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Car Park Smoke Extraction and Visibility

With Best Practices
Autodesk® Simulation CFD™
Jon Wilde Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV
Sr. Product Support Specialist
Customer Success Advocate

© 2014 Autodesk
 Welcome to Autodesk Help Webinar Series!

Previous CFD Webinars Where do we announce?

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6. Rotating Regions (380 Views)
7. API Programming (198 Views)
8. Modeling a Sailboat (213 Views)
9. NACA0012 Validation Progress (219 Views)
10. Smoke Extraction

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 November CFD Support Knowledge Articles
knowledge.autodesk.com

 Week One:
 How to modify a Boundary Condition with multiple variables assigned
 How to run a phase change model that includes condensation
 How to simulate the draining out of a storage tank in Simulation CFD
 New model hangs when trying to launch from CAD into CFD
 Warning: Heat exchanger does not affect humidity

Troubleshooting Articles – this is a new page focused around your most common
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http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/simulation-cfd/troubleshooting#?sort=score

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 Today’s Agenda

Why Smoke Extraction?

The Process (CAD prep to CFD setup)

The Results

Some Pitfalls

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 Why Talk
About Smoke Extraction? Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

© 2014 Autodesk
 Why talk about Smoke Extraction?

 This topic has been requested on numerous occasions

 Through the chat in these webinars
 The forum
 1:1 support cases

 We listened 

© 2014 Autodesk
 Why is this important?

 Customer driven enhancement

 Constantly growing in popularity
since both Revit integration and
smoke/visibility were added
 Human Safety
 Path of smoke
 Visibility – potential to escape
 Time taken to clear the area of smoke
 Survivability

Image courtesy of Smits van Burgst Groep BV

© 2014 Autodesk
 Model Setup (CAD)
Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

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 Typical Scenario Outlet P=0

P=0 Inlet
Scalar = 0 Internal Fan = Real world flowrate
Temperature = Ambient
Jet Fans

Model courtesy of Smits van Burgst Groep BV

© 2014 Autodesk
 • The Two Main Approaches
Standard Approach

Internal Fan

Inlet
Alternative Approach (rarely used)
P=0
Temperature
Scalar =0

• Scalar 0 represents clean air

• Scalar 1 represents 100% smoke
Inlet
P=0
Temperature
Scalar =0

© 2014 Autodesk
 CAD – Geometry Changes
• Keep things simple. Focus on the necessaries only:
• Walls
• Inlet/Outlet ‘cap’ – Seal the model
• Air domain (automatically created)
• Jet fans
• Fire source

• Ensure walls in CAD are not overlapping

• Consider utilizing the ‘asmenable’ flag and then the ‘asmcointol’ flag to
adjust the accuracy that the model is read in with
• It is however, far better to clean the CAD rather than use flags

• Launch into Simulation CFD

© 2014 Autodesk
 Model Setup (CFD)
Boundary Conditions Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

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 Boundary Conditions – Air Domain
Inlet: P=0, T=ambient, Scalar =0

The ‘Fire’ part will also need a Scalar =

1 assigned to the top surface

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 Boundary Conditions
Setting up the Fire in CFD - The Two Main
Approaches
Design specification typically provides the fire thermal output but if not…
Two methods for defining the Total Volumetric Heat Generation boundary condition from
NFPA 204 Standard for Smoke and Heat Venting Sec. E.3:

Q = m(hc)

Q = total heat release rate (kW)

m = mass loss rate (kg)
hc = heat of combustion (Kj/Kg)

Q = 37(L+1.02D)2.5

Q = total heat release rate (kW)

L = mean flame height (m) Common design fire = 5,275 kW = 5,000 BTU/ =
D = base diameter of fire(m) sofa, chair, and end table fully engulfed

© 2014 Autodesk
 Model Setup (CFD)
Materials Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

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 Setting up the Fan in CAD
Common jet fan design

Shroud It is useful to
have the fan
recessed like this

Fan

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 Setting up the Fan in CAD

Fan casing in CAD –

typical jet fan design

Fan within casing.

It is also possible to model the fan in

the cylindrical inlet and assign a
cylindrical fan material to it. The cuboid
is simpler though.

© 2014 Autodesk
 Air Material Settings
• The quickest process here is to set everything as a solid initially
• Select the ‘Air’ and set it to ‘Variable’
• Air density can be set to vary with either temperature (typical) or
scalar (less useful here)
• This enables the air density to change with temperature – there
will be no natural convection otherwise

© 2014 Autodesk
 Setting up the Fan in CFD - Materials
• Assign a fan material to the
solid fan part

• Use the known flow rate and a

zero rotational speed

• Set the correct flow direction,

here it is set to –x (the red axis)

© 2014 Autodesk
 Setting up the Fan in CFD - Meshing
• The fan material requires a
uniform mesh with at least 4-5
elements from inlet to outlet

• It is often useful to refine the

mesh at the outlet of the casing

• Utilise a refinement region to

help capture the jet
• It is often useful to draw
these in CAD, especially if
they are at an angle

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 Jet Fan Results Ideally we would
suppress the shroud

The flow from a jet fan will

look like this provided there
is sufficient mesh

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 Setting up the Fire in CFD - Materials
• The fire is a resistance part

