Performance based approach

The performance based approach as opposed to

prescriptive design involves the assessment of three
FIRE basic components comprising the likely fire
MODELLING behaviour, heat transfer to the structure and the
structural response.

THERMAL STRUCTURAL The overall complexity of the design depends on the

ANALYSIS ANALYSIS assumptions and methods adopted to predict each of
the three design components.

In the following, the three design components are discussed.

▪ Fire Modelling
▪ Thermal Analysis
▪ Structural Analysis
Fire Modelling

Figure 1 Options for fire modelling in compartments

Compartment fires Zone Models

Norminal Time CFD / field
Fire model One- Two-
fires equivalences Parametric Localised models
zone zone
Complexity Simple Intermediate Advanced
Pre- Complete
Pre- Post-
Fire flashover temperature-
Post-flashover fires flashover flashover
Behaviour / localised time
fires fires
fires relationships
Non-
Temperature uniform Uniform in Time and space
Uniform in whole compartment Uniform
distribution along each layer dependent
plume
Fire load
Ventilation
Fire load conditions Detailed input
Fire load &
Fire type Ventilation conditions Thermal properties for solving the
Input size
No physical Thermal properties of of boundary fundamental
parameters Height of
parameters boundary Compartment size equations of the
ceiling
Compartment size Detailed input for fluid flow
heat & mass balance
of the system
BSEN1991-1-2 COMPF2 CCFM FDS
OZone CFAST SMARTFIRE
PD7974-1 PD7974-1
Design tools SFIRE-4 OZone SOFIE
Simple equations for hand Simple
Spreadsheet Computer models
calculations equations

Generally, the factors influencing the severity of a compartment fire can be summarised as
follows:

▪ Fire load type, density and distribution

▪ Combustion behaviour of fire load
▪ Compartment size and geometry
▪ Ventilation conditions of compartment
▪ Thermal properties of compartment boundary