Full-Scale Experimental Stand Development with HRR Determination from Mass Loss and CFD Model Validation

Accurate prediction of urban air quality during fire events is frequently limited by the lack of experimentally validated source terms. Current pollution dispersion models often rely on idealized input parameters that fail to capture the complex thermal and chemical dynamics of real-world indoor fires. Addressing this gap, this study presents an experiment which reproduces an office-type fire using a wooden crib with a calibrated thermal load, enabling accurate determination of the HRR through the mass loss rate method. Temperature evolution was monitored with 27 thermocouples positioned across five vertical planes, while toxic gas concentrations were measured near the upper boundary of the exterior opening. The experimental data were used to calibrate and validate the numerical model, with HRR representing the primary parameter and temperature and toxic gas concentrations serving secondary validation metrics. Quantitative comparison showed good agreement between the experimental and simulated trends, with acceptable prediction errors and consistent reproduction of the dominant physical mechanisms governing fire development, ventilation-driven flow, and pollutant accumulation. Overall, the combined experimental–numerical approach provides a validated framework for future simulations on larger and more complex geometries, ensuring reliable input parameters for urban-scale fire scenarios.