Experimental study on temperature profile in long-narrow compartment fire with multiple lateral openings

Abstract The openings of a compartment under fire condition are very important to exhaust the hot smoke. However, the related impacts on the indoor environment are still not clear so far to guide future designs. Experiments were then conducted using a model long-narrow compartment with multiple lateral openings. The temperature inside the compartment and the temperature profile underneath the ceiling were investigated and compared with the predict ions of those previous models. Experimental results show that the lateral opening conditions mainly affect the temperature near the fire source, and this effect does not follow a single pattern with the change of the number of lateral openings. Keeping the openings near the fire source closed and symmetrically opening the openings away from the fire source can expand the fire hazard, while asymmetrically opening the openings on the side of the fire source can effectively reduce the temperature caused by the fire. The classic models for predicting the maximum temperature rise based on the confined space with open ends underestimate the experimental data in this work. An empirical model considering various fire sizes was developed to predict the temperature decay profile underneath the ceiling. The critical dimensionless distance and the attenuation index of the attenuation zone are both related to the convective heat release rate, showing power and linear functions, respectively. These findings and results can provide reference for the fire risk assessment of a long-narrow compartment with multiple lateral openings.