I-Corps: An Advanced Methodology for Evaluating Fire Suppression System Performance

马里兰大学进行的尖端喷雾特性研究加深了对消防喷头喷雾生成的了解现状。这种研究和洞察力已经扩展到消防喷水灭火系统设计过程中，从而产生了一个潜在的颠覆性设计工具。该设计工具基于过去十年来在这一领域进行研究的喷头喷头的先进测量。这项火灾喷头喷雾研究表明，基于激光的阴影/PTV测量技术与基函数数据压缩方法相结合，有效地表征了喷头喷头的复杂随机行为。这种高效的方法提供了一种紧凑的、计算成本低的、基于物理的喷头喷雾表示法，这是以前不可能的。这种高保真的喷头喷雾描述非常适合用于拟议的基于计算机的模拟。将使用这种方法创建商用消防喷头的设备数据库，并将其包含在软件包中，使用户可以方便地评估各种类型的喷头，以应对感兴趣的现代灭火系统设计挑战，而无需了解复杂喷雾物理的细节。仅在美国，消防喷头行业就代表着超过400亿美元的市场。这些消防喷水灭火系统无处不在，而且很有效。缺乏评估自动喷水灭火系统性能的分析工具可能会导致不必要的建设费用、水损坏造成的过大损失，或者更糟糕的是，由于消防失败而造成不必要的生命和财产损失。目前的规范设计方法采用NFPA消防规范进行自动喷水灭火系统设计。虽然简单明了，但这种计算机前的方法是资源密集型的，几乎没有提供机会来应对现代基础设施的设计挑战。建议的方法结合了创新的基于激光的诊断、分析方法、现代软件工具和新的工程实践，所有这些都捆绑在一个尖端的工程设计产品中。这种基于喷水灭火装置性能的设计工具提供了一种创新的计算方法，解决了规范设计方法的缺点。提出的设计工具提供了一个强大而方便的设计循环，促进了前所未有的系统优化。喷头润湿性能的直观表现使用户可以在符合NFPA规范的情况下，评估喷水灭火系统在保护标准和非常规空间方面的性能。该软件具有向咨询和保险领域的广泛工程师销售的潜力。

Cutting edge spray characterization research conducted at the University of Maryland has deepened the current state of understanding of fire sprinkler spray generation. This research and insight has been extended to the fire sprinkler system design process resulting in a potentially disruptive design tool. The design tool is based on advanced measurements of sprinkler sprays developed over the past ten years of research in this area. This fire sprinkler spray research has demonstrated that laser based Shadowgraphy/PTV measurement techniques paired with a basis function data compression approach effectively characterizes the complex stochastic behavior of sprinkler sprays. This efficient approach provides a compact, computationally-inexpensive, physics-based representation of the sprinkler spray not before possible. This high-fidelity sprinkler spray description is well suited for use in the proposed computer based simulation. A device database for commercially available fire sprinklers will be created using this methodology and included into the software package allowing the user to conveniently assess various types of sprinklers for the modern fire suppression system design challenge of interest without needing to know the details of the complex spray physics.The fire sprinkler industry represents over a $40B market in the United States alone. These fire sprinkler systems are ubiquitous and effective. The absence of analytical tools for evaluating sprinkler system performance can result in unnecessary construction expenses, excessive losses due to water damage, or even worse, needless loss of life and property due to failed fire protection. The current prescriptive design approach utilizes the NFPA fire code for the sprinkler system design. Although straightforward, this pre-computer approach is resource intensive and offers little opportunity to meet the design challenges of modern infrastructure. The proposed approach combines innovative laser-based diagnostics; analytical methods; modern software tools; and novel engineering practices all bundled into a cutting-edge engineering design product. This fire sprinkler performance based design tool offers an innovative computational approach, which addresses the shortcomings of the prescriptive design method. The proposed design tool provides a powerful and convenient design loop facilitating unprecedented system optimization. The visual representation of the sprinkler wetting performance allows users to evaluate the performance of sprinkler systems in protecting standard and unconventional spaces, within the context of NFPA code compliance. This software has the potential to be marketed to a wide range of engineers in the consulting and insurance fields.