fprf final report volume 2

7/29/2019 FPRF Final Report Volume 2

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Validation of a Smoke DetectionPerformance Prediction Methodology

Volume 2. Large-scale room fire tests

Prepared by:

Frederick W. Mowrer and James A. MilkeUniversity of Maryland

Pravinray Gandhi

Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

October 2008 Fire Protection Research Foundation


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FOREWORD

This report presents the results of a Foundation project whose goal was to develop avalidated engineering methodology to calculate and accurately predict the responsetime of spot-type and aspirated smoke detection systems exposed to incipient fires and

growing fires. The report, divided into four volumes, describes the test methods, testresults, computer simulations and analyses used for this project, which addresses thevalidation of a smoke detection performance prediction methodology.

The four volumes of this report include:

Volume 1, which addresses the characterization of the heat and smoke releaserates of eight incipient fire sources selected for this project;

Volume 2, which addresses the large-scale room fire tests conducted as part ofthis project;

Volume 3, which addresses evaluation of smoke detector performance in thelarge-scale room fire tests conducted as part of this project;

Volume 4, which addresses comparisons of current FDS smoke detectionprediction methodologies with actual smoke detector performance in the large-scale room fire tests.

The Research Foundation expresses gratitude to the project sponsors and technicalpanelists listed on the following page.

The content, opinions and conclusions contained in this report are solely those of theauthors.


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance PredictionMethodologyResearch Project

Technical Panel

Shane Clary, Bay Alarm Company

Kenneth Dungan, PLC Foundation

Jay Ierardi, R.W. Sullivan Engineering

Kevin McGrattan, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Dan Nichols, NYS Code Enforcement and Administration

Ali Rangwala, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Joseph Su, National Research Council of Canada

Principal Sponsors

Honeywell Life Safety

National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.

SimplexGrinnell

Contributing Sponsors

Automatic Fire Alarm Association

Bosch Security Systems

Xtralis, Inc.


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology


Prepared for:

Kathleen AlmandFire Protection Research Foundation

1 Batterymarch ParkQuincy, MA 02169

Prepared by:


Pravinray Gandhi

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

October 10, 2008


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. ii

Executive Summary

This report, divided into four volumes, describes the test methods, test results, computersimulations and analyses used for this project, which addresses the validation of a smoke

detection performance prediction methodology. This project was conducted jointly by the

University of Maryland (UM) and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., (UL) under the auspices ofthe Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF). The financial and technical support of the

FPRF, the project sponsors and the project technical panel are gratefully acknowledged.

The four volumes of this report include:

Volume 1, which addresses the characterization of the heat and smoke release rates ofeight incipient fire sources selected for this project;

Volume 2, which addresses the large-scale room fire tests conducted as part of thisproject;

Volume 3, which addresses evaluation of smoke detector performance in the large-scale

room fire tests conducted as part of this project;Volume 4, which addresses comparisons of current FDS smoke detection predictionmethodologies with actual smoke detector performance in the large-scale room fire tests.

The overall objective of this project has been to evaluate the capabilities of the current release

version (5.1.0) of the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to predict smoke detector activation inresponse to relatively low energy incipient fire sources. The project was subdivided into four

tasks, consistent with the four volumes included in this report.

The first task was to characterize the heat and smoke release rates of eight incipient fire sourcesselected for this project. The incipient fire sources are described in Table E1; the fire sources

include four flaming fire sources and four smoldering/pyrolyzing fire sources. The heat andsmoke release rates of these incipient fire sources were measured in the same IMO intermediatescale calorimeter that UL used previously as part of its FPRF-sponsored smoke characterization

project [Fabian, et al., 2007]. Three replicate tests were conducted for each of the eight incipient

fire sources to provide a measure of the repeatability of these tests. Volume 1 of this reportprovides descriptions of the incipient fire source fuels and ignition sources, the fire test apparatus

and instrumentation used for this task, and the results of these tests. Volume 1 also addresses

FDS simulations of these tests conducted in the IMO calorimeter as a means to evaluate the

predictive capabilities of the FDS model on a preliminary basis. These FDS simulations werenot originally planned, but have proven valuable in troubleshooting issues related to the

simulation of fires involving these incipient sources. They provide an indication of the

uncertainty in simulating the fire source terms in FDS.

The second task was to perform large-scale room fire tests using the eight incipient fire sources

characterized in Task 1. The large-scale room fire tests were conducted in two rooms at the UL

facility in Northbrook, IL. The first set of large-scale tests was conducted under unventilatedconditions in the standard room used to test smoke detectors for the UL 217/268 standards; this

room measures 10.8 m (36 ft.) long by 6.6 m (22 ft.) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft.) tall. Three replicate

tests were conducted with each of the eight incipient fire sources, for a total of 24 unventilated


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. iii

room fire tests. The second set of large-scale tests was conducted in a 7.2 m (24 ft) long by 7.2

m (24 ft) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft) high room constructed specifically for this project to represent a

mechanically ventilated commercial space. This room was provided with mechanical injectionventilation and a ceiling return air plenum to represent a typical commercial type of installation.

Three replicate tests were conducted with each of the eight incipient fire sources at nominal

mechanical ventilation rates of 6 and 12 air changes per hour; two replicate tests were conductedwith each of the incipient fire sources under unventilated conditions in this room. Thus, 64 fire

tests were conducted in the ventilated room, for a total of 88 large-scale fire tests in the two

rooms. A matrix showing the designations of the 88 large-scale tests is provided in Table E2.

Table E1. Incipient fire sources

Fuel source Ignition source Fire type

Shredded office paper Small flame (50 W) Flaming

Flexible PU foam /microfiber fabric

Small flame (50 W) Flaming

Flexible PU foam /microfiber fabric

Hotplate Smoldering/pyrolysis

Ponderosa pine Hotplate Smoldering/pyrolysis

Cotton linen fabric Hotplate Smoldering/pyrolysis

PVC wire Electric overcurrent Smoldering/pyrolysis

Computer case Small flame (UL 94) Flaming

Printed circuit board Small flame (ATIS T1.319) Flaming

Table E2. Matrix of large-scale room fire test designations

Incipient fire source Unventilated

room

Ventilated room

6 ach 12 ach 0 ach

Shredded office paper 1, 2, 3 25, 26, 27 49, 50, 51 73, 74

Flaming PU foam /

microfiber fabric

4, 5, 6 28, 29, 30 52, 53, 54 75, 76

Smoldering PU foam /

microfiber fabric

7, 8, 9 31, 32, 33 55, 56, 57 77, 78

Ponderosa pine 10, 11, 12 34, 35, 36 58, 59, 60 79, 80

Cotton linen fabric 13, 14, 15 37, 38, 39 61, 62, 63 81, 82

PVC wire 16, 17, 18 40, 41, 42 64, 65, 66 83, 84

Computer case 19, 20, 21 43, 44, 45 67, 68, 69 85, 86

Printed circuit board 22, 23, 24 46, 47, 48 70, 71, 72 87, 88ach = nominal mechanical injection ventilation rate in air changes per hour

The large-scale rooms were instrumented with a number of thermocouples, velocity probes and

light obscuration measurement devices to provide a basis for evaluating the current capability of

FDS to predict fire-induced conditions throughout a room in response to incipient fire sources.The rooms were both equipped with a number of spot-type commercial smoke detectors fromtwo manufacturers. The ventilated test room was also equipped with three aspirated smoke


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. iv

detection systems from one manufacturer. The response of these different smoke detection

devices during these tests provides a basis for evaluating the current capability of FDS to predict

smoke detector activation in response to incipient fire sources. Volume 2 of this report describesthe details of the large-scale room fire tests and provides the instrumentation and detection data

from these 88 fire tests. More than 1,200 graphs have been developed to illustrate the results of

these 88 tests; these graphs are too voluminous to print, so they are provided on electronic mediain Excel files associated with each test. This large-scale room fire test data set should prove

useful for future smoke transport and smoke detection validation exercises as well as for this one.