• Requires a solid around

it’s edges. This will be
suppressed from the mesh

• Flow direction set to the

vertical

• 85% open resistance

• Conductivity set to spread

the heat through the
medium

© 2014 Autodesk
 Setting up the Fire in CFD - Meshing
• The same principal as the Automatic Mesh
fan material applies here

• Uniform mesh with 4-5

elements from the inlet to
the outlet Uniform Mesh

Once Uniform, drag the slider bar left to refine

until the mesh looks fine enough

© 2014 Autodesk
 Meshing Regions in CAD and CFD
• Useful for refining the mesh
around the fire
• Ensure we capture flow
beneath the fire as it The mesh here is too fine to be practical but
recirculates it does show how useful the refinement
regions can be

© 2014 Autodesk
 Smoke Visibility
 General meteorological definition:

“Max distance at which a standard object can be seen and identified with
the unaided eye”

 Definition for smoke visibility from US NRC:

“The furthest distance at which an object can be perceived”

S = K / am mp

where
S = distance (ft)
K = proportionality constant based on type of sign
am = specific extinction coefficient (ft2/lb)
mp = mass concentration of particulate (lb/ft3) (Scalar value from CFD)

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 Solver Settings

• Steady State results can be considered an infinite real time solution

• Typically we need 20 minutes to a few hours in real time – this requires a transient
solution
• Run flow only and thermal second (uncoupled) – does not consider natural
convection
• Run flow and thermal together (requires smaller time step)

• AutomaticInnerIteration flag – allows CFD to move to the next time step within a
certain percentage change between inner iterations (here this is set to 5%)

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 Solver Settings Control

• Transient – this model is set to run

for 20 minutes (1200s)
• The -1 Time Steps ensures that
CFD uses the Stop Time

• Solution Controls
• Intelligent Solution Control off
• Advection Scheme 5

• Result Quantities
• Visibility On

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 Smoke Visibility Parameters
• Particulate Yield
• Particulate levels produced from
material combustion

• Proportionality Constant
• K value required for level of
signage visibility

• Specific Extinction Coefficient

• Visibility based figure
© 2014 Autodesk
 De-coupled solution (suitable for natural convection)
• Running flow and thermal together.
• This is really only suitable in this scenario where we have forced convection

Internal Fan

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 Solver Settings - Physics

• Flow and Thermal need to be on

• Gravity set to 1 in the downwards direction (which

might be negative)

• Advanced
• General Scalar on
• Set the correct Diffusion Coefficient
• 1 x 10-10 m2/s is suitable for most fires

Smoke spreading is usually momentum-driven, which makes the actual diffusion coefficient less critical.

Using a higher diffusion coeff can cause a slightly higher spread but is often far more stable numerically. Try 0.2 cm2/s.

© 2014 Autodesk
 Results
Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

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 Cut-plane Results Velocity

Smoke

Temperature

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 Smoke (Scalar) Visibility

Scalar

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 ISO Surfaces - Scalar

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 Potential Pitfalls
Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

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 Pitfalls – Possible Divergence
• Ensure any P=0 openings are only going to have flow
travelling in one direction over them

• Time step size – often these models need to run for hours of
real-time
• Still need a small time step, especially initially (0.5,
0.25 or maybe even 0.1s)
• Not advised to stop and start the solver during a
transient analysis

• Poor choice of diffusion coefficient

• Higher diffusion coefficient may needed for stability
• Try increasing it – try 0.2 cm2/s

• Strange results within the boundary layer – ensure that the

boundary layer is not too thick
• Try enabling mesh enhancement blending
• Try refining the mesh

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 Customer Examples
Image courtesy of
Smits van Burgst Groep BV

© 2014 Autodesk
 Customer Project: Morsons

© 2014 Autodesk
 Customer Project: Smits van Burgst Groep BV
5 Minutes 10 Minutes

15 Minutes 20 Minutes

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 Customer Project: Smits van Burgst Groep BV

© 2014 Autodesk
 Autodesk Labs: Project Scorch
 Project Scorch
https://beta.autodesk.com/callout/?callid=918F56ECC9684EC284991E1E1EBDA49F

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© 2014 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2014 Autodesk Slide Deck : https://autodesk.box.com/cfd9
 How does CFD calculate smoke visibility?
S = K / am mp
Where S = visibility through smoke (ft)
 Based on US Nuclear Regulatory Commission process K = proportionality constant
am = specific extinction coefficient (ft2/lb)
 User defined variables mp = mass concentration of particulate (lb/ft3)

 Particulate Yield – based on property of fuel Compartment Volume Calculation

 Proportionality Constant – Based on type of sign V = wc x lc x hc
Where V = volume of the compartment (ft3)
 Extinction Coefficient – Based on type of combustion
wc = compartment width (ft)
lc = compartment length (ft)
 CFD calculated hc = compartment height (ft)
 Compartment Volume Mass of Particulates Produced (airborne particulate)
 Mass of Particulates Produced (From the Scalar Value) Mp = y p Mf
Where Mp = mass of particulates produced (lb)
yp = particulates yield
Mf = mass of fuel consumed (lb)

Mass Concentration of the Particulates Calculation

mp = Mp / V
Where mp = mass concentration of the particulates (lb/ft3)
Mp = mass of particulates produced (lb)
V = volume of the compartment (m3)

Visibility Through Smoke Calculation

S = K / am mp

© 2014 Autodesk