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The aim of this study is to explore some features of a complex system arising from the interactions of a fire stream in a hub space layout, with fire protection through water curtains issued by edge nozzles activated by smoke detectors. The hub layout represents the landside part of an airport terminal, made of clusters of semi-enclosed isles open to the inter-connected enclosed spaces that form a series of longitudinal paths with services and utilities. Once a fire source emits matter (smoke) and energy (enthalpy) out of one of the isle, in the absence of any fire protection barrier, the stream wanders following its buoyancy and the boundary conditions filling the available spaces inside the hub, making the occupants’ conditions untenable. The design of water curtains that are activated in response to the fire onset may help to limit the dangerous spread of the fire stream and to support in the unfolding of protected paths for egress. While the activation of the water curtains in the proximity of the fire source once a threshold value is reached is the classical approach, a different design strategy is here investigated with CFD modelling based on a sequence of adaptive responses of the hub layout to the fire stream.
adaptation, CFD, complex systems, edge nozzle, fire, FSE, water curtain
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