Numerical Study on Modelling Fire Suppression of Full-scale Car Carrier with Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishing System
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Recent advancements in large-scale computational resources have firmly established Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as an essential tool for understanding complex fire dynamics. CFD offers a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to experimental studies for the analysis of fire behavior in diverse environments. Among available tools, the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and distributed as open-source software [1], stands out for its high accuracy in simulating fire scenarios. With its effective models for turbulent flow and chemical reaction simulations, FDS has become an indispensable resource for fire safety research. The present study focuses on simulating fire scenarios within a car carrier, specifically fires originating from vehicles loaded on two separate decks. The upper deck is equipped with a carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguishing system installed on the ceiling, while CO2 diffusion to the lower deck occurs through lashing holes. Using FDS, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the CO2 system in suppressing fire propagation and investigates critical parameters such as soot and carbon monoxide distribution, temperature evolution, and fire spread between the decks. The simulations consider realistic ship deck geometry and scale, providing valuable insights into fire dynamics and suppression mechanisms in such confined spaces.
