A multi-layer zone model for predicting fire behavior in a fire room

A multi-layer zone fire growth model is developed to predict the fire behavior in a single room. The fire room volume is divided into an arbitrary number of horizontal layers, in which the temperature and other physical properties are assumed to be uniform. The principal equations for each laminated horizontal layer are derived from the conservation equations of mass and energy. The implemented fire sub-models are introduced, including combustion, fluid flow and heat transfer models. Combined with these sub-models, the zone equations can be integrated with Runge-Kutta method for the gas temperature and species fractions of each layer for each time step. The results of the sample calculations are compared with the experiments conducted by Steckler and the University of Canterbury. In general, a good agreement between experimental and theoretical results is obtained.