This paper describes the application of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) to the problem of smoke threat to escape corridors in offshore accommodation modules. Turbulence is accounted for through the k-ε model. Buoyancy effects are also included in the turbulence equation. Particular attention is paid to the prediction of visibility. A full sized corridor of 35 m in length, 2.3 m in width and 2.5 m in height, is considered. The visibility at eye level for the whole cross section of the central part of the corridor is found to fall below the 'critical' value of 10 m, whilst the region near the front wall of the corridor is found to have the lowest average visibility. Comparison has been made with data from a full scale fire experiment and reasonable agreement has been found between the measured and predicted optical density. There is also a tendency for stratification to occur.
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