ASHRAE

Technology for a Better Environment

1791 Tullie Circle, NE Atlanta, GA 30329-2305 USA Tel 404.636.8400, Ext. 1211 Fax 678.539.2211
http://www.ashrae.org

Michael Vaughn, PE
Manager of Research & Technical Services

email: mvaughn@ashrae.org

TO:

Jeffrey Tubbs, Chair TC 5.6, jeff.tubbs@arup.com

FROM:

Mike Vaughn, mvaughn@ashrae.org

Manager of Research and Technical Services

CC:

Danny Castellan, Research Liaison 5.0, danc@uwindsor.ca

Paul Turnbull, Research Subcommittee Chair, RTAR Author,
paul.turnbull@siemens.com

DATE:

November 1, 2009

SUBJECT:

1600-RTAR, Methods to Increase Maximum Velocity of Make-up Air for

Atrium Smoke Management

During their recent Tech Weekend teleconference meeting, the Research Administration Committee
(RAC) reviewed the subject Research Topic Acceptance Request (RTAR) and voted to accept it for
further development into a work statement (WS).
See the attached RTAR review summary for additional information when developing the WS.
The RTAR review summary contains comments from individual members of RAC that the TC may or
may not choose to consider when developing the WS; some of these comments may indicate areas of
the RTAR where readers require additional information or rewording for clarification.
Please develop a work statement on this topic with the help of your Research Liaison, Danny
Castellan, danc@uwindsor.ca, prior to submitting it to the Manager of Research and Technical
Services for consideration by RAC. The work statement must be approved by the Research Liaison
prior to submitting it to RAC. The first draft of the work statement should be submitted to RAC no
later than August 15, 2011 or it will be dropped from display on the Societys Research
Implementation Plan. The next submission deadline for work statements is December 15th 2009 for
consideration at the Societys 2010 winter meeting; The submission deadline after that is May 15th,
2010.

Project ID

1600

Project Title
Sponsoring TC
Cost
Submission History
Classification: Research or Technology Transfer
Tech Weekend 2009 Meeting Review
Check List Criteria

Methods to Increase Maximum Velocity of Make-up Air for Atrium Smoke Management
TC 5.06
$130K - 24M
1st Submission
Basic/Applied Research

Voted NO

Is there a well-established need? The RTAR should include

some level of literature review that documents the
importance/magnitude of a problem. If not, then the RTAR
should be returned for revision.

RTAR SUMMARY SCORES & COMMENTS

Comments & Suggestions

#10 - It seems odd that no literature on this subject is found outside USA, I'm aware that regulation are
often regional, but expect research to be international. For the work statement (WS), survey if these
simulations and tests are not performed somewhere else and if these data are useful.

Is this appropriate for ASHRAE funding? If not, then the

RTAR should be rejected. Examples of projects that are not
appropriate for ASHRAE funding would include: 1) research
that is more appropriately performed by industry, 2) topics
outside the scope of ASHRAE activities.
#1,
Is there an adequate description of the approach in order
for RAC to be able to evaluate the appropriateness of the
budget? If not, then the RTAR should be returned for revision.

#1 - There is not much description of the approach - just develop methods and validate using CFD. Does
the TC have suggestions for the methods to be investigated? Will there be any physical validation (or is
this needed) of the CFD modeling? Please try to address these questions in the WS draft.
#1,

Is the budget reasonable for the project scope? If not, then

RTAR could be returned for revision or conditionally accepted
with a note that the budget should be revised for the WS.
Have the proper administrative procedures been followed?
This includes recording of the TC vote, coordination with other
TCs, proper citing of the Research Strategic Plan, etc. If not,
then the RTAR could be returned for revision or possibly
conditionally accepted based on adequately resolving these
issues.

