Effects of Air Inlet Configuration on Forced-Ventilation Enclosure Fires on a Naval Ship

The effects of air inlet configuration on pool fire behavior in a mechanically ventilated cabin were investigated. The closed cabin used was a model of a certain machinery cabin on a naval ship. Two air inlet configurations of one vent and two vents were taken into account together with five different elevations of air inlet. In one-vent cases, mass loss rate and gas temperature were lower and oxygen concentrations were higher than those of two-vent cases. With the increase of air inlet elevation, a sudden drop in average mass loss rate and peak temperature were found in the two-vent cases at the air inlet elevation of 1.56 m. In one-vent cases, a similar drop in average mass loss rate was found at the air inlet elevation of 0.88 m, while the peak temperature was almost unaffected by inlet elevation. According to temperature profiles and the characteristic parameter of the smoke layer stability, the formation of the smoke layer was destroyed by increasing the air inlet elevation or reducing the air inlets, and furthermore a more uniform distribution could be found. For the current cabin, the one-vent case with a lower air inlet elevation was recommended for smoke control, and the inlet should be set away from the essential equipment and the entrances of the cabin.