Computational fluid dynamics modeling of compartment fires

Revolutionary progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling over the last two decades manifests itself in fire research through transition from zone to field models. This coincides with the concurrent trend towards the introduction of performance-based flexible fire protection regulations. The aim of the present review is to provide the reader with a broad discussion on the mathematical modeling techniques, currently available for compartment fires. A brief comparison between zone and field approaches to fire simulation is presented first. Then the most widely used class of field models, based on conventional two-equation closure for turbulence, is considered in detail, including various submodels for specific physical processes. The relevance of underlying physical assumptions is discussed and the conventional model performance is analyzed in a broad range of applications. The extension of the model involving Eulerian–Lagrangian formulation for two-phase flow is discussed in relation to fire extinguishment problems. The final part of the review deals with more advanced but less developed techniques based on Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of turbulence. The review discusses current trends and perspective of mathematical fire modeling and highlights the need for extensive validation studies and interaction between theoretical and experimental investigations.