A sensitivity analysis of available safe egress time correlation

The people fire risk assessment in industrial premises, buildings or confined spaces can be accomplished by comparing the time for the onset of life threatening conditions (Available Safe Egress Time, ASET) with the time that people take to move away from the threatening zone and to reach a safe zone (Required Safe Egress Time, RSET). For a given scenario, people are considered safe if ASET is greater than RSET. The ASET is usually assessed by using either analytical equations or fire simulation models. Due to their simplicity and quick use, analytical equations could be suitable for preliminary and routine assessment of people fire risk. On the other hand, fire simulation models are time-requiring tools (both for the modelling and simulation phases) but can be used for deterministic and design analyses, where much details are often required. This study aims at comparing the results obtained by using the analytical equation proposed by Karlsson and Quintiere with the data obtained by using CFD simulations of the same scenarios. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis on the main input data of the analytical equation has been performed. A non-adiabatic compartment has been modelled with floor, ceiling and walls at constant temperature (T = 293 K).