Advanced Manufacturing Technologies & Metrology

Thesis Title: " Advanced Manufacturing and Measurement Science of 3D Cellular Scale Microenvironments."

Project Title : "Determination of critical smoke ventilation for a car-park fire using small-scale testing with helium."Abstract: When a fire occurs in semi-enclosed space like a car park, smoke control is crucial for individual’s safety since it cause their death due to its inhalation from them. Thus, the ventilation system has to be designed with accuracy in order to control the smoke propagation in the enclosure. This study presents the experimental campaign carried out in a small-scale car park model scaled as 1:25 with respect to a real car park located in Ghent, which is mechanically ventilated. An isothermal experimental model using Densimetric Froude number similarity is proposed and the buoyant release of air and helium is used to represent different fire smoke plumes. At first, the evolution of the Smoke Back Layering distance (SBL) as a function of the Horizontal Average Inlet Velocity is studied in detail by means of Lase Scattering Technique. The Critical Inlet Velocity corresponding to zero SBL is then determined for different fire scenarios and the obtained results are compared with results obtained from literature and conducted in tunnel models. Then, a detailed parametrical investigation for only one fire scenario in the horizontal smoke flow pattern of the car park model is conducted by means of Laser Scattering Technique and Large Scale PIV. The investigated parameters concern different roof, inlet, openings and extractor configurations. A flow topology study is presented revealing the behavior of smoke flow in case of compartments created by beams, cars inside the model, openings created by doors configuration and different combination of extractors being in working condition.Supervisor: Prof. Jeroen van Beeck, I.Horvath