A group of small-scale test sections consisting of acrylic and gypsum models with a single vertical shaft was used to simulate building fires. A propane burner on the first floor provided high-temperature gases that entered the shaft and moved to the upper floors via stack-effect forces under natural ventilation as well as mechanical exhausting conditions. Vertical variations of the pressure and temperature distribution were measured in the shaft. The locations of the Neutral Pressure Plane were determined based on pressure differences measured with different combinations of smoke mass flow rates and size of openings in the shaft.
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