Fundamentals of Fire Safety in Buildings

Recommended Prerequisites

Mathematical Analysis I, Mathematical Analysis II, Mathematical Analysis III, Physics I, Physics II, Thermodynamics, Applied Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer I, Heat Transfer II, Fluid Mechanics I, Fluid Mechanics II.

Teaching Methods

Lectures

The methodology followed in the lectures consists first to motivate the student to study the subject to be presented and secondly to present the subject in an understandable way for the student. The presentation of the class is done using audiovisual media in digital format such as the projection of images and movies. At the beginning of each lecture is made a summary of the issues raised in the previous class and the matter to be dealt with in present class. After each lecture a review is made of matter presented in the class.

Theoretical and Practical

The methodology followed in theoretical and practical classes consists in solving theoretical and practical problems carefully chosen to allow after their solving to reach an interesting conclusion and as general as possible. Conduction of two numerical simulation experiments.

Learning Outcomes

The students must acquire the fundamental knowledge of the science of combustion, apply this knowledge to analyse and describe combustion phenomena and solve combustion problems. The students must also acquire knowledge of the practical applications of combustion in the prevention and prediction of the propagation of fires in buildings, with the objective of better control and fight them, and of the relevance of this knowledge in the issues of safety. The areas of fundamental knowledge that constitute the science of combustion are thermochemistry, the processes of heat, mass and momentum transfer in laminar and turbulent regime, fluid mechanics and chemical kinetics. The problems of combustion where this basic knowledge is applied are premixed laminar and turbulent flames, laminar and turbulent jet diffusion flames, droplet evaporation and burning, solids combustion, detonations in gases and condensates, ignition and extinction phenomena of premixed flames.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Introduction. Properties of the gases and kinetic theory of gases. Combustion and thermochemistry: Enthalpy of reaction and heating value; adiabatic flame temperature; chemical equilibrium. Molecular processes of heat transfer and mass diffusion in binary and multicomponent mixtures. Chemical kinetics: Elementary reaction rates; Rates of reaction of multistep mechanisms; Relation between rate coefficients and equilibrium constants. Some important chemical mechanisms. Coupling chemical and thermal analysis of reacting systems. Conservation equations for reacting flows. Deflagration and detonation waves of premixed gases. Premixed laminar flames. Ignition and extinction of premixed flames. Laminar diffusion flames. Droplet evaporation and combustion. Turbulent premixed flames. Turbulent diffusion flames. Burning of solids. Pollutant combustion products.

Head Lecturer(s)

Pedro de Figueiredo Vieira Carvalheira

Assessment Methods

Continuous
Troubleshooting reports: 20.0%
Reports of numerical simulation works: 20.0%
Frequency or Exam: 60.0%

Bibliography

1. Turns, S. R., An Introduction to Combustion: Concepts and Applications, 3^rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2012.

2. Borman, G. L., and Ragland, K. W., Combustion Engineering, 2^nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 1998.

3. Poling, Bruce E., Prausnitz, John M., O’Connell, John, The Properties of Gases & Liquids, 5^th Ed., McGraw-Hill, Singapore, 2001.

4. Kuo, Kenneth K., Principles of Combustion, John Wiley & Sons, 1986

5. Strehlow, Roger A., Fundamentals of Combustion, McGraw-Hill, 1985.

6. Çengel, Y. A., Boles, M. A., Thermodynamics, An Engineering Approach, 5th Ed., McGraw-Hill, 1996.

7. Incropera, F.P. DeWitt, D.P., Bergman, T. L. and Lavine, A.S., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, John Wiley & Sons, 7^th ed., 2011.

8. White, F. M., Fluid Mechanics, 7^th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011.

9. Chase, M.W., Jr. et al. (eds.), JANAF Thermochemical Tables, Third Edition, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 14 (Suppl. 1), 1985.

10. Lide, D. R. (ed.), CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 85th Edition, CRC Press, 2004-2005.