The Isis-3D computational fluid dynamics/radiation heat transfer computer code was developed to simulate heat transfer from large fires to engulfed packages for transportation risk studies. These studies require accurate estimates of the total heat transfer to an object and the general characteristics of the object temperature distribution for a variety of fire environments. Since risk studies require multiple simulations, analysis tools must be rapid as well as accurate. In order to meet these needs Isis-3D employs fuel evaporation reaction rate and radiation heat transfer models that allow it to accurately model large-fire heat transfer even when relatively coarse computational grids are employed. Reaction rate and soot radiation model parameters in Isis-3D have been selected based on experimental data. In this work, Isis-3D calculations were performed to simulate the conditions of three experiments that measured the temperature response of a 4.66 m diameter culvert pipe located at the leeward edge of 18.9 m and 9.45 m diameter pool fires in crosswinds with average speeds of 2.0, 4.6, and 9.5 m/s. Isis-3D accurately calculated the time-dependent temperatures in all three experiments. Accelerated simulations were performed in which the pipe specific heat was reduced compared to the measured value by a factor of four. This artificially increased the speed at which the pipe temperature rose and allowed the simulated fire duration to be reduced by a factor of four. A 700 sec fire with moderately unsteady wind conditions was accurately simulated in 10 hours on a standard workstation.
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e-mail: greiner@unr.edu
e-mail: asuoanttila@alionscience.com
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August 2004
Technical Papers
Validation of the Isis-3D Computer Code for Simulating Large Pool Fires Under a Variety of Wind Conditions
Miles Greiner,
e-mail: greiner@unr.edu
Miles Greiner
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557
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Ahti Suo-Anttila
e-mail: asuoanttila@alionscience.com
Ahti Suo-Anttila
Alion Science and Technology Corporation, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 300, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110
Search for other works by this author on:
Miles Greiner
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557
e-mail: greiner@unr.edu
Ahti Suo-Anttila
Alion Science and Technology Corporation, 6000 Uptown Blvd. NE, Suite 300, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110
e-mail: asuoanttila@alionscience.com
Contributed by the Pressure Vessels and Piping Division for publication in the JOURNAL OF PRESSURE VESSEL TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received by the PVP Division October 7, 2003; revision received November 10, 2003. Editor: S. Y. Zamrik.
J. Pressure Vessel Technol. Aug 2004, 126(3): 360-368 (9 pages)
Published Online: August 18, 2004
Article history
Received:
October 7, 2003
Revised:
November 10, 2003
Online:
August 18, 2004
Citation
Greiner, M., and Suo-Anttila, A. (August 18, 2004). "Validation of the Isis-3D Computer Code for Simulating Large Pool Fires Under a Variety of Wind Conditions ." ASME. J. Pressure Vessel Technol. August 2004; 126(3): 360–368. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1767173
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