• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.341-344
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• 2013

During a building fire, smoke can flow through elevator shafts threatening life on floors remote from the fire. Many buildings have pressurized elevators intended to prevent such smoke flow. The computer program, CONTAM, can be used to analyze the performance of pressurization smoke control systems. The design of pressurized elevators can be challenging for the following reasons: (1) often the building envelope is not capable of effectively handling the large airflow resulting from elevator pressurization, (2) open elevator doors on the ground floor tend to increase the flow from the elevator shaft at the ground floor, and (3) open exterior doors on the ground floor can cause excessive pressure differences across the elevator shaft at the ground floor. To meet these challenges, the following systems have been developed: (1) exterior vent (EV) system, (2) floor exhaust (FE) system, and ground floor lobby (GFL) system.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.89-93
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• 2011

It is not recommended that elevator use for egress at (super) high rise buildings because elevator shaft main roles to spread of fire smoke. But in North America used to protect this area by elevator shaft pressurization. These tests are performed at high rise apartment to verify that elevator shaft pressurization can protect to spread of fire smoke or not. and verify to used for egress at fire. Pressurization at elevator shaft make pressure difference of 50 Pa all floor at 150 CMM because this method have low friction loss from air flow. Also when dwelling door and elevator door are opened that critical velocity is performed to protect of back-layering from fire room for escape routs by 180 CMM. Therefore through out these pressurization tests by elevator shaft are estimated to have less overpressure because supply air difference are low between to satisfy critical velocity at one door opened and maintain to pressure difference all doors closed. Finally we verified that disable or residual people can use elevator for egress at fire by elevator shaft pressurization.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.74-83
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• 2019

In the U.S., the pressurization of elevator shaft was developed in 1972 to allow vulnerable people, such as the elderly and weak who could not use escape stairs in case of fire, to evacuate. It is an advantage in terms of space saving by not using vertical ducts. This study drew the problem of the pressurization of elevator shaft based on the existing domestic patents and proposed improvements. The smoke control volume calculation method is proposed by using vertical modeling. Leakage gaps in elevator doors need to be reviewed through experimental data or actual data. The evacuation floor was divided, the openings in the elevator machine room were automatically closed to the fire signal and the relief damper was installed to improve the performance. The improved method functions as the smoke control damper supplying the air flow rather than maintaining the differential pressure. To increase reliability of the research results, the procedure was performed to verify by using Contam.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.99-104
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• 2012

This study investigated the pressure change in the fire room and elevator lobby during the air pressurization to the Elevator lobby with the various egress scenarios and the existence of vent holes in the fire room. The experiments revealed that pressure change was significantly affected by the open/closure scenarios of the front door and stairway door resulting in over pressure, under pressure and performance drop of the door closure. It also revealed that the required smoke defensive air velocity can be obtained only with the existence of vent holes in the fire room by the removal of back pressure in the fire room.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.178-183
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• 2011

In cold season, the elevator systems in super high-rise buildings would make noises at the door-gaps on high floors, and the elevator doors on the 1st floor would suffer from opening/closing trouble due to the pressure differences. Such pressure differences are also the main driving power of smokes through the hoistway in the case of fire. In addition, the pressure differences should be overcome to use the elevator systems as a measure of emergency escape. This paper reviews the way of hoistway pressurization to reduce the adverse influences. Simulations achieved a good result close to the requirements of NFPA 92A and IBC 2012 under the condition that the hoistway should be pressurized after pressure equalizing between floors and hoistway with the openings through the hoistway wall.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 1990

This study is to Present the air Pressurization system of staircase as a way to decrease the injury of human life which is suffocated by smoke when the fire break out in building. 1) The best among an air pressurization system of stairshaft Is multiple air Injection system established to be situated an air injection point in each layer. 2) If the air pressurization system is also applied to the elevator accessory room to use commonly, it can prevent from the smoke spreading and pollution inside building caused by stack effect of elevator shaft. 3) For the reasonable and safe escape and air pressurization system must be carried out from the project of basic shape of building under the close cooperation with architect and fire protection expert.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.85-91
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• 2018

Recently, there have been a lot of casualties due to fires in high-rise buildings. The toxic gases and smokes generated by fires in high-rise buildings spread rapidly through the elevator shaft and stairwell, due to the stack effect, and can cause critical casualties. To reduce the number of casualties, smoke control systems have been introduced. Smoke control systems play an essential role in preventing the spread of smoke in high-rise buildings and securing the evacuation route. Also, in high-rise buildings, evacuation by an elevator is considered to be indispensable. However, the pressure field in the shaft is strongly disturbed when the elevator is moving and this can affect the performance of the smoke control system. Therefore, in this study, we experimentally and numerically analyzed the effect of elevator movement on the pressure difference between the vestibule and living room by building a model using the sandwich pressurization method based on the performance based design. To consider the leakage areas in high-rise buildings, e.g. the windows, fire door and elevator, the National Fire Safety Codes and area ratio were used. The elevator speed in the model building was varied between 20 m/s and 100 m/s corresponding to a real elevator speed of 7 m/s~17 m/s. As a result, the relationship between the pressure difference and elevator speed was found to be ${\Delta}P=40{\cdot}{\exp}$(-Ves /-104.7)-23.735. This result can be used to take into consideration the effect of elevator movement when designing smoke control systems.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.303-310
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• 2010

기존 건축물은 현행 소방법 및 건축법을 소급해 적용할 수 없다는 이유로 비상용승강기와 제연설비가 설치되어 있지 않는 경우가 상당수 존재한다. 이렇듯 화재에 취약할 수밖에 없는 기존 건축물에서 화재가 발생했을 때 소방대 진입 및 구조활동이 가능한 통로를 확보하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 본 연구는 이러한 관점에서 기존 건축물의 화재안전성능 개선에 따른 부담을 최소화하는 방안으로 승강로 급기가압 방식을 제시한다. 먼저, 수직통로를 통한 연기 확산에 무방비 상태인 기존의 고층 건축물의 문제점 및 화재사례를 분석하고, 국내외 비상용승강기 및 제연설비 관련 법규 현황을 비교분석하였다. 그리고 NIST의 Contam을 이용한 시뮬레이션을 통하여 승강로 급기가압 전과 후의 층별 차압을 비교함으로써 승강로 가압이 연돌효과에 미치는 영향을 분석하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.173-177
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• 2008

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.38-43
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• 2007

The aim of this paper is to investigate the change of pressure differential and smoke propagation characteristics in the elevator lobby with the resident's evacuation scenarios using fire modelling technique. The results showed absolute pressures in the fire room and elevator lobby can significantly increase to cause fire door to the stairway unclosed once it is open. This is due to constant pressure differentials, the increasing reference pressure of fire lobby and pressure leak from elevator lobby to fire lobby. Smoke exhaust mechanism was needed to prevent the continuous pressure rise in the living room. Over 200 Pa was expected upon closing the door during pressurization, which provide difficulties in opening the door for next refugee. Opening both fire door and entrance door may induce smoke flow from fire room to elevator lobby and stairway.