Numerical Field Model Simulation of Full-Scale Fire Tests in a Closed Spherical/Cylindrical Vessel Using Advanced Computer Graphics Techniques

Abstract

Personnel and equipment casualties, caused by shipboard fires have adversely affected overall readiness of the U.S. Navy for centuries. Understanding the phenomena of fire in enclosed spaces, such as those found on surface ships and submarines, will greatly enhance the Navy's ability to combat or prevent them. This computer model was developed for use in conjunction with Fire-1, and experimental fire chamber test facility at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. It is a three dimensional finite difference model which includes the phenomena of conduction, turbulence, global pressure correction, surface radiation and strong buoyancy flows. Given specific data on heat release, it predicts velocities, temperatures, pressures, densities and viscosities throughout its geometry. It has been reasonably validated by comparison with experiments in Fire-1. Advanced graphics techniques, such as color contouring and three-dimensional vector field plotting, have been applied to make output data more informative. This model, if easily modified to more specific geometries, may become a useful tool for naval architects in the design of the fire safe ship.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA245810

Entities

People

  • Timothy G. Mccarthy

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Buoyancy
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Computer Graphics
  • Difference Equations
  • Differential Equations
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Geometry
  • Heat Transfer
  • Naval Architecture
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Test Facilities
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Fire Suppression Systems Design.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster