Effect of Fuel Orientation on the Performance of Air Curtains in Confining Fire and Smoke Propagation in Informal Shopping Malls

The effect of fuel orientation on air curtain performance in confining fire and smoke in case of a clothing store fire in typical informal shopping malls of Bangladesh is examined numerically. Three fuel packages of different density and three types of fuel distributions are analyzed using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Fire and smoke spread, temperature and carbon monoxide concentration at critical locations and effectiveness of air curtain are analyzed from evacuation perspective to obtain a safer storage and arrangement of clothing fuels. Dependency of fire behavior and air curtain jet interaction on fuel density, fuel distribution and storage height are observed. The time required for flame spread from the source store to the hallway is reduced by at least 50s when air curtain is discharged for ‘Grid’ type fuel distribution compared to other orientations. This indicates a significant increase in the safe evacuation time in case of air curtains compared to the no curtain and actual fuel distribution cases.