Calculation of the Flow Through a Horizontal Ceiling/Floor Vent.

Published

February 1, 1989

Author(s)

Leonard Y. Cooper

Abstract

Calculation of the flow through a horizontal vent located in a ceiling or floor of a multi-room compartment is considered. It is assumed that the environments of the two, vent-connected spaces near the elevation of the vent are of arbitrary relative buoyancy and cross-vent pressure difference. An anomaly of the standard vent flow model is discussed. The problem occurs in practical vent configurations of unstable hydrostatic equilibrium, where, for example, one gas overlays a relatively less-dense gas. In such configurations the cross-vent flow is not uni-directional. Previously published experimental data on a variety of related flow configurations are used to develop a general flow model which does not suffer from the standard model anomaly. The model developed leads to a uniformly valid algorithm, called VENTCL, for horizontal vent flow calcualtions suitable for general use in zone-type compartment fire models. Based on an assumption of total consumption of net oxygen flow rate, the algorithm is used in an example application where steady-state rate-of-burning in a ceiling-vented room is estimated as a function of room temperature, vent area, and oxygen concentration.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) - 89-4052

Report Number

89-4052

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.89-4052

Keywords

vents, algorithms, building fires, compartment fires, computer models, computer programs, fire models, pressure differential, pressure effects, zone models, ceiling vents, oxygen concentration

Citation

Cooper, L. (1989), Calculation of the Flow Through a Horizontal Ceiling/Floor Vent., NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.89-4052 (Accessed April 16, 2024)