The third task was to evaluate smoke detector performance during the large-scale fire tests. For

this task, the response of the spot-type and aspirated smoke detectors during the fire tests was

evaluated and characterized. These results were then compared with methodologies available in

the fire safety literature for predicting the activation of smoke detectors. Volume 3 of this reportdescribes the details of these comparisons.

One objective of this project has been to develop the means, based on experimental data, to

estimate the response of smoke detectors using the simulated results of the smoke conditionscomputed by FDS. Smoke conditions estimated by FDS throughout the domain include

temperature, velocity and mass fraction of smoke (which can be related to light obscuration or

visibility). One of the relatively unique aspects of this study is an examination of the role ofventilation conditions in identifying surrogate measures to predict smoke detector response.

Within the last 10 years, there have been five significant studies examining the response ofsmoke detectors. These studies, examined as part of this project, include:

Kemano by the National Research Council of Canada

Naval Research Laboratory and Hughes Associates tests for shipboard applications

Home Smoke Alarm Project by NISTSmoke Characterization Project by Underwriters Laboratories for the Fire ProtectionResearch Foundation

Experiments program in this project.

These experimental programs include a sufficiently wide variety of spaces, fuels and ventilationconditions to form a substantial basis for the development of robust, simple guidelines for

estimating smoke detector response. Unfortunately, the smoke detector responses appear to be

strongly dependent on the specific characteristics of the smoke and in some cases on the detectortechnology. Consequently, proposing a single set of guidelines for obscuration, temperature rise

and velocity which can apply to a wide range of applications is difficult, other than suggesting

guidelines which would be very conservative in some applications.

For flaming fires, the obscuration level in tests without forced ventilation ranged from 1.4 to

10.7 %/ft for ionization detectors and from 2.7 to 12.9 %/ft for photoelectric detectors. Given

the noted range in the 80th

percentile values of obscuration at the time of response, a guideline

which reasonably captures much of the data for smoke detectors of either type of technology is8 %/ft.


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In the case of flaming fires in ventilated rooms, the 80th

percentile values of the obscuration

levels differ appreciably for the two detection technologies. For flaming fires with ventilation,

the 80th

percentile values of the obscuration level for photoelectric smoke detectors were 4.3 to4.9 %/ft. In contrast, the 80

thpercentile values of the obscuration level for ionization smoke

detectors were 8.0 to 10.3 %/ft, although it is noted that the 10.3% is based on only two tests

conducted at a forced ventilation rate of 12 ACH. As such, a possible guideline of obscurationlevels for photoelectric detectors could be 5 %/ft for ventilation rates ranging from 6 to 12 ACH.

For ionization detectors, the 8 %/ft value appears to be an appropriate guideline considering only

the results from the tests with 6 ACH. With the limited number of tests conducted at 12 ACHwhere ionization detectors responded, a guideline to estimate their response cannot be suggested.

For non-flaming fires without ventilation, the 80th

percentile values of the obscuration levels

ranged from 4.4 to 18.5 %/ft for ionization smoke detectors and 1.6 to 12.1 %/ft for photoelectricsmoke detectors. The 80

thpercentile values of the obscuration levels for non-flaming fires with

ventilation were all less than 1 %/ft in this study and approximately 5 %/ft for ionization

detectors in the NRL study. Given the limited data in this area, a recommendation for

establishing a guideline of only 1 %/ft is questionable, especially in light of the difference inresults obtained from experiments conducted as part of this study and the NRL study. Until

further data is obtained, a value in excess of 1 %/ft is recommended and should perhaps be as

large as 2.5 %/ft.

The temperature rise at the time of detection response for flaming fires with no forced ventilation

is highly dependent on the detection technology. A temperature rise of approximately 5 K canbe suggested as a reasonable conservative guideline for ionization detectors, though should be

greater than 5 K, e.g. 15 K given the measurements obtained in the NRL and NIST tests. For

non-flaming fires and all fires with forced ventilation a temperature rise of approximately 3 K

appears to be a reasonable guideline to estimate smoke detector response of either technology.

Because the velocities associated with the forced ventilation provided in the test room were

appreciably greater than the ceiling jet velocity, a guideline based on velocity cannot berecommended for such cases.

An appreciable variation of smoke conditions was noted at the time of response of smoke

detectors in all of the experimental programs reviewed. While guidelines of obscuration level ortemperature rise can be suggested, these are very approximate in nature and may involve

appreciable errors. One reason for this error is the fact that light obscuration and temperature are

not related to the operating mechanisms of current smoke detector technologies, i.e. lightscattering and ionization. Volume 3 presents an outline of additional research which could be

used to better correlate light obscuration with light scattering measurements.

The fourth task of this project was to evaluate the capabilities of the current release version(5.1.0) of the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to predict smoke detector activation in the two

rooms described in Task 2 in response to the relatively low energy incipient fire sources

characterized in Task 1. As part of this task, FDS simulations were performed of the 32 differentroom fire scenarios conducted as part of this project. The FDS simulated results were then


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. vi

compared with the experimental results. Volume 4 of this report describes the details of these

simulations and comparisons.

The baseline FDS simulations of the room tests were performed with a uniform grid size of 10

cm (4 in.). This resulted in a total number of 233,280 computational cells in both the

unventilated enclosure domain, which had dimensions of 10.8 m (108 cells) by 7.2 m (72 cells)by 3.0 m (30 cells) high, as well as in the ventilated enclosure domain, which had dimensions of

7.2 m (72 cells) by 7.2 m (cells) by 4.5 m (45 cells) high. On a single-processor PC, it took a

few hours to run the 5 to 10 minute simulations of the flaming fire sources to a few days to runthe 80 to 90 minute simulations of the smoldering fire sources at this resolution. Doubling the

grid resolution from 10 cm (4 in.) to 5 cm (2 in.) changes these run times from a few days to a

number of weeks and consequently would be unreasonable for most applications.

It is difficult to generalize about the comparisons of the FDS simulations of detector activation in

the room tests with the actual room test detection data because of the wide range of results. In

some cases, the simulated and actual smoke conditions at the detection stations were relatively

close to one another and within the experimental scatter, while in other cases, the simulatedsmoke concentrations exceeded the measured smoke concentrations by relatively large margins.

There are at least three potentially significant sources of uncertainty associated with FDSsimulation of smoke detector performance in room fire scenarios:

Uncertainties in the initial and boundary conditions specified for a scenario, includinguncertainties in specification of the fire heat and smoke release rate histories and inspecification of the mechanical ventilation;

Uncertainties in the calculations performed by FDS to simulate heat and smoke transport;

Uncertainties in the empirical models FDS currently uses to calculate smoke detector

response and to predict smoke detector activation.

Quantitative uncertainty analysis has not been performed as part of this project, but qualitatively

it appears that the greatest uncertainties are associated with the first and third sources of

uncertainty identified here.

