Study on the smoke mass flow in T-shaped tunnel fire

Abstract

Smoke mass flow rate (SMFR) is an important factor for smoke control in tunnel fire. The presence of bifurcation structure can lead to the flow redistribution and distinctive characteristics. In the current study, a relational expression for the SMFR in branched tunnel was theoretically derived. A series of numerical simulations with Fire Dynamics Simulator(FDS) were conducted to investigate the effects of multiple factors on the smoke mass flow and validate the predictions. The results indicated that for a T-shaped tunnel, the amount of smoke flowing into the branch is mainly depends on the thickness and temperature of the incoming smoke flow from mainline, affecting by heat release rate(HRR) and tunnel section size, while the influence of the bifurcation angle and longitudinal position of fire source is unremarkable. Fairly good agreement was achieved between the predictions and simulation results. This research can be instrumental in estimating the SMFR in T-shaped tunnel fire scenarios and offer valuable insights for smoke management strategies.