How we can use CFD modelling to ensure fire safety in buildings
A recent DOCAN project highlights how Computational Fluid Dynamics is a critical tool in implementing safe fire measures.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a powerful tool that allows us to solve fluid flow and heat transfer problems across a range of applications.
Whether it’s determining pressure drops in choke valves or informing product development in food manufacturing, the CFD method can be applied to many industries where data-driven insights are needed to improve performance, efficiency, and safety.
One of the most critical applications of CFD is in fire safety engineering as we can use it to simulate how smoke, heat, and toxic gases move through a space during a fire. Applying CFD in this scenario means we can assess risks, test different ventilation strategies, and ensure that buildings are designed with safe evacuation in mind.
This is exactly what DOCAN did in a recent project, using CFD to assess fire safety in a block of flats undergoing modifications. In this blog, we’ll explore how we approached this and how this same methodology can be used to support safer design decisions.
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What is CFD modelling and how does it apply to fire safety?
Before diving into the specifics of this real-life scenario, let’s first break down what CFD modelling is and how it’s used to address fire safety challenges in buildings.
At its core, CFD modelling enables us to simulate how fluids behave and interact within a specified environment. Using mathematical equations and computer simulations, we can accurately predict how smoke will travel through a room during a fire, or how heat will distribute across a building.
With this technology, we can create highly detailed, virtual models of buildings or other structures to study how they will react in various conditions, such as fire events. We can digitally recreate the building and subject it to a range of scenarios such as fire, so that we can understand how fire and smoke will move and disperse to identify potential risks.
When we’re working with fire safety, CFD becomes indispensable because it gives us valuable insights into how a building will behave during a fire emergency. Some of the scenarios we can simulate include:
- Smoke movement: We can see how and where smoke will travel within a building
- Heat distribution: We can figure out how temperature will spread and rise throughout the building
- Toxic gas concentration: We can identify how dangerous gases like carbon monoxide accumulate in different areas
- Ventilation performance: We can find out how airflow works during a fire, whether it helps clear smoke or contributes to more dangerous conditions
CFD helps us understand these processes and therefore make well-informed decisions about design optimisation. For example, we can work out what needs to be put in place to ensure adequate ventilation and containment to allow for safe escape routes.
In simple terms, CFD fire safety modelling enables us to visualise how the products of a fire will behave in a building, and that’s a critical tool for any residential or commercial building.
We very much need the ability to predict and test fire safety measures in a virtual world before making changes to a real building, because fire safety isn’t just about following building codes and adding fire exits, it’s about understanding how fire, smoke, and toxic gases will actually behave in real-life scenarios.
Real-life application of CFD fire and smoke ventilation analysis
As we touched on earlier, we recently applied this method when working with a client, to assess potential design changes in a block of flats.
In this case, the client was looking to modify a block of flats by adding weather protection to an open area and CFD was a key tool needed to verify these changes.
We already know that smoke and toxic gases pose one of the biggest risks to occupants during a fire, especially in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. If ventilation is restricted in any way, this could lead to smoke accumulating rapidly, making it harder for residents to escape and increase the risk of smoke inhalation.
Before making any physical changes, the client needed proof that the modifications wouldn’t cause any new fire safety hazards and that’s where DOCAN came in. To provide clarity, we used our CFD modelling expertise to simulate fire scenarios and assess:
- How smoke and heat would move through the space in the event of a fire
- Whether toxic gas concentrations could reach dangerous levels
- If the proposed changes would still allow for sufficient ventilation to clear smoke
- Whether any additional fire safety measures would be required
All of the above simulations meant we were able to provide the client with clear, evidence-based insights about the potential impact of their weather protection modifications. The main goal here was to ensure that their changes wouldn’t affect smoke ventilation, evacuation routes, or overall fire safety performance.
This kind of analysis is a great example of how CFD isn’t a method exclusive to high-tech industries like engineering or manufacturing, but in reality, it plays a crucial role in everyday safety. In this case, it wasn’t just about running technical simulations – it was about ensuring that residents in a real building could evacuate safely in the event of a fire.
Benefits of CFD fire safety modelling
There’s no doubt about the fact that CFD modelling has transformed the way we can assess and improve fire safety, offering a level of insight that would be near impossible to achieve through traditional methods alone.
The case above is a classic example of the need to assess the fire safety aspect before any major building modifications are made that could impact it. However, this method is also critical when we’re looking at the design of new buildings or even troubleshooting existing fire safety systems.
Here’s why CFD is so important when we’re looking at fire safety:
1. Saving time and reducing costs
When we look at traditional fire safety planning, this typically relies on physical testing which can be expensive, time-consuming and limited in scope.
With CFD modelling, we can test fire scenarios virtually which allows us to look at a variety of different things such as assessing smoke movement, testing different ventilation strategies and optimising evacuation routes. This can all be done without costly prototypes or disruptive on-site experiments meaning our clients get faster, more cost-effective fire safety planning.
2. Designing smarter, more effective fire safety measures
CFD modelling is all about getting a detailed, real-world understanding of how fire and smoke will behave in a specific space so we can easily pinpoint areas where smoke might get trapped and test the effectiveness of ventilation systems all in one place.
This means fire safety solutions can be tailored to the building’s exact conditions, rather than simply relying on generic building regulations and safety standards.
3. Meeting fire safety regulations
Ultimately, CFD fire modelling is a critical tool for ensuring buildings meet strict legal requirements and aren’t just following best practices.
CFD simulations provide the proof needed that any proposed fire control measures, like the project we worked on above, will work effectively in an emergency. As it’s data-driven evidence with clear, visual representations, it’s the verification needed to provide this kind of reassurance.
DOCAN’s CFD fire modelling expertise
At DOCAN, we specialise in using advanced CFD modelling to solve real-world challenges including those related to fire safety.
Whether you’re designing a new building, modifying an existing space, or looking to enhance fire safety measures, our expertise ensures that your decisions are backed by science, not guesswork.
We work with clients across the globe and no challenge is too big or too small. If you think we can help with your project, get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you.