The eight incipient fire sources used for this project each exhibited a range of fire growth, heat

release and smoke release rates that limited the reproducibility of the bench-scale and large-scalefire tests. It is unreasonable to expect the simulation of these fire scenarios to be any better than

the scatter in the experiments being simulated.

It is suspected that the treatment of mechanical ventilation represents another source ofconsiderable uncertainty in the FDS simulations performed as part of this project. Real

ventilation grilles and resulting airflows are more complicated than the simulated grilles and

airflows in the ventilated enclosure. More work is needed to more fully explore this issue.

Before this project was undertaken, the prediction of smoke production in FDS was based only

on a user-specified constant soot yield tied to the heat release rate of a fire. During this project,

at least three limitations with this approach to predicting smoke production were recognized:


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. vii

Only a single fire source could be specified, which did not allow separate specification of

an ignition source and other fuels subsequently ignited;

The smoke release rate could not vary independently of the heat release rate, so productswith variable smoke yields could not be modeled properly;

Smoldering and pyrolyzing smoke sources that produce substantial quantities of smokebut little heat could not be modeled properly.

As a result of these limitations, the developers of the FDS model incorporated a new algorithm

that permits the user to specify smoke release independently of heat release. This new feature

was used to specify smoke release rates for this project.

The primary findings of this project can be summarized as follows:

The smoke release rates of eight different incipient fire sources, including four flamingsources, three smoldering sources and one overheated electrical wire, have been

measured under well-characterized conditions in replicate bench-scale tests conducted inthe IMO intermediate scale calorimeter at Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, IL.

The primary smoke signature of interest in this project was the obscuration of visiblelight. Additional data was gathered during the bench-scale tests, including particle count

density, mean particle diameter, carbon monoxide production and carbon dioxide

production. This additional data may be of use in future investigations, but has not been

analyzed for this project.

Smoke obscuration was measured in the exhaust duct of the IMO intermediate scalecalorimeter by projecting a white light beam across the diameter of the exhaust duct onto

a photocell and measuring the change in voltage at the photocell caused by smoke

particles in the light beam.

Smoke release rates are characterized in units of m2/s, where the smoke release rate iscalculated as the product of the smoke extinction coefficient, k (m

-1), by the volumetric

flow rate in the exhaust duct, V (m3/s):

VL

IIVkS o

)/ln(

The total smoke release (TSR) is characterized in units of m2

and is calculated as theintegral of the smoke release rate over the period of a test, i.e., the area under the smoke

release rate curve:

t

dtSTSR

0

The mass of smoke released during a test is characterized in units of gs and is calculatedas the quotient of the total smoke release to the specific extinction coefficient, km, which

was assumed to have a constant value of 8.7 m2/gs:


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. viii

m

sk

TSRm

The average smoke yield during a test is calculated as the quotient of the mass of smokereleased to the fuel mass loss during a test:

f

ss

m

my

When calculated in this way, the average smoke yields obtained for the eight incipientsources in the IMO apparatus are shown in Table E3 along with other data from the IMO

tests. These data provide an indication of the variability in the replicate tests.

When this project started, smoke production was calculated in FDS only in terms ofconstant smoke yield factors tied to the specified heat release rate through the mixture

fraction model used by FDS. During this project, it became apparent that smoke yieldsfor the eight incipient sources are not constant and that characterizing smoke productionin terms of a constant smoke yield factor would not produce accurate smoke production

or transport results in FDS for these incipient fire sources.

During this project, the developers of FDS implemented a new method to specify smokeproduction independently of heat release. Called the species ID method, this methodwas used throughout this project to specify smoke production in FDS for both the IMO

test simulations and the room fire simulations.

The bench-scale tests conducted in the IMO apparatus were simulated in FDS as onemeans to validate the capabilities of FDS to model smoke production and transport. Forthese FDS simulations, a uniform grid size of 2.5 cm was used. These simulations of the

IMO tests showed that the calculated smoke quantity transported past the smoke eye inthe exhaust duct was similar to the quantity of smoke released from the fuel package, as

shown in Table E4. The largest variation between output and input was 5.4%.

Differences in the peak obscuration values and the times to reach these peaks between theIMO physical tests and FDS simulations are shown in Table E5. The simulated peak

smoke release rate was within 17.3% of the specified peak smoke release rate for all fuels

except the PVC insulated wire. The FDS simulated time to peak obscuration lagged thespecified peak time by 4 to 33 seconds, with two exceptions. This lag time is most likely

related to the transport lag between smoke release at the fuel source and measurement at

the smoke eye in the exhaust duct. The IMO apparatus smoke test data was not correctedfor transport lag; this suggests that the actual smoke release in the IMO tests occurred

earlier than represented in the smoke release rate curves for these tests.For the FDS simulations of the IMO tests, one replicate test for each fire source wasselected for simulation and comparison with the measured data from that test. For the

FDS simulations of the room fire tests, the IMO test data was typically averaged for eachfire source and this average data was used as input to the FDS simulations. The expected

uncertainty in the FDS input data based on this approach has not yet been characterized.


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Table E3. Summary of data obtained from tests conducted in IMO apparatus

Sample Description Mode Peak HRR Peak SRR Smoke Yield Total SR Total HR

(kW) (m /s) (g/g) (m) (MJ)

Shredded Paper-1 Flaming 7.76 1.350 0.094 110.5 0.388



Shredded Paper Average 9.72 1.447 0.091 111.2 0.530

PU Foam/Microfiber-1 Flaming 8.54 0.432 0.094 74.2 1.896



PU Foam/Microfiber Average 9.85 0.486 0.095 79.7 2.037Circuit Board-1 Flaming 1.90 0.534 0.215 22.0 0.826

Circuit Board-2 Flaming 2.41 0.491 0.221 20.3 0.924

Circuit Board-3 Flaming 2.59 0.587 0.319 24.7 1.120

Circuit Board Average 2.30 0.537 0.252 22.3 0.957

Computer Case-1 Flaming 0.00 0.119 0.785 9.2 0.000



Computer Case Average 0.45 0.219 0.877 15.9 0.069

PU Foam/Microfiber-1 Smoldering N/A 0.066 0.085 39.9 N/A



PU Foam/Microfiber Average 0.059 0.082 39.9

Ponderosa Pine-1 Smoldering N/A 0.161 0.141 182.7 N/A



Ponderosa Pine Average 0.143 0.141 182.7

Cotton Linen Fabric-1 Smoldering N/A 0.084 0.254 43.1 N/A



Cotton Linen Fabric Average 0.096 0.221 38.0

PVC Insulated Wire-1 Smoldering N/A 0.072 0.237 2.1 N/A



PVC Insulated Wire Average 0.107 0.250 2.3


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Table E4. Variation in FDS modeling results of smoke measurement in IMO apparatus

Fuel Source Model Output to Input Model Output to Test

Shredded Office Paper -0.8% 4.8%

PU Foam with Micro-

fiber Fabric -5.4% -4.7%

Printed Circuit Board 0.1% -1.6%

Computer Case ABS

Plastic 4.3% 4.7%

PU Foam with Micro-

fiber Fabric -3.1% -1.5%

Ponderosa Pine -1.6% 1.9%

Cotton Linen Fabric -0.9% 1.3%

PVC Insulated Wire -1.6% -5.2%

Flaming

Smoldering

Table E5. Peak obscuration values and times in the IMO physical tests and FDS simulations.

