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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2014/2015
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Civil

Undergraduate Course: Quantitative Methods in Fire Safety Engineering 5 (CIVE11022)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThis module provides the principles of performance-based design of structures for fire safety. It focuses on the use of analytical and numerical tools in the estimation of performance of fire safety systems. Fire investigation and reconstruction (i.e. Forensics) is introduced. Advanced systems are introduced to establish modern approaches to fire safety engineering. A significant portion of this module is dedicated to industrial fire safety. This section will be introduced on the basis of different industrial accidents and the application of fire safety principles to their analysis, to the lessons learned and to alternative design approaches. This module will present the different analytical, empirical models and numerical models used for quantitative performance assessment of fire safety systems. Emphasis is given to the use of numerical tools. A series of laboratories will introduce the student to modern numerical tools and to their application in the design of fire safety systems. This course will familiarize the student with the use of different quantitative methodologies for fire safety calculations. Thus, after this course the student should be able to use computer based fire models, evaluate results from these tools and assess uncertainty related to the output from these tools. The student after this module should be able to apply the tools learned in previous modules towards performance-based design, quantitative risk assessment, equivalence analysis and fire reconstruction.
Course description Lectures:
1. Intro to performance based design
2. Risk and probability
3. Fire Strategy
4. Design fires
5. Structural fire safety
6. Computational Fluid Dynamics
7. Detection, suppression and smoke management
8. Guest lecture: worked example
9. Fire engineering solutions 1
10. Fire engineering solutions 2

Tutorials:
1: Egress (10% of total mark; individual submission)
2: Design fires (10% of total mark; individual submission)
3. Fire Engineered Solution submission (20% of total mark; individual submission)

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Fire Science and Fire Dynamics 4 (CIVE10011)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 22, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 6, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 69 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The assessment will be made on the basis of: Intermittent Assessment 40% (tutorials) and Degree Examination (60%)
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Learning Outcomes
Understanding of the concept of Performance Calculations
- The establishment of project requirements and the concept of equivalent safety.
- Principles of risk analysis.
Familiarity with material selection procedures and fuel load control
- The concept of the design fire
- The use of flammability calculations for the prediction of fire growth
- Separation distances and required heat transfer calculations.
Be able to prediction of the performance of fire detection systems
- Smoke plume and ceiling jet calculations
- Obscuration and smoke detector performance
- Sprinkler activation (RTI) and performance of water suppression systems.
- Alternative detection and suppression technologies, evaluation of relative performance.
Understand advanced mechanisms for smoke management
- Calculations for smoke control: reservoirs, entrainment, flow through fans, pressure calculations.
Understanding of the requirements for the Reporting of Engineering Calculations
- Minimum requirements for reporting, justification and user manuals.

Be able to apply the above Concepts to cases in Industrial Fire Safety
- Examples of different industrial accidents analysed withy performance calculation tools

Be able to apply the above concepts to Fire Investigation and Fire Reconstruction (Forensics)
- The use of fire dynamic calculations to support fire investigation. Reconstruction of the timeline.
- Case studies.
Reading List
An Introduction to Fire Dynamics by Dougal Drysdale, 3rd edition, Wiley 2011

SFPE handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, SFPE, 3rd edition, 2002.

CIBSE Guide E "Fire Safety Engineering 2010"
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Richard Carvel
Tel: (0131 6)51 3576
Email: Ricky.Carvel@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Craig Hovell
Tel: (0131 6)51 7080
Email: c.hovell@ed.ac.uk
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