Undergraduate Course: Fire Science and Fire Dynamics 4 (CIVE10011)
Course Outline
| School | School of Engineering |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course is intended to provide the knowledge required for quantitative fire hazard analysis. Physical and chemical behaviour of combustion systems as well as the impact of fire on materials will be addressed. The student will acquire skills for quantitative estimation of the different variables of fire growth. Basic principles of fire dynamics will be used to provide analytical formulations and empirical correlations that can serve as tools for design calculations and fire reconstruction. Focus will be given to the scientific aspects of fire but some basic features of fire safety engineering will be also developed. |
| Course description |
Learning module 1: Fire science fundamentals
¿ Thermodynamics of combustion
¿ Chemical kinetics
o Oxidation and pyrolysis
¿ Flames
o Premixed
¿ Flammability limits
¿ Flame quenching
o Diffusion flames
¿ Structure of laminar jet flames
¿ Burke Schumann
¿ Transport equations
o Heat and mass transfer
o Conservation of mass, energy and momentum
o Normalisation of conservation equations
Learning module 2: Ignition and burning
¿ Semenov theory
o (Extension to F-K for self-heating)
¿ Ignition of liquids
¿ Ignition of solids
¿ Burning of condensed phase fuels
o Pool fires
o Solids (diffusive burning)
o Heat release rate and Q*
o (Droplets)
Learning module 3: Fire dynamics
¿ Spread of flame on solids
o Opposed flow flame spread
o Concurrent flow flame spread
o Fire growth
¿ Smoke and fire plumes
o Generation
o Transport/entrainment
o Properties of¿
¿ Compartment fires
Learning module 4: Fire science in practice
¿ Suppression
o Sprinklers
¿ Wildfires
o Rothermel model
¿ Fire testing
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, 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,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
64 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The assessment will be made on the basis of:
Written Exam (100%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Fire Science and Fire Dynamics 4 | 120 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the science which underpins current fire safety engineering calculations
- Estimate certain parameters of fires such as flame length, heat release rate, plume temperature and smoke production, for simple, well defined fuel packages.
- Explain fire behaviour in each of the stages in a compartment fire.
- Perform certain typical fire safety engineering calculations.
|
Reading List
Drysdale, D.D. "Introduction to fire Dynamics", 3rd Edition, John Wiley and Sons, 2011.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Understanding of fire dynamics |
| Keywords | heat transfer,heat release,fire behaviour,smoke movement,toxicity |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Rory Hadden
Tel: (0131 6)50 5944
Email: R.Hadden@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Tom Lawford-Groves
Tel: (0131 6)50 5687
Email: t.lawford-groves@ed.ac.uk |
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