The 88 room fire tests conducted as part of this project provide a wealth of data on theconditions resulting from the eight incipient fire sources and the response of spot, beamand aspirated detection systems to these conditions in both unventilated and mechanically

ventilated enclosures. Only a fraction of this data has been analyzed in detail as part of

this project, but all the data acquired during this project has been summarized in tabularand chart form in Excel spreadsheet files and will be made available for future analysis.

More than 1,200 data charts have been generated to illustrate the data from these tests.


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xi

The responses of the two brands of photoelectric detectors used in this project were

generally consistent with each other, but the levels of smoke obscuration reported by

these detectors was not always consistent with the smoke obscuration levels measured atthe adjacent detection stations. This may be due to the different methods used to measure

smoke obscuration by the detectors, which use light reflection, and by the adjacent

photocell assemblies, which use light obscuration.The levels of smoke obscuration reported by the spot detectors are based on correlationsdeveloped from testing in the UL smoke box using only a single smoke source, a

smoldering cotton wick. This correlation has not been demonstrated for the smoke

sources used in this project; this may account for at least some of the differences betweenthe smoke obscuration levels reported by the spot detectors and those measured by the

adjacent photocell assemblies.

Based on analysis of the smoke detector data from the room fire tests in this project, thesmoke obscuration at detection, represented in %/ft and based on the 80

thpercentile

values, are shown in Table E6 for the different ventilation conditions, fire conditions anddetector types.

Table E6. Smoke obscuration at detection in room tests based on 80th

percentile values.

12 ACH6 ACH

1?

Insuff. Data

5

Insuff. Data

Non-

flaming

Flaming

1?10Photoelectric

1?12Ionization

58Photoelectric

88Ionization

Ventilated

Unventilated

12 ACH6 ACH

1?

Insuff. Data

5

Insuff. Data

Non-

flaming

Flaming

1?10Photoelectric

1?12Ionization

58Photoelectric

88Ionization

Ventilated

Unventilated

Based on analysis of the smoke detector data from the room fire tests in this project, thetemperature rise at detection, represented in K and based on the 80

thpercentile values, are

shown in Table E7 for the different ventilation conditions, fire conditions and detector

types.

Table E7. Temperature rise at detection in room tests based on 80th

percentile values.

12 ACH6 ACH

3

Insuff. Data

3

Insuff. Data

Non-

flaming

Flaming

33Photoelectric

33Ionization

35Photoelectric

35Ionization

Ventilated

Unventilated

12 ACH6 ACH

3

Insuff. Data

3

Insuff. Data

Non-

flaming

Flaming

33Photoelectric

33Ionization

35Photoelectric

35Ionization

Ventilated

Unventilated


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xii

Based on analysis of the smoke detector data from the room fire tests in this project,

substantial errors are indicated in using simplistic guidelines of obscuration and

temperature rise based on 80th percentile values. The values reported in the previoustables both overestimate and underestimate response times in specific tests.

These errors may be reduced through use of a dual parameter approach, e.g. obscuration

and velocity in unventilated rooms:o Flaming fires, photoelectric detectors: 5.5-9.5 %/ft and 0.14-0.33 m/so Non-flaming fires, photoelectric detectors: 1.5-2.5 %/ft and 0.03-0.07 m/s

The near-ceiling velocity of ventilation in the ventilated room tests with 6 and 12 ACHexceeds the velocity of the ceiling jet from the incipient fires in these tests.

The near-ceiling velocity field caused by the mechanical injection of air at 6 and 12 ACHhas not been experimentally characterized.

The responses of the aspirated systems in the 64 tests in the ventilated room have beensummarized in Excel spreadsheets, but have not yet been analyzed. The data from the

aspirated systems has not yet been synchronized with the other experimental data due to

technical difficulties with the synchronization process.

Baseline FDS simulations have been conducted for 32 different room fire scenariosinvolving the 8 incipient fire sources under 4 different conditions, including unventilated

tests conducted in the UL 217/268 standard smoke room, unventilated tests conducted in

the ventilated room constructed for this project, and ventilated tests conducted at 6 and 12air changes per hour in this ventilated room. For the baseline FDS simulations, a 10 cm

uniform grid was used, resulting in a total of 233,280 computational cells for both the

unventilated and ventilated enclosures. For the baseline FDS simulations, the specifiedsmoke release rate was based on measurements of smoke release rate in the IMO bench-

scale tests and was not corrected for transport lag.

Additional FDS simulations have been conducted for a few scenarios using the multi-mesh feature of FDS to provide a higher level of resolution of 5 cm in the fire plume and

ceiling jet regions of the two enclosures, but these simulations have not yet beencompared with the experimental data or the baseline FDS simulations. These results and

comparisons will be reported separately.

Additional FDS simulations have also been conducted for the 16 mechanically ventilatedscenarios using a different description for the ceiling vents than in the baseline

calculations. These simulations use a uniform cell size of 10 cm, but they have not yet

been compared with the experimental data or the baseline FDS simulations. These resultsand comparisons will be reported separately.

The 32 FDS baseline simulations demonstrate a wide range of results in comparison with

the related room fire tests so it is difficult to generalize about the current capability of

FDS to predict smoke detector activation over the range of fuels and ventilation

conditions evaluated in this project.

In many of the 32 baseline FDS simulations, the predicted maximum level of smokeobscuration is higher than the measured level of smoke obscuration in the related room

fire tests. This may be due to the relatively coarse resolution of 10 cm used for the

baseline FDS simulations. In these simulations, it appears that the dynamics of plumeentrainment is not fully captured, which would lead to higher concentrations of smoke in

the FDS simulations. Another factor that may contribute to the higher predicted smoke


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xiii

obscuration levels is smoke deposition to room surfaces, which is not currently addressed

in FDS.

The levels of smoke obscuration measured by the photocell assemblies at the detectionstations during the mechanically ventilated tests were low in comparison with the levels

of smoke obscuration reported by the adjacent smoke detectors and in comparison with

the levels of smoke obscuration predicted by the associated FDS simulations. The reasonfor this has not yet been determined.

The mechanically ventilated tests conducted at 6 and 12 ACH demonstrated conditionsdifferent from those observed in the unventilated tests. In particular, smoke did not

readily transport past the plane defined by the line between the two injection louvers atthe center of the room. Instead, the smoke tended to stack up on the fire side of this plane,

suggesting that the mechanical injection of air was acting as an air curtain. Qualitatively,

this was observed in both the room fire tests as well as in the baseline FDS simulations.

This also had the effect of delaying smoke detector response on the downstream side ofthe injection louvers. The impact of mechanical ventilation on smoke detector response

warrants further investigation.

Recommendations for further study include:

Develop the relationship between light scattering and light obscuration for fuels ofprimary interest (UL 217 fuels, PU foam, etc.) as a means to resolve the differences insmoke obscuration levels reported by the smoke detectors and those measured by the

adjacent photocell assemblies.

Perform additional FDS simulations at higher resolutions to evaluate the effects onpredicted smoke obscuration levels.

Perform additional mechanically ventilated room tests to characterize the velocity fieldcaused by the injection of air through representative air louvers.

Establish methods to more accurately simulate the injection of air through representativeair louvers in FDS.

Further investigate the impact of mechanical ventilation on smoke detector response.

