Smoke Movement in Buildings

Lawrence J. Marchetti, P.E.

Course Outline

This 3-hour course utilizes Section 7, Chapter 6 from the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook, 18th Edition, Smoke Movement in Buildings by John H. Klote D.Sc., PE and Harold E. Nelson, PE. This publication is a contribution by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and is not subject to copyright.

This course includes a True-False quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to explain the following:

• Classification of smoke zones.
• Smoke movement in the hot smoke zone.
• Identify limitations and assumptions of specific empirical equations used in smoke control system design.
• Influence of floors and partitions on smoke movement.
• Influence of stack effect on smoke movement.
• Influence of external wind effect on smoke movement.
• Smoke management with compartmentalization, dilution, pressurization, and airflow.
  
  

Course Introduction

This brief introductory course on smoke movement in buildings provides information on the techniques used to evaluate the physical characteristics of smoke movement through both short and tall buildings as a basis for designing smoke control systems. It also covers the approaches that can be used to test the effectiveness of designed smoke control systems in the absence of actual performance tests involving test fires.

Course Content

The the course content is in a PDF file Smoke Movement in Buildings.

The course covers the following topics:

• Classification of Smoke Zones
• Smoke Movement in the Hot Smoke Zone
• Smoke Movement in the Cold Smoke Zone
• Principals of Smoke Movement
• Smoke Management
  
  

You need to open or download this document to study this course.

Course Summary

Building smoke management systems are utilized as a primary means of maintaining a tenable path of egress to the exterior of the building and to restrict the migration of smoke from one space to another. Engineers and Architects involved in the design of passive and active life safety features in a building require a basic understanding of smoke movement. The following course will provide the fundamental framework for this knowledge.


Related Reading

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

www.nist.gov (public domain fire and smoke modeling computer programs are available on this site)
www.sfpe.com
www.nfpa.com


Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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