Research Proposal on "Hadjisophocleous, G. & Kia, Q. (2009). "Comparison"

Research Proposal 4 pages (1103 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Hadjisophocleous, G. & Kia, Q. (2009). "Comparison of FDS Prediction of Smoke Movement in a 10-Storey Building with Experimental Data." Fire technology 45(2)

This study used real data from an experimental fire in a specially designed ten-storey tower to determine the accuracy of the Fire Dynamics Simulator, a computer modeling system that had been developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Canada. The primary consideration of the study, and the facet of the fire that was most closely observed, was the movement of smoke through the building; temperature as well as certain gas levels (primarily oxygen gas and carbon dioxide) were measured on each floor to determine the spread of the smoke. The experiment showed that the Fire Dynamics Simulator was reasonably accurate in its predictions, and could be made more accurate through the inclusion of some simple adjustments for unaccounted-for features.

The research problem that Hadjisophocleous and Kia were addressing in this study was determining the reliability and validity of a computer simulation of a fire when dealing with the issue of a real (though controlled) fire event. That is, the researchers were not primarily concerned with discovering the movement patterns and rapidity of spread of some during a fire such as the one created, but rather with how well the NIST-developed Fire Dynamics Simulator predicted smoke movement, as well as other elements of the fire. Addressing this research question involved a semi-indirect approach, where the results of a real fire had to be compared to the predictions of the computer model in order to secure reliable and meaningful data confirming -- or finding fault in -- the model's predictions.

In order to conduct the research, a ten-storey tower was designed and erected. This tower had a compartment on each floor to serve as a "room" and a corridor, to approximate the spaces that exist in a typical building. A complete staircase running all ten floors was also included, as was an elevator shaft. Through the design of the building itself, the researchers were attempting to come as close as possible to real-world conditions, for which the Fire Dynamics Simulator was designed. Sensors for heat and gas levels were placed on every floor of the tower, relaying their information to external computers. A fire was then started in the second-floor compartment of the building and allowed to burn while the instruments on each floor collected data regarding the movement of heat and gases -- specifically tracing the movement of smoke -- as the fire burned out.

There were definitely some flaws in the research design, some of which could have been foreseen and prevented, and others of which would have presented practically insurmountable difficulties to the researchers. In the former category, more accurate data could have been achieved through the use of more widespread data collection devices, and their employment in a variety of areas (within the corridors as well as the compartments; on ceilings as well as floors and possibly walls, in the staircase and elevator shaft, etc.). This would lead to a more comprehensive understanding of how smoke, heat, and gases moved throughout the building, and would have allowed for more specific and finely-tuned adjustments to be suggested for the Fire Dynamics Simulator than the current study with its more limited data collection… READ MORE

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