In summary, this project has generated a wealth of new data on the fire-induced conditions in the

room of origin resulting from a range of different incipient fire sources under both unventilated

and mechanically ventilated conditions. It has also generated a wealth of data on the response ofboth spot-type and aspirated smoke detection systems to these conditions. Thirty-two different

room fire scenarios were conducted in replicate in 88 large-scale tests and each scenario was

simulated using the current release version (5.1.0) of the Fire Dynamics Simulator to evaluate the

current capabilities of FDS to predict smoke detector response and activation. In light of the

large number of room fire tests conducted and FDS simulations performed, it has not beenpossible to perform a comprehensive analysis of the results. The data from these tests and FDS

simulations demonstrate a range of results that warrants further analysis.


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xiv

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial and technical support provided by the FireProtection Research Foundation, the project sponsors and the members of the project technical

panel. The authors would also like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Alyson Blair,

Allison Carey and Andrew Laird, who were undergraduate students in the Department of FireProtection Engineering at the University of Maryland when this project was conducted as well as

the assistance and technical support of Tom Fabian, Tom Lackhouse and Dan Steppan of UL.

Special thanks to Scott Lang of System Sensor for his technical support throughout this project.


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xv

Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology


Prepared for:

Kathleen AlmandFire Protection Research Foundation

1 Batterymarch ParkQuincy, MA 02169

Prepared by:


Pravinray Gandhi

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

October 10, 2008


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. xvi

TABLE OF CONTENTSPage

Executive Summary ii

Acknowledgements xiv

1. Introduction 1

2. Description of the unventilated test enclosure 1

3. Description of the ventilated test enclosure 5

4. Unventilated room tests and results 8

5. Ventilated room tests and results 9

6. Summary 10

Appendix A. Channel designations and measurement locations in room tests 11

Appendix B. Data from large-scale room tests (Excel files)provided on DVD only 13

List of FiguresPage

1. Approximate instrumentation locations in unventilated test room. 4

2. Approximate instrumentation locations in ventilated test room. 7

List of TablesPage

E1. Incipient fire sources iii

E2. Matrix of large-scale room fire test designations iii

E3. Summary of data obtained from tests conducted in IMO apparatus ixE4. Variation in FDS modeling results of smoke measurement in IMO apparatus x

E5. Peak obscuration values and times in the IMO physical tests and FDS simulations. x

E6. Smoke obscuration at detection in room tests based on 80th percentile values. xi

E7. Temperature rise at detection in room tests based on 80th percentile values. xiA1. Channel designations and locations for measurements in the unventilated test room 11

A2. Channel designations and locations for measurements in the ventilated test room 12


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Validation of a Smoke Detection Performance Prediction Methodology Volume 2October 10, 2008 p. 1

1. Introduction

This volume of this 4-volume report describes the large-scale fire tests that were conducted to

develop data on fire-induced conditions within an enclosure and smoke detector performance in

response to the eight incipient fire sources described in Volume 1 of this report. The generalpurpose of this project has been to evaluate the current capabilities of the Fire Dynamics

Simulator (FDS) to predict smoke detector activation in response to relatively low energy

incipient fire sources.

A series of eighty-eight large-scale room fire tests were conducted to develop data for use in this

validation exercise. Twenty-four tests were conducted under unventilated conditions in the

standard room used to test smoke detectors for the UL 217/268 standards; this room measures10.8 m (36 ft.) long by 6.6 m (22 ft.) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft.) tall. Three replicate tests were

conducted with each of the eight incipient fire sources identified in Table 1. The second set of

large-scale tests were conducted in a 7.2 m (24 ft) long by 7.2 m (24 ft) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft)

high room constructed specifically for this project to represent a mechanically ventilated space ina commercial facility. This room was provided with mechanically injected ventilation and a

ceiling return air plenum to represent a typical commercial type of installation. Three replicate

tests were conducted with each of the eight incipient fire sources at nominal mechanicalventilation rates of 6 and 12 air changes per hour; two replicate tests were also conducted with

each of the eight incipient fire sources under unventilated conditions in this room. Thus, 64 fire

tests were conducted in the ventilated room, for a total of 88 large-scale fire tests in the tworooms. A matrix showing the test designations of the 88 large-scale tests is provided in Table 2.

The large-scale rooms were instrumented with a number of thermocouples, velocity probes and

light obscuration devices to provide a basis for evaluating the current capability of FDS to

predict fire-induced conditions throughout a room in response to incipient fire sources under arange of realistic ventilation conditions. Instrumentation types and locations are described in the

following sections of this report.

The two large-scale rooms were equipped with a number of spot-type commercial smoke

detectors from two different manufacturers, designated as SS and SG. The ventilated test

room was also equipped with three aspirated smoke detection systems from one manufacturer.The response of these different smoke detection devices provides a basis for evaluating the

response characteristics of these smoke detection systems as well as the current capability of

FDS to predict smoke detector activation in response to a number of different incipient firesources. This large-scale room fire test data set should prove useful for future smoke transport

and smoke detection validation exercises as well as for this one.

2. Description of the unventilated test enclosure

The unventilated test enclosure used for 24 of the large-scale room fire tests is illustrated in plan

view in Figure 1. This enclosure, which is normally used as part of the UL 217/268 standards forlisting smoke detectors, measures 10.8 m (36 ft.) long by 6.6 m (22 ft.) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft.) tall.

The enclosure is equipped with a number of air supply and exhaust vents in the walls and ceiling


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for purging smoke from the room between tests, but these vents were not in operation during the

unventilated fire tests.

For standard test purposes, the fire source is situated on a stand located 2.1 m (7 ft.) from the

south wall along the longitudinal centerline of the room, as illustrated in Figure 1. The top of the

stand is 0.9 m (3 ft) above floor level. In the coordinate system adopted for this project, with thesoutheast corner of the room serving as the origin, the coordinates of the fire source base would

be x = 2.1 m (7 ft), y = 3.3 m (11 ft) and z = 0.9 m (3 ft), as illustrated in Figure 1. This fire

source location was used for all tests conducted in the unventilated room test series.

For standard test purposes, the unventilated test enclosure is equipped with three photocell/lamp

assemblies and three measuring ionization chamber (MIC) units as illustrated in Figure 1. The

three photocell/lamp assemblies and MIC units are located along the west wall, along thelongitudinal centerline and along the east wall of the room, respectively, with the center of each

assembly located approximately 5.3 m (17.7 ft) from the fire source in plan view. The photocell

and lamp units of each assembly are spaced 1.5 m (5 ft) from each other, with the photocell and

lamp units located 0.1 m (4 in) below the ceiling; the sidewall units are located 0.175 m (7 in)from the adjacent walls. The purpose of these assemblies is to measure light obscuration in the

vicinity of the west, center and east detector stations, respectively. The photocell used in these

assemblies is a Weston Photronic Cell Model 594 unit, while the lamp is a GE model 4515incandescent 6V/30W sealed beam all glass unit.

Spot-type smoke detectors were mounted in the standard locations along the west wall, on theceiling along the longitudinal centerline and along the east wall of the test room. The standard

west wall and east wall sites only accommodate one detector each, so one brand of detector (SS)

was mounted along the west wall while the other brand (SG) was mounted along the east wall.

The standard ceiling detector site can accommodate two detectors, so one of each brand (SS and

SG) was mounted at this south center location. A non-standard detector site was also locatedalong the longitudinal centerline of the room at a horizontal distance of 6.3 m (21 ft) from the

fire source. This site, designated as north center, could accommodate two detectors, so one ofeach brand (SS and SG) of spot detector was mounted at this north center location. A

thermocouple was located at each of the four detector stations to measure gas temperatures at

each station.

