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Introduction to Fire Engineering. Fire ignition, flame spread and flame height. The performance of construction materials and fire resistance. People movement and behaviour during fires. Fire detection, suppression and smoke extract systems. Wildland fires, fire investigation, fire-fighting.
This course provides an introduction to fire engineering. The course is generally required for students who are looking to pursue the Masters of Engineering in Fire Engineering (MEFE) / Masters of Engineering Studies in Fire Engineering (MEngSt(Fire)) post-graduate degrees. The course aims toExplain what fire is, the fire triangle and the fire tetrahedron (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, CE3Understand the different types of combustion and flames from a laboratory demonstration (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2) (Washington Accord attributes: WA1, WA2, WA4)Explain heat release rate, ignition, flame spread, burning rate, heat of combustion, mass loss rate, smoke production, fire plumes, fire growth, flashover and decay process in room fires; (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, EIE3) Explain the different fire signature; (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, EIE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2)Explain the different methods of fire detection and suppression. (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, EIE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2)Interpret human behaviour in fires; (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, EIE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA2)Understand structural fire design concepts;(UC Graduate attributes: EIE2) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA2)Contrast fire severity and fire resistance; (UC Graduate attributes: EIE2, EIE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2)Understand firefighting operations, and how these may affect design decisions (UC Graduate attributes: EIE1,CE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA2, WA6, WA8)Understand NZ regulations and Risk Assessment methodologies (UC Graduate attributes: GA2) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA6, WA8)Understand how fire affect communities nationally and internationally; (UC Graduate attributes:EIE3, EIE2, CE3) (Washington Accord attributes: (WA6, WA7, WA8)Identify smoke management strategies (UC Graduate attributes EIE2)Recall and utilise fire engineering terminology; (UC Graduate attributes GA2)Perform simple heat transfer calculations; (UC Graduate attributes EIE3 (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1)Distinguish between ignition of thin or thick solid (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1)Calculate flame heights, burning rates, mass and volume flow plume rates, temperatures and velocities through axisymmetric plumes and ceiling jets (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1)Calculate evacuation times (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2, WA3)Calculate activation times of detection systems and flow rates of sprinklers (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2, WA3)Calculate fire severity and fire resistance of simple beams (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2, WA3)Calculate layer temperatures using MQH and estimate flashover conditions in rooms (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1, WA2, WA3)Estimate time to ignition and flame spread on the surface of a given material (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1)Estimate heat release rate for solid and liquid fuels (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA1)Understand functioning of computer models and their limitations (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA5)Use computer simulations to estimate loss of tenability in rooms (UC Graduate attributes EIE3, (Washington Accord attributes: (WA2, WA5)
Subject to approval of the Director of Studies
Students must attend one activity from each section.
Andres Valencia
Anthony Abu , Daniel Nilsson and Dennis Pau
The test will cover the first two modules (Introductory topics in fire engineering and Fire dynamics). The final exam covers all modules. Please note that:1. You cannot pass this course unless you achieve a mark of at least 40% in the final exam.2. Assignments must be completed in pairs; the same grade will be given to both people except in exceptional circumstances. Working in groups larger than pairs is not permitted and the rules regarding plagiarism remain in place. Assignments must be submitted as a single complete document. A collection of spreadsheets etc. is not acceptable and unacceptable submissions will be returned unmarked. You should describe your problem, your approach, properly reference any literature that you consult etc. Assignments can be typed or handwritten so long as they are legible. Correct use of English, appropriate units etc. are required.3. There will be a mid-term test. The test will cover material covered in the first two modules (Introductory topics in fire engineering and Fire dynamics) and students will be given a formula sheet for the test.4. The final exam will be a 3-hour examination. The final exam will cover all of the course material. All information needed for the exam will be provided.5. Students in this course can apply for special consideration for impaired performance provided they have sat the test, the final exam or both. Approved requests for Special Consideration will be considered following the department policy.
James G. Quintiere; Principles of FIRE BEHAVIOR ; Boca Raton, 2016.
Karlsson, Bjorn. , Quintiere, James G; Enclosure fire dynamics ; CRC Press, 2000.
Spearpoint, Michael. , New Zealand Centre for Advanced Engineering; Fire engineering design guide ; 3rd ed; New Zealand Centre For Advanced Engineering, 2008 (CD can also be purchased from the Dept).
• You will be given access to an electronic copy of the Fire Engineering Design Guide (3rd ed.) and you will be expected to read parts of the textbook as part of the course,• A useful recommended text is “Quintiere J G. Principles of Fire Behavior, Delmar Publishing”, ~$US130 from Amazon. Copies of this book will be available on 3-hour loan in the library,• Lecture handouts and online podcasts will generally be made available during the course on Learn.
Domestic fee $1,197.00
International fee $6,000.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Civil and Natural Resources Engineering .