Decision Options
ACCEPT
COND. ACCEPT
RETURN
REJECT

Initial
Decision?
X

Additional Comments or Approval Conditions

#1 - A bit confusing in the wording. Need to clarify that this is to identify methods to take high velocity air
and reduce the velocity to 1 m/s or less at the plume; #3 - Very limited literature search. I hope the WS
will have more info; #13 - This is a good project and I feel it will be an asset to the society and it
members

Research Topic Acceptance Requests (RTARs)

Unique Tracking Number Assigned by MORTS 1600

RESEARCH TOPIC ACCEPTANCE REQUEST (RTAR) FORM
Sponsoring TC/TG/SSPC: _TC 5.6 Fire and Smoke Control_________________
Title:
Methods to increase maximum velocity of make-up air for atrium smoke management.
Applicability to ASHRAE Research Strategic Plan:
This project targets the Tools and Application Goal of the research plan: C2 Develop dual path standards
where paths are prescriptive based and performance based. The purpose of this project is to develop design
methods for safely supplying makeup air into an atrium at a velocity greater than 200 fpm (1 m/s), and to
develop corresponding methods for determining the air entrainment into the plume produced by a fire in an
atrium and the resulting effect on the smoke layer height.
Research Classification:
Basic/Applied Research
TC/TG/SSPC Vote:
7 For, 0 Against, 1 Abstain, 6 Absent
Chair not voting

Reasons for Negative Votes and Abstentions:

The chair does not normally vote
unless a tie-breaker is needed.

Estimated Cost:
$130,000

Estimated Duration:
24 months

RTAR Lead Author

Paul Turnbull, paul.turnbull@siemens.com

Expected Work Statement Lead Author

Paul Turnbull, paul.turnbull@siemens.com

Co-sponsoring TC/TG/SSPCs and votes:

N/A
Possible Co-funding Organizations:
N/A
Application of Results:
Chapter 52, HVAC Applications
ASHRAE special publication Principles of Smoke Management.
State-of-the-Art (Background):
The intended operation of atrium smoke management systems depends on the formation of a plume above
the fire to take the smoke upward. Current design guidance sets a maximum make-up air velocity of 200
fpm (1 m/s) to prevent disruption of the plume. This is contained in the ASHRAE/SFPE publication,
Principles of Smoke Management [1] and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) publication,
Standard for Smoke Management Systems in Malls, Atria, and Other Large Spaces, NFPA 92B-2009 [2].
The primary concern with a high make-up air velocity is that it will cause plume destruction increasing the
smoke filling in the atrium, and exposing occupants to smoke. The second concern is that the air
entrainment in the plume will be increased resulting in a decrease in the height of the smoke layer and
potentially exposing occupants to smoke in evacuation routes in the atrium. According to NFPA 92B, the
200 fpm (1 m/s) criterion is based on limited research into the effect of wind on flames. The work is cited
in the SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering [3][4].
In 2007, an initial project on make-up air for atrium smoke management was completed [5]. The objective
of that project was to use CFD modeling to evaluate the existing criterion of make-up air velocity and to

