Skip to content 
Services / Fire, smoke and visibility
Fire and smoke engineering for fire-brigade approval
CFD of fire and smoke in buildings, sheds, pavilions, industrial and mining plants, oil and gas platforms and hangars. Visibility, temperature, gases and smoke extraction, with a report for the fire brigade.
Results accepted and approved by the technical staff of the São Paulo fire brigade, including a work that had been embargoed.
Fire and smoke track record
- Approved by the fire brigadeExhibition pavilion in São Paulo: the work was embargoed, and the project was approved after the CFD study.
- Alternative solutionsStudies that propose alternatives to the prescriptive technical instructions, with the safety demonstrated.
- Visibility on four facesVisibility evaluated on the four faces of the pavilion up to 3,600 s after the start of the fire.
- Escape routesVisibility, temperature and gases along the escape routes.
- Client testimonial“…results accepted and approved, including, by the technical staff of the São Paulo fire brigade.” Carlos Cotta Rodrigues, CEO, Carlos Cotta Engenharia.
Complete studies, from the fire scenario to the report for the fire brigade
We prefer whole projects to isolated simulations: ATS issues the study and the documents, and your team reviews and submits.
Smoke control
Extraction, supply and pressure differential, with the position and flow of the smoke-evacuation fans.
Tenability of the escape routes
Visibility, temperature and gases along the escape routes, over time.
Alternative solution
When the prescriptive instruction does not fit the building, we propose an alternative and show it is safe.
Need only a part? We define the scope with you.
What you receive
Fire and smoke spread
Spread based on the heat release rate (HRR) of the fire scenario.
Extraction and pressure differential
Control of smoke with extraction and pressure differential between spaces.
Visibility, temperature and gases
Along the escape routes, over time.
Smoke evacuation
Position and flow of the fans.
Alternative solutions
Alternatives to the prescriptive technical instructions.
Report for the fire brigade
Criteria of visibility and temperature, and the documentation to submit.
How ATS studies fire and smoke
The scenario
Place of the fire, materials, HRR curve and ventilation conditions. The fire is defined by its heat release rate, and the smoke and heat follow from it.
The simulation
Smoke, heat and visibility in time, with CFD, in the geometry of the building and with its extraction and supply systems.
Where it applies
Buildings, sheds, pavilions, industrial and mining plants, oil and gas platforms and hangars.
Tools, and where each one fits
Tools serve the engineering work. We say what each one does in the project.
| Tool | Role in the project | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator), NIST | Fire and smoke simulation: a large-eddy simulation (LES) CFD code for low-speed, thermally driven flow, with emphasis on smoke and heat transport. Free software from NIST (USA), in the public domain. | Free |
| Smokeview, NIST | Visualization of FDS results: smoke, temperature and visibility in 3D and as animations. Free software from NIST (USA), in the public domain. | Free |
| PyroSim | Graphical user interface for FDS, by Thunderhead Engineering: 3D modeling, CAD import (IFC, DWG, FBX), meshes and post-processing of results. | Per project |
| CFD++ | Fluid flow, heat transfer, combustion and particles in 3D. ATS is the exclusive CFD++ representative in Brazil. | Licensed |
| Tecplot 360 EX | Post-processing and automation macros. | Licensed |
Evidence you can check
Studies submitted to the fire brigade.
Project work
| Project | What we did | Tools and tests | Result or venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Cotta Engenharia: exhibition pavilion in São PauloProject | The work was embargoed. A wood and plastic fire with HRR of 8,000 kW, and visibility on the four faces up to 3,600 s. | CFD++ of smoke, heat and visibility. | Project approved by the fire brigade. |
| Carlos Cotta Engenharia: commercial complex in Jardins, São PauloProject | Smoke and heat in a commercial complex, with pressure differential. | CFD++ with extraction and pressure differential. | Smoke control studied for the fire brigade. |
Examples
Select an image to see each example.
How an engagement runs
Scenario
Place of the fire, materials, HRR curve and ventilation conditions.
Model
Geometry of the building, mesh and extraction and supply systems.
Simulation
Smoke, heat and visibility in time, with CFD.
Report
Criteria of visibility and temperature and the documentation for the fire brigade.
Related services
Questions engineers ask before they hire us
Does the fire brigade accept CFD studies?
Our studies were accepted and approved by the technical staff of the São Paulo fire brigade, including for a work that had been embargoed.
Can you propose an alternative to the technical instruction?
Yes. Alternative solutions to the prescriptive technical instructions are part of what we analyze.
What do you need to start?
The drawings, the use of the space, the materials and the fire scenario, or we define the scenario with you.
Who submits the documents?
ATS issues the study and the report. Your team reviews and submits.
Is our data kept confidential?
Yes. We work under NDA, and your design data and reports stay with you.
Need to approve a smoke control project?
Tell us your case. An ATS engineer replies.
sales@aerothermalsolutions.co+55 11 3854-4224An ATS engineer replies. We work under NDA.