Numerical study of the spread of toxic and hot fire gases in a multi-story residential complex with and without sprinkler fire extinguishing system

In this study, the effect of a water-based fire suppression system on fire control and extinguishment in a multi-story building was investigated using FDS software. The geometry consisted of a five-story building with a total of 25 units, where the fire room with heptane fuel was located on the third floor in the center of the ground floor room. Temperature parameters and species such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide were measured in each room, and the results were analyzed for two conditions with and without sprinklers from the start of combustion to 100 seconds. Validation showed that the numerical results of this study had an 8% relative error compared to experimental results. Additionally, in the condition without sprinklers, the temperature in the third-floor fire room reached 700 degrees Celsius within 30 seconds, but with sprinklers, extinguishment occurred in less than 20 seconds. This behavior also occurs for toxic species such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, which are at risk on all floors above the fire room without sprinklers. Therefore, by considering minimum, maximum, and average values, the importance of sprinklers in extinguishing fires in the room and controlling toxic and hot gases in other rooms can be concluded.