gain an understanding of the mechanisms of smoke flow in atria when an air jet impacts a smoke plume to
determine if the 200 fpm (1 m/s) make-up air velocity limit was valid, or whether other values or methods
were appropriate. Based on CFD simulations, it was concluded that for make-up air velocities of 200 fpm
(1 m/s) there was minimal tilting or disruption of the plume. However, at makeup air velocities > 200 fpm
(1 m/s), the plume will be tilted resulting in an increase in air entrainment and decrease in the height of the
smoke layer. The previous research also demonstrated that the effect of higher makeup air velocities was
higher for a small atrium with height < 20 m. With even higher makeup air velocities, the plume will be
disrupted resulting in smoke spread throughout the atrium[5, 6].
The previous research confirmed the validity of the present criterion for makeup air velocity in prescriptive
guidelines and standards for atrium smoke management. The research indicated that the present
requirement is valid unless methods are used to mitigate the increased air entrainment produced by higher
makeup air velocities and the resulting decrease in the smoke layer height. Also, if methods are developed
for estimating the effect of makeup air velocity, limits on the application of the method also need to be
developed. The proposed research will develop design methods for safely supplying makeup air into an
atrium at a velocity greater than 200 fpm (1 m/s). Methods that should be investigated include use of
building and makeup air system design to limit the makeup air velocity to safe levels at the smoke plume,
as well as development of tools (equations, graphs, models, etc.) for determining the effect on the smoke
layer height resulting from air entrainment into the plume produced by a fire in an atrium when makeup air
is supplied at velocities higher than 200 fpm (1 m/s). The research should also determine the limits for the
makeup air velocity for which these design approaches can safely be used.
Advancement to the State-of-the-Art:
Many designers have stated that meeting the 200 fpm (1 m/s) requirement is often costly and presents a
hardship as it requires a large makeup air supply area. Some fire protection engineers are using CFD
models to design smoke management systems with makeup air velocities higher than the present
prescriptive requirements. However, there is limited or no validation of the methods used or the models
used to evaluate these methods. There is also no guidance on the limits of the use of this or other
approaches for the design of smoke management systems with higher makeup air velocities. The purpose
of this project is to develop and validate design methods for safely supplying makeup air into an atrium at a
velocity greater than 200 fpm (1 m/s), and to develop corresponding methods for determining the air
entrainment into the plume produced by a fire in an atrium and the resulting effect on the smoke layer
height. The project will use CFD simulations to investigate alternative design methods for atrium smoke
management systems with higher makeup air velocities. These simulations will also be used to determine
the limits on the application of the design methods. The project will also include full-scale experiments to
provide data for use in validating CFD models for use in investigating the effects of makeup air on air
entrainment into a fire plume in an atrium.
Justification and Value to ASHRAE:
The previous project took a first look at the makeup air requirements for atrium smoke management
systems. The results indicated that the prescriptive requirement of 200 fpm (1 m/s) in guidelines and
standards is correct [5] for the design of atrium smoke management systems using the algebraic equations
provided in references [1, 2]. For makeup air velocities >200 fpm (1 m/s), the makeup air can affect air
entrainment in the smoke plume and thus the smoke layer height. At even higher velocities, the smoke
plume can be disrupted resulting in smoke mixing throughout the atrium [6].
Even though the previous project indicated that the prescriptive limit was appropriate for the general case,
the problem of how to provide sufficient makeup air without exceeding this value has not gone away. This
project will investigate alternative design methods which could be used to design atrium smoke
management systems using higher makeup airflow velocities. If the design alternatives are to be accepted
for use in guidelines and standards, they will need to be validated against full-scale experimental results.
Objectives:
The main objectives of this project are:
1. Develop design methods for ways to safely supply makeup air at velocities greater than 200 fpm
(1 m/s) at the supply grille. The design approaches that should be investigated include:

a.

2.
3.
4.

development of methods to design the building and/or makeup air system to limit the air
velocity to safe levels at the plume location, and
b. development of tools (equations, graphs, models, etc.) that will help designers understand
the effect of additional air entrainment with makeup air velocities > 200 fpm (1 m/s) but
less than the velocity at which plume disruption will occur
Verify each design method through CFD modeling to determine the effects of makeup airflow
velocity on the air entrainment into the smoke plume and the effect on the smoke layer height.
Conduct full-scale experiments to develop data for the validation of the CFD models used to
determine the effects of makeup airflow velocity on air entrainment into the smoke plume
Provide limits for the application of the proposed design methods.

Key References:
1. Klote, J.H., and Milke, J.A., Principles of Smoke Management, ASHRAE, Atlanta, GA, p. 206 2002.
2. NFPA 92B, Standard for Smoke Management Systems in Malls, Atria, and Other Large Spaces,
National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA 2009.
3. Mudan, K.S., and Croce, P.A., Fire Hazard Calculations for Large Open Hydrocarbon Fires, SFPE
Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, NFPA, Quincy, MA, 1998.
4. Beyler, C., Fire Hazard Calculations for Large Open Hydrocarbon Fires, SFPE Handbook of Fire
Protection Engineering, NFPA, Quincy, MA, p. 3-271 2002.
5. Hadjisophocleous, G. and Zhou, J., Maximum Velocity of Make-Up Air for Smoke Management
Systems in Atria and other Large Spaces, ASHRAE RP 1300, Carleton University, Ottawa, 2007.
6. Kerber, S. and Milke, J. Using FDS to Simulate Smoke Layer Interface Height in a Simple Atrium,
Fire Technology, 43, p. 4575, 2007.