Understanding and Modeling Preflashover Compartment Fires

Abstract

The evolution of preflashover compartment fire modeling is discussed. Early understanding of fire development in enclosures came largely from observing full scale experiments, and the need for modeling arose due to the high costs of running such large experiments. First, experimental modeling techniques were tried, and eventually mathematical models were developed. The discussion begins with Ingberg's severity equivalent presented in 1928. The history of preflashover compartment fire modeling is carried to the present time. At present, there is considerable emphasis on developing mathematical enclosure fire models. Three types of mathematical room fire models exist. These are the probabilistic, modular, and differential field equation models. Three of the modular models (the IITRI RFIRES Code, the Harvard Computer Fire Code, and the UDRI DACFIR Code) are compared in order to present the techniques currently employed.