| Aspects of industrial fires in Hong Kong were studied thoroughly with the application of Fire Safety Engineering (FSE) to industrial buildings. Firstly, specific factory fire hazards are identified and evaluated. Extensive field surveys, quantitative analysis and fire simulations were carried out on the consequences. Secondly, critical regulatory reviews on the global Performance-based Codes/Regulations coupled with its applicability to the industrial fire safety regulatory framework in Hong Kong are also performed. Current development and specific application of FSE to aspects of industrial fires in local situations are reviewed.; Theoretical backgrounds of deterministic zone models with special focuses on fire zone models CFAST/HAZARD I and FireCalc/FireWind have been studied. In the fire scenario analyses, these zone models are also used for predicting different industrial fire environments. Case studies and fire scenarios analyses of miscellaneous industrial environments are performed and evaluated. Development of FSE for local application is consolidated and strategies to enhance FSE approach for local situations are recommended.; In connection with this study, a field survey of 47 factories has been performed so as to study the fire load density and geometrical configurations. Correlation relationships between the equivalent duration period with the predicted maximum hot gas temperature and the corresponding smoke layer interface height are derived.; Two further field surveys of fire safety have been carried out on 48 construction sites and on 106 industrial buildings for the purpose of exploring fire hazards and existing fire safety conditions in these specific local work environments. The identified fire hazards and design problems of industrial buildings have provided invaluable information for future fire safety designs of these specific industrial environments.; In addition, the concepts of smoke filling and time-constant for fire hazard assessments of large volume factories are also explored with the application of deterministic fire zone model CFAST/HAZARD I. Finally, a conclusion is given and recommendations are made for the way ahead from which further development and research can be launched in industrial fires. |
