Numerical Investigation of the Required Quantity of Inert Gas Agents in Fire Suppression Systems

Xiaoqin Hu, Arjen Kraaijeveld and Torgrim Log
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Xiaoqin Hu: Fire Disaster Research Group, Department of Safety, Chemical and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Science, 5528 Haugesund, Norway
Arjen Kraaijeveld: Fire Disaster Research Group, Department of Safety, Chemical and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Science, 5528 Haugesund, Norway
Torgrim Log: Fire Disaster Research Group, Department of Safety, Chemical and Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Science, 5528 Haugesund, Norway

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Inert gas agents have the potential to be widely used in fire suppression systems due to health and safety concerns associated with active chemicals. To suppress fire while minimizing hypoxic effects in an occupied area, the discharge quantity of inert gas agents should be carefully designed to dilute the oxygen concentration to a specific threshold level. In this study, the general expressions between oxygen concentration, the discharge rate of inert gas agents, and the ventilation rate of the air-agent mixture are derived first. Then, explicit formulas to calculate the discharge/ventilation rate and the required quantity of inert gas agents are given if the discharge rate and ventilation rate both are constants. To investigate the dilution and fire extinguishing efficiencies of inert gas agents, two scenarios with a discharge of inert gas agents into an enclosure are modeled using the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS). The simulation results show that the average oxygen mass fraction approximately reaches the design level at the end of the discharge period. Variation in oxygen concentration along the enclosure height is analyzed. For the scenario with a fire source, oxygen mass fraction decreases fast as oxygen is consumed by the combustion process. Thus, the fire is extinguished a little earlier than the end of the discharge period.

Keywords: gas fire suppression; inert gas agents; agent quantity; discharge rate; ventilation rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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