The unventilated enclosure was equipped with additional instrumentation for this test series,

including:

A photocell tree with 3 photocell/lamp assemblies and associated thermocouples mounted

at three different heights;A thermocouple tree with 8 thermocouples mounted at eight different heights;

Three thermocouples located at three elevations within the fire plume and one

thermocouple to measure the hotplate temperature during tests using the hotplate;

Five thermocouples mounted in the ceiling jet along the longitudinal centerline;

Probes to measure velocities in the x- and y-directions at one location in the ceiling jet,along with the gas temperature at this location.


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All thermocouples used for this project were Type K thermocouples with exposed beads.

The photocell tree was located at coordinates of x = 7.5 m (25 ft) and y = 2.1 m (7 ft) relative tothe southeast corner of the room. The elevations of the three photocell assemblies and associated

thermocouples was 1.5 m (5 ft), 2.4 m (8 ft) and 2.7 m (9 ft) above the floor, respectively. The

photocell used in these assemblies is a Weston Photronic Cell Model 856-9901013-BB unit,while the lamp is a GE Edison Spot Halogen 20 #99372 (Q20MR16NSPICG) 12 volt 20 watt

unit. The photocell and lamp in each assembly were separated by a horizontal distance of 0.3 m

(1 ft).

The thermocouple tree was located at coordinates of x = 7.5 m (25 ft) and y = 4.8 m (16 ft)

relative to the southeast corner of the room. The eight thermocouples were located at elevations

of 2.1 m (7 ft), 2.5 m (8 ft 4 in), 2.7 m (9 ft), 2.85 m (9ft 6 in), 2.9 m (9 ft 8 in), 2.925 m (9 ft 9in), 2.95 m (9 ft 10 in) and 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in) above the floor, respectively.

The three thermocouples within the fire plume were centered on the fire source at coordinates of

x = 2.1 m (7 ft) and y = 3.3 m (11 ft). The lowest of the three plume thermocouples was locatedat an elevation of 0.1 m (4 in.) above the surface of the fuel, so the elevation of this

thermocouple depended on the fuel source geometry. The middle of the three plume

thermocouples was located at an elevation of 2.1 m (7 ft) above the floor and the upper plumethermocouple was located at an elevation of 2.85 m (9 ft 6 in) above the floor.

The five thermocouples mounted in the ceiling jet were all located along the longitudinalcenterline of the room (y = 3.3 m (11 ft)) at an elevation of 2.925 m (9 ft 9 in) above the floor.

The x-coordinates for these ceiling jet thermocouples were approximately 0.9 m (3 ft), 3.3 m (11

ft), 4.5 m (15 ft), 5.7 m (19 ft) and 6.9 m (23 ft), respectively.

The velocity probe was located at coordinates of x = 7.5 m (25 ft), y = 4.5 m (15 ft) and z =2.975 m (9 ft 11 in) relative to the southeast corner of the room. The velocity probe was also

equipped with a thermocouple to measure gas temperature at the location of the velocity probe.

A complete listing of the instrumentation types, coordinates and data acquisition channel

assignments for the unventilated room tests is provided in Table A1 in Appendix A of this

volume of this report.


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Ceiling jet TC TC tree

Photocell tree

Figure 1. Approximate instrumentation locations in unventilated test room

x

ySmoke detector

Fire source

Photocell/lamp assembly

z

Westdetector

station

Eastdetectorstation

South centerdetector station

North centerdetector station

N

MIC unit

Velocity probe


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3. Description of the ventilated test enclosure

The ventilated test enclosure used for 64 of the large-scale room fire tests is illustrated in Figure

2. This enclosure, which was designed and constructed for this project, measures 7.2 m (24 ft)

long by 7.2 m (24 ft) wide by 3.0 m (10 ft.) tall. The enclosure is equipped with a mechanicalventilation system of the injection type, with two ceiling air diffusers provided for air injection

and four transfer grilles provided in the ceiling for air exhaust to a 1.5 m (5 ft) deep plenum

located above the ventilated test room. The ceiling plenum was vented to the general laboratoryspace through a large opening in the east wall. The air diffuser and transfer grille locations are

shown in Figure 2.

For test purposes, the fire source was located on a stand located 0.6 m (2 ft.) from the north wallalong the longitudinal centerline of the room, as illustrated in Figure 2. The top of the stand was

located 0.75 m (30 in) above floor level. In the coordinate system adopted for this project, with

the northeast corner of the room serving as the origin, the coordinates of the fire source base

would be x = 0.6 m (2 ft), y = 3.6 m (12 ft) and z = 0.75 m (30 in), as illustrated in Figure 2.This fire source location was used for all tests in this series.

The ventilated test enclosure was equipped with four detector stations located at ceiling level atthe quarter-points of the room, as shown in Figure 2. Each detector station was equipped with

two spot-type smoke detectors, including one of each brand (SS and SG), a photocell/lamp

assembly and a thermocouple. The photocell and lamp units of each assembly were spaced 0.3m (1 ft) from each other; the purpose of these assemblies was to measure light obscuration in the

vicinity of the west, center and east detector stations, respectively. The photocell used in these

assemblies is a Weston Photronic Cell Model 856-9901013-BB unit, while the lamp is a GE

Edison Spot Halogen 20 #99372 (Q20MR16NSPICG) 12 volt 20 watt unit.

The ventilated test enclosure was also equipped with three aspiration type (VESDA) smoke

detection systems. Each aspirated system had two sampling ports within the test enclosure, asillustrated in Figure 2, as well as one sampling port located outside the test enclosure. The

VESDA1 system had sampling ports located near detector stations 1 and 2, with one sampling

port located at coordinates x = 1.95 m (6 ft 6 in), y = 1.8 m (6 ft) and z = 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in ),

and the other sampling port located at coordinates x = 1.95 m (6 ft 6 in), y = 5.4 m (18 ft) and z =2.975 m (9 ft 11 in). The VESDA2 system had sampling ports located near detector stations 3

and 4, with one sampling port located at coordinates x = 5.55 m (18 ft 6 in), y = 1.8 m (6 ft) and

z = 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in), and the other sampling port located at coordinates x = 5.55 m (18 ft 6 in),y = 5.4 m (18 ft) and z = 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in). The VESDA3 system had sampling ports located

near the west wall of the enclosure, with one sampling port located at coordinates x = 6.975 m(23 ft 3 in), y = 1.8 m (6 ft) and z = 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in), and the other sampling port located at

coordinates x = 6.975 m (23 ft 3 in), y = 5.4 m (18 ft) and z = 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in)

The ventilated enclosure was equipped with additional instrumentation for this test series,

including:


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A photocell tree with 3 photocell/lamp assemblies and associated thermocouples mounted

at three different heights located at the center of the room;

A thermocouple tree with 8 thermocouples mounted at eight different heights located atthe center of the room;

Three thermocouples located at three elevations within the fire plume and one

thermocouple to measure the hotplate temperature during tests that used the hotplate;Six thermocouples mounted in the ceiling jet along the longitudinal centerline;

Probes to measure velocities in the x- and y-directions at one location in the ceiling jet,along with the gas temperature at this location.

All thermocouples used for this project were Type K thermocouples with exposed beads.

