| Atria are becoming popular elements in commercial, office and residential buildings for providing attractive, environmentally controlled, naturally lit spaces. Smoke management systems often play an important role in extending the use of an atrium space or providing additional protection for occupants and property.; The rapid smoke spread through an atrium in case of fire is a major concern. Even if there are smoke barriers between the surrounding spaces and the atrium, the smoke layer may descent to a lower level, endangering occupants. Natural ventilation can be used to keep the smoke layer at high levels, but in some cases, such a system may not be effective and it is not frequently used in North America. Buildings with atrium are getting larger and they are being designed with mechanical smoke management systems.; In this study, a CFD model was used to evaluate the existing criterion for make-up air velocity and to determine if the 1 m/s make-up air velocity limit is appropriate, or whether other values or methods are appropriate. For this, different size fires were simulated in various size atria equipped with smoke exhaust systems. The results of the analysis indicate that, the imposed velocity limit is not too restrictive. |
