Effect of Obstacle Location on Fire Phenomena in Compartment with Side Opening

The effect of obstacle location on fire phenomena in a compartment with a side opening was numerically investigated. The accuracy of the simulation was verified by comparing the results with those from a previous experimental study on the compartment fire phenomena without any obstacles. Next, the fire phenomena were examined for six different obstacle locations in the compartment (named OL1∼OL3, wherein the obstacle was located between the compartment wall opposite the opening and fire source, and OL4∼OL6, wherein the obstacle was located between the fire source and opening). In OL1∼OL3, the fire plume tilted towards the opposite side of the opening, whereas in OL4∼OL6, it tilted towards the opening. The compartment with the obstacle showed thinner smoke layer, higher smoke layer temperature, and lower mass flow rate at the opening than that without the obstacle. As the obstacle was moved farther from the fire source to the compartment wall opposite the opening, or from the fire source to the opening, the smoke layer thickness increased. In OL1∼OL5, as the obstacle was moved farther from the fire source, the smoke layer temperature decreased, while the mass flow rate increased. However, in OL6, despite the obstacle being located farthest from the fire source, the smoke layer temperature was high, while the mass flow rate was low. The relative positions of the obstacle, fire source, and opening were found to significantly affect the fire phenomena in the compartment.