The photocell tree was located at coordinates of x = 3.6 m (12 ft) and y = 3.6 m (12 ft) relative to

the northeast corner of the room. The elevations of the three photocell assemblies and associated

thermocouples was 1.5 m (5 ft), 2.4 m (8 ft) and 2.7 m (9 ft) above the floor, respectively. The

photocell used in these assemblies is a Weston Photronic Cell Model 856-9901013-BB unit,

while the lamp is a GE Edison Spot Halogen 20 #99372 (Q20MR16NSPICG) 12 volt 20 wattunit. A thermocouple was located adjacent to each photocell assembly.

The thermocouple tree was located at coordinates of x = 3.6 m (12 ft) and y = 3.6 m (12 ft)

relative to the northeast corner of the room. The eight thermocouples were located at elevations

of 2.1 m (7 ft), 2.5 m (8 ft 4 in), 2.7 m (9 ft), 2.85 m (9ft 6 in), 2.9 m (9 ft 8 in), 2.925 m (9 ft 9

in), 2.95 m (9 ft 10 in) and 2.975 m (9 ft 11 in) above the floor, respectively.

The three thermocouples within the fire plume were centered on the fire source at coordinates of

x = 0.6 m (2 ft) and y = 3.6 m (12 ft). The lowest of the three plume thermocouples was locatedat an elevation of 0.1 m (4 in.) above the surface of the fuel, so the elevation of this

thermocouple depended on the fuel source geometry. The middle of the three plumethermocouples was located at an elevation of 2.1 m (7 ft) above the floor and the upper plume

thermocouple was located at an elevation of 2.85 m (9 ft 6 in) above the floor.

The six thermocouples mounted in the ceiling jet were all located along the longitudinal

centerline of the room (y = 3.6 m (12 ft)) at an elevation of 2.925 m (9 ft 9 in) above the floor.The x-coordinates for these ceiling jet thermocouples were approximately 0.1 m (4 in), 1.8 m (6

ft), 3.0 m (10 ft), 4.2 m (14 ft), 5.4 m (18 ft) and 6.6 m (22 ft), respectively.

The velocity probe was located at coordinates of x = 3.6 m (12 ft), y = 4.2 m (14 ft) and z =

2.975 m (9 ft 11 in) relative to the southeast corner of the room. The velocity probe was also

equipped with a thermocouple to measure gas temperature at the location of the velocity probe.

A complete listing of the instrumentation types, coordinates and data acquisition channel

assignments for the unventilated room tests is provided in Table A2 in Appendix A of this

volume of this report.


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Ceiling jet TCTC tree

Photocell tree

Figure 2. Approximate instrumentation locations in ventilated test room

x

y

Smoke detector

Fire source

Photocell assemblyzN

MIC unit

Velocity probe

VESDA 1 VESDA 3VESDA 2

Detectorstation1

Detectorstation2

Detectorstation3

Detectorstation4

Ceilingdiffuser

Airtransfer

grille


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4. Unventilated room tests and results

The unventilated room fire tests were conducted during August, 2007, at the UL facility in

Northbrook, IL. For these tests, the eight different incipient fire sources described in Volume 1

of this report were used; they were ignited in the same ways as described in Volume 1.

For the large-scale unventilated room tests, five different data acquisition systems were used to

collect data from different instruments and detection systems. Because these tests wereconducted in the standard UL smoke room used for the UL 217/268 standard, the standard

photocell assembly data and the MIC data were collected using the data acquisition system

normally used for this purpose. Most of the other instrumentation data was collected with a

Netdaq data acquisition system, with the exception of the velocity probe data, which wascollected separately. Smoke detection data was collected on the proprietary systems provided by

each of the detection system manufacturers (SS and SG). The data were reduced into multiple

Excel spreadsheets per test, each with multiple tables and charts to tabulate and graph the

reduced data.

Most of the raw instrumentation data has been reduced into Excel files with the name FPRF test

x main data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of these Excel filescontains the raw data acquired by the Netdaq system, while Sheet 2 contains the same data

reduced to appropriate engineering units. These Excel files also contain the following graphs of

the data:

Fuel mass loss data (not available for tests using the hotplate)

Photocell tree data

Thermocouple tree data

Plume temperature dataCeiling jet temperature data

Temperature data at each of the detector stations

Hotplate temperature data (for tests using the hotplate)

The detection data has been reduced into a separate Excel file for each test; these data files are

named FPRF test x det data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of thesefiles contains the proprietary signal data recorded by the SS detection system for the three SS

detectors used in this test series, while Sheet 2 contains the same data expressed in appropriate

engineering units; because of the proprietary nature of this data, these sheets have been hidden

and protected. Sheet 3 of these files contains the light obscuration data for the three SS detectors

and the standard UL photocell assemblies located at the west, central and east detector stations.Sheet 4 of these files contains the data recorded by the SG detection system for the three SG

detectors used in this test series; this data has been manually transcribed from the SG data files

produced by the SG system.

Chart 1 of the detector Excel files shows the data obtained by the three SS detectors during a test;

this includes temperature, carbon monoxide concentration and light obscuration data collected bythese multi-sensor detectors. Chart 2 of these files shows the light obscuration data for the three


28/32


SS detectors along with the light obscuration data from the standard UL photocell assemblies

located at the west, central and east detector stations. Chart 3 of these files shows the light

obscuration data for the three SG detectors along with the light obscuration data from thestandard UL photocell assemblies located at the west, central and east detector stations. Chart 4

of these files shows the data from Charts 2 and 3 combined on a single chart.

The light obscuration and MIC data obtained by the standard data acquisition systems for the UL

217/268 smoke room has been reduced into a separate Excel file for each test; these data files are

named FPRF test x MIC data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of thesefiles contains the light obscuration and MIC data recorded at the east, center and west detection

stations, while Chart 1 graphically shows this same data.

The velocity probe data has been reduced into a separate Excel file for each test; these data filesare named FPRF test x vel data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of

these files contains the U-velocity, V-velocity and gas temperature data recorded by these

devices, while Chart 1 of these files graphically shows this same data.

5. Ventilated room tests and results

The ventilated room fire tests were conducted during December, 2007, at the UL facility inNorthbrook, IL. For these tests, the eight different incipient fire sources described in Volume 1

of this report were used; they were ignited in the same ways as described in Volume 1.

For the large-scale ventilated room tests, five different data acquisition systems were used to

collect data from different instruments and detection systems. Most of the instrumentation data

was collected with a Netdaq data acquisition system, with the exception of the velocity probe

data, which was collected separately. Smoke detection data for the spot detectors were collected

on the proprietary systems provided by each of the spot detection system manufacturers (SS andSG). Smoke detection data for the aspirated detection systems were collected on the proprietary

system provided by the aspirated system manufacturer. The data were reduced into multipleExcel spreadsheets per test, each with multiple tables and charts to tabulate and graph the

reduced data.

Most of the raw instrumentation data has been reduced into Excel files with the name FPRF testx main data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of these Excel files

contains the raw data acquired by the Netdaq system, while Sheet 2 contains the same data

reduced to appropriate engineering units. These Excel files also contain the following graphs ofthe data:

Fuel mass loss data (not available for tests using the hotplate)

Photocell tree data

Thermocouple tree data

Plume temperature data

Ceiling jet temperature data

Temperature data at each detector station

Photocell data at each detection station


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Hotplate temperature data (for tests using the hotplate)

The detection data has been reduced into a separate Excel file for each test; these data files arenamed FPRF test x det data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of these

files contains the proprietary signal data recorded by the SS detection system for the three SS

detectors used in this test series, while Sheet 2 contains the same data expressed in appropriateengineering units; because of the proprietary nature of this data, these sheets have been hidden

and protected. Sheet 3 of these files contains the light obscuration data for the four SS detectors

and the photocell assemblies located at the four detector stations. Sheets 4 and 5 of these files

contain data recorded by the SG detection system for the SG detectors used in this test series;this data has been manually transcribed from the SG data files produced by the SG system.

