Numerical Simulations of a Postulated Methanol Pool Fire Scenario in a Ventilated Enclosure Using a Coupled FVM-FEM Approach

Abstract

Numerical investigations have been carried out for a postulated enclosure fire scenario instigated due to methanol pool ignition in a chemical cleaning facility. The pool fire under consideration is radiation-dominated and poses a risk to the nearby objects if appropriate safety requirements are not met. The objective of the current study was to numerically evaluate the postulated fire scenario and provide safety recommendations to prevent/minimize the hazard. To do this, the fire scenario was first modeled using the finite volume method (FVM) based solver to predict the fire characteristics and the resulting changes inside the enclosure. The FDS predicted temperatures were then used as input boundary conditions to conduct a three-dimensional heat transfer analysis using the finite element method (FEM). The coupled FVM–FEM simulation approach enabled detailed three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer analysis. The proposed FVM–FEM coupled approach to analyze the fire dynamics and heat transfer will be helpful to safety engineers in carrying out a more robust and reliable fire risk assessment.