservation
r
of Momentum
∂u r r v
∂t
( r r
+ u × ϖ + ∇H = ( ρ − ρ ∞ ) g + f + ∇ ⋅ τ
1
ρ
)
„ Divergence (Conservation of Energy)
r γ −1 ⎛ 1 dp ⎞
∇ ⋅u = ⎜⎜ q& ′′′ − ∇ ⋅ q + ∇ ⋅ k∇T + ∇ ⋅ ∑ c T ρ D∇Y − 0
⎟⎟
γ p γ − 1 dt
r p ,i i
0 ⎝ i ⎠
 Hydrodynamics
„ Pressure Term
v 1 r2 1 ~
∇H = ∇ u + ∇ p
2 ρ

„ Viscosity Term

r r
µ LES = ρ (Cs ∆ )2 2(def u ) ⋅ (def u ) −
2
(∇ ⋅ ur )2
3
 Discretization
„ Simple Cartesian or cylindrical,
multiblock grid (No body fitting)
„ Scalar quantities (temperature, density,
etc.) defined at cell centers
„ Vector quantities (velocity) defined at
cell edges
„ Differences 2nd order in space
 Submodels

„ Mixture Fraction Combustion

„ Finite Volume Radiation
„ Solid phase
„ Liquid phase
 Mixture Fraction Definition

„ Conserved scalar quantity: Z

YF YO∞ − YO
−
υ F M F υO M O
„ Z=
1 YO∞
−
υ F M F υO M O
„ Z = 0 = ambient air, Z = 1 = pure fuel
„ If YF and YO = 0, then Z = ZF = flame
sheet
 Implementation
„ Combine the equations for
conservation of oxygen and mixture
fraction
dYO2
− m& O′′2 = (ρ D∇Z ⋅ nˆ )
dZ Z =Z F

„ Apply Hugget’s relationship.

dYO2
q&O′′′2 = −∆H O2 (ρ D∇Z ⋅ nˆ )
dZ Z =Z F
 State Relationship
„ Start with generic combustion equation
for a fuel
⎛ YN∞2 M O2 ⎞ YN∞2 M O2
υ F F + υO 2 ⎜ O2 + ∞ N2 ⎟ ⎯
⎯→υCO2 CO2 + υ H 2O H 2O + υO 2 ∞ N2
⎜ Y M ⎟ Y M
⎝ O2 N2 ⎠ O2 N2

„ Modify to allow for non-stoichiometric

state
⎛ YN∞2 M O2 ⎞ ⎡ υH O ⎤
υ F F + x ×υO 2 ⎜ O2 + ∞ N2 ⎟ ⎯ ⎯→ Max[0,1 − x ]υ F F + Max ⎢0, x ×υO 2 − υCO2 − 2 ⎥O2
⎜ ⎟
⎝ YO2 M N 2 ⎠ ⎣ 2 ⎦
YN∞2 M O2
Min[1, x ]υCO2 CO2 + Min[1, x ]υ H 2O H 2O + x ×υO 2 ∞ N2
YO2 M N 2
 State Relationship
„ Combustion Takes Place At ZF
„ For Coarse Grids, ZF Surface Will Not Be Resolved
Methane Oxygen Nitrogen
Carbon Dioxide W ater Vapor

1.0
0.9
0.8
Mass Fraction

0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
Mixture Fraction (Z)
ZF
 Mixture Fraction Surface
Virginia Tech Fire Compartment FDS v2 Simulation

400 kW propane fire in a 50%-scaled ISO-9705 Compartment

 Radiation Heat Transfer

„ Start with gray gas radiation transport

equation
r r r r
ŝ ⋅ ∇I ( x , ŝ ) = κ ( x )[I b ( x , ŝ ) − I ( x , ŝ )]
„ Divide path vector over a number of
discrete angles and apply to each grid
cell 6
∑ m m∫ m
A I L
ŝ ⋅ n̂ d Ω = κ ijk I (
b ,ijk − I L
ijk V )
ijk d Ω L

m =1 ΩL
 Radiation Heat Transfer

„ κijk is precalculated as a function of

temperature and mixture fraction using
RADCAL.
„ The radiant source term, Ib,ijk, for a grid
cell is the larger of σT4 or the radiant
fraction of the cells heat release.
 Multiblock Grids
„ Multiple computational grids
„ Can have different node sizes
„ Reduction of active grid cells at the expense
of more complex boundary conditions
 Droplets
„ LaGrangian superdrop.
„ Rosin-Rammler size distribution for spray
nozzles with user defined angular dependent
spray pattern (velocity and mass flux)
„ Evaporation governed by droplet heat
transfer and local equilibrium vapor mass
fraction (Clausius-Clapeyron )
„ Droplet absorption scattering added to
radiation transport equation
 Droplets + Radiation
Right Wall Hot, Cold Spray
 Examples

„ Sprinkler effectiveness
„ Large outdoor fire
„ Impinging spray fire
 Sprinkler Activation
(McGrattan and Stroup, 1997)
67’1”

Draft Curtain Sprinklers

w/10’ Spacing

4’x8’ Roof Vent

2:45 2:44
5:48 2:40
71’2” 2:26 1:11 1:12 2:22
4:20 1:28 1:20 2:38 ~4.5 MW Heptane
Spray Fire
2:34 1:09 1:11 2:36
Time to Activate
3:58 1:28 1:12 2:52
FDS v1
Test DNO 2:11 2:16
6:52 2:06 3:30
 Sprinkler Effectiveness

Sprinkler

Fire Origin
Sprinkler Effectiveness
1600 80

HRR w/o Sprinklers

1400 HRR w/ Sprinklers
Link Temp First
Link Temp Second
1200 60
Heat Release Rate (kW)

Link Temperature (°C)

1000

800 40

600

400 20

200

0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Time (s)
Tank Farm
Tank Farm Fire w/ and w/o
Wind
Heptane Spray Fire
Impinging Spray Fire