Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft Curtain Interaction: Large Scale Experiments and Model Development. International Fire Sprinkler-Smoke and Heat Vent-Draft Curtain Fire Test Project (NISTIR 6196-1)

Published

September 1, 1998

Author(s)

Kevin B. McGrattan, Anthony P. Hamins, D W. Stroup

Abstract

The International Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft Curtain Fire Test Project organized by the National Fire Protection Research Coundation (NFPRF) has brought together a group of industrial sponsors to study the interaction of sprinklers with roof vents and draft curtains of the type typically found in large warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and warehouse-like retail stores. The Technical Advisory Committee consisting of representatives of the sponsoring organizations and other interested parties planned and conducted thirty-nine large scale fire tests in the Large Scale Fire Test Facility at Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, Illinois. Thirty-four experiments were performed with a heptane spray burner, five were performed with racks of Group A Plastic commodity. The test parameters were chosen to address relatively large, open-area buildings with flat ceilings, adequate sprinkler systems and roof venting. In parallel with the large scale fire tests, a program was conducted at the National Institute of Standards and Technolgoy to develop a numerical field model incorporating the physical phenomena of the experiments. Bench scale experiments were performed to provide inputs for the Industrial Fire Simulator 2 (IFS2) model in terms of the thermal properties of the sprinklers and vent links, spray distribution, and commodity burn rate.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 6196-1

Report Number

6196-1

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.6196-1

Keywords

sprinklers, smoke, vents, draft curtains, large scale fire tests, experiments, computational fluid dynamics, field models, numerical models

Citation

McGrattan, K. , Hamins, A. and Stroup, D. (1998), Sprinkler, Smoke and Heat Vent, Draft Curtain Interaction: Large Scale Experiments and Model Development. International Fire Sprinkler-Smoke and Heat Vent-Draft Curtain Fire Test Project (NISTIR 6196-1), NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.6196-1 (Accessed October 8, 2025)