Mechanical Smoke Exhaust for Small Retail Shop Fires

Abstract The operation of mechanical exhaust in a small retail shop fire will be studied with a two-layer model. Different equations on axisymmetric fire plume entrainment and spill plume will be considered. A zone model has been developed to predict the fire growth in retail shops. Correlation between the mechanical exhaust rate and plume entrainment rate for keeping the smoke layer interface at a certain height under a steady burning fire will be analyzed. A series of full-scale burning tests were carried out in a chamber with a vertical vent. In addition to validating the developed model, the results will also be compared with those predicted by another zone model CFAST. The effectiveness of mechanical exhaust in retail shop fires will be discussed. How different plume correlations can be applied will be investigated and compared. Some factors affecting the calculation will also be analyzed.