Chart 1 of the detector Excel files shows the data obtained by the three SS detectors during a test;

this includes temperature, carbon monoxide concentration and light obscuration data collected bythese multi-sensor detectors. Chart 2 of these files shows the light obscuration data for the four

SS detectors, designated as Station x SS, along with the light obscuration data from the

photocell assemblies, designated as Station x PC, located at the four detector stations. Chart 4of these files shows the light obscuration data for the four SG detectors along with the light

obscuration data from the standard UL photocell assemblies located at the four detector stations,

while Chart 3 of these files shows the data from Charts 2 and 4 combined on a single chart.

The VESDA data obtained by the VESDA system has been reduced into a separate Excel file for

each test; these data files are named FPRF test x vesda data, where x represents the respective

test number. These data files have not been synchronized with the other data files because thetime stamp for these files was accidentally lost when the system was de-energized before

shipment back to the manufacturer. It should be possible to estimate the transport lag times for

these data files to synchronize the VESDA data reasonably well, but this has not yet been done.

The velocity probe data has been reduced into a separate Excel file for each test; these data files

are named FPRF test x vel data, where x represents the respective test number. Sheet 1 of

these files contains the U-velocity, V-velocity and gas temperature data recorded by thesedevices, while Chart 1 of these files graphically shows this same data. These data files have not

been synchronized with the other data files. The reported lag time of 30 seconds between data

acquisition initiation and test ignition is inconsistent with the lag times of many of the ventilatedroom tests. It should be possible to compare temperature signals for these data files with other

temperature signals to synchronize the velocity data reasonably well, but this has not yet been

done successfully.

6. Summary

This volume of this report has described the large-scale test enclosures, instrumentation and datafiles for this project. The data generated by the 88 large-scale tests conducted as part of this

project have resulted in the generation of 1,208 graphs of the various measurements made during

these tests. It is not practical to include these graphs in the printed version of this report. As an

alternative, the Excel files described in this volume of this report are included on a DVD alongwith an electronic version of this report.


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Appendix A. Channel designations and measurement locations in room tests

Table A.1. Channel designations and locations for measurements in the unventilated test room

Channel

ID

Description Coordinates (m)

(relative to designated origin)X Y Z

1-1 Photocell high on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 2.7

1-2 Photocell low on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 1.5

1-3 Photocell middle on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 2.4

1-4 TC high on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 2.7

1-5 TC middle on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 2.4

1-6 TC low on photocell tree 7.2 2.1 1.5

1-7 Load cell 2.1 3.3 0.8

1-8 TC low in fire plume 2.1 3.3 0.9

1-9 TC middle in fire plume 2.1 3.3 2.1

1-11 TC high in fire plume 2.1 3.3 2.85

1-12 Hotplate TC 2.1 3.3 0.8

1-13 TC in ceiling jet (Ceiling 1) 0.9 3.3 2.925





2-1 TC in thermocouple tree 7.2 4.8 2.975



2-4 TC in thermocouple tree 7.2 4.8 2.92-5 TC in thermocouple tree 7.2 4.8 2.85




2-9 TC at west detector station 6.3 6.525 2.7

2-10 TC at east detector station 6.3 .075 2.7

2-11 TC at north center detector station 8.4 3.3 2.975

2-12 TC at north center detector station 7.2 3.3 2.975

2-13 TC at velocity probe 7.2 4.5 2.975

SS-1 SS smoke detector at north center station 8.4 3.45 2.95

SS-2 SS smoke detector at south center station 7.2 3.15 2.95SS-3 SS smoke detector at west detection station 6.15 6.55 2.7

SG-1 SG smoke detector at east detection station 6.15 0.05 2.7

SG-2 SG smoke detector at south center station 7.2 3.45 2.95

SG-3 SG smoke detector at north center station 8.4 3.15 2.95

Notes: 1. Data from the numbered channels are recorded in the main data file for each test.2. Data from the SS/SG smoke detectors are recorded in the det data file for each test.

3. Data from the standard photocell units are recorded in the det data file for each test.


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Table A.2. Channel designations and locations for measurements in the ventilated test room

ChannelID

Description Coordinates (m)(relative to designated origin)

X Y Z1-1 Photocell high on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 2.7

1-2 Photocell low on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 1.5

1-3 Photocell middle on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 2.4

1-4 TC high on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 2.7

1-5 TC middle on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 2.4

1-6 TC low on photocell tree 3.6 3.6 1.5

1-7 Load cell 0.6 3.6 0.8

1-8 TC low in fire plume 0.6 3.6 0.9

1-9 TC middle in fire plume 0.6 3.6 2.1

1-11 TC high in fire plume 0.6 3.6 2.85

1-12 Hotplate TC 0.6 3.6 0.8










2-4 TC in thermocouple tree 3.6 3.6 2.92-5 TC in thermocouple tree 3.6 3.6 2.85




2-9 TC at detector station 2 (NE) 1.8 1.8 2.975

2-10 TC at detector station 3 (NW) 5.4 1.8 2.975

2-11 TC at detector station 4 (SW) 5.4 5.4 2.975

2-12 TC at detector station 1 (SE) 1.8 5.4 2.975

2-13 TC at velocity probe 3.6 4.2 2.975

2-14 TC at VESDA3 NW sampling port 6.675 1.8 2.975

2-15 TC at VESDA3 SW sampling port 6.675 5.4 2.9753-1 Photocell at detector station 3 (NW) 5.85 1.8 2.9

3-2 Photocell at detector station 2 (NE) 2.25 1.8 2.9

3-3 Photocell at detector station 3 (SW) 2.25 5.4 2.9

3-4 Photocell at detector station 3 (SE) 5.85 5.4 2.9

SS-1 SS smoke detector at detector station 1 (SE) 1.8 5.25 2.95

SS-2 SS smoke detector at detector station 2 (NE) 1.8 1.65 2.95

SS-3 SS smoke detector at detector station 3 (NW) 5.4 1.95 2.95


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SS-4 SS smoke detector at detector station 4 (SW) 5.4 5.55 2.95

SG-1 SG smoke detector at detector station 1 (SE) 1.8 5.55 2.95

SG-2 SG smoke detector at detector station 2 (NE) 1.8 1.95 2.95

SG-3 SG smoke detector at detector station 3 (NW) 5.4 1.65 2.95

SG-4 SG smoke detector at detector station 4 (SW) 5.4 5.25 2.95

SG-5 SG ionization detector near station 3 (NW) 5.4 2.4 2.95SG-6 SG ionization detector near station 4 (SW) 5.4 4.8 2.95

Notes: 1. Data from the numbered channels are recorded in the main data file for each test.

2. Data from the SS/SG smoke detectors are recorded in the det data file for each test.

3. Data from the VESDA systems are recorded in the vesda data file for each test.

Appendix B. Data from large-scale room fire tests

Data from 88 large-scale room fire tests (Excel files)provided on DVD only

fprf final report volume 2

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