Veracious Fire Engineering Consultants offer advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Fire & Smoke Modelling services to support the design, validation, and optimization of fire safety systems across a wide range of building types and environments. We operate in New Zealand and international markets, including the UK, India, UAE, and beyond, utilizing state-of-the-art fire and smoke simulation techniques to assess and demonstrate the performance of smoke control systems, ensuring compliance with both local and international fire safety regulations.
Importance of CFD Modelling in Fire Safety
In today’s increasingly complex building designs, conventional prescriptive fire safety solutions may not always be suitable. Veracious Fire provides an innovative approach using CFD to simulate fire scenarios, smoke behaviour, and its impact on building occupants. Our CFD fire and smoke modelling services play a critical role in assessing smoke spread, tenability conditions, evacuation routes, and the effectiveness of fire protection systems in both simple and complex buildings.
Our approach combines detailed engineering analysis, computational models, and fire dynamic simulations to provide clients and authorities with clear, data-driven results that demonstrate compliance with performance-based design codes.
Our CFD Fire & Smoke Modelling Services include:
- Fire and Smoke Spread Modelling We use CFD to predict the movement of smoke, heat, and toxic gases throughout buildings, which is crucial for validating fire safety designs in atria, large open spaces, tunnels, and high-rise buildings. By simulating real-world fire conditions, we assess how smoke spreads through spaces and its impact on visibility, temperature, and occupant safety.
- Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) Analysis We assess the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET), which represents the critical time between fire ignition and the onset of life-threatening conditions. Our CFD models provide detailed simulations of smoke movement and temperature distribution to ensure that evacuation routes remain tenable within this timeframe, ensuring safe egress for building occupants.
- Smoke Control System Design and Optimization Our team works closely with designers to model and optimize smoke control systems, including mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation, and pressurization systems. CFD is used to precisely evaluate the placement of extraction points, the effectiveness of smoke barriers, and air supply systems to meet the performance criteria of codes such as BS 9999 (UK), the New Zealand Building Code, and the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice.
- Validation of Performance-Based Fire Safety Designs Veracious Fire specializes in performance-based design approaches, where alternative solutions are necessary to meet the specific needs of complex buildings. CFD simulations are used to demonstrate that these innovative fire protection designs meet the required safety objectives of international standards like NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code), NFPA 92 (Standard for Smoke Control Systems), and regional building codes including the New Zealand Building Code C/VM2, British Standards (BS 7974), and Indian National Building Code (NBC).
- Tenability Analysis and Fire Dynamic Simulations We perform detailed tenability analysis to determine the conditions that will affect occupants’ ability to evacuate safely, such as visibility, temperature, and gas toxicity levels. Using software like Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS), we model complex fire scenarios to understand how different variables—such as ventilation rates, room geometries, and fire load—impact tenability and overall fire safety performance.
Veracious Fire uses cutting-edge fire simulation software, including:
- Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) for detailed CFD analysis of fire and smoke behaviour
- B-RISK (developed by BRANZ) for zone modelling in simpler cases
- CFAST (developed by NIST) for zone modelling in simpler cases
- Pyrosim for visualizing and presenting fire and smoke simulations in a way that is accessible to non-technical stakeholders
Our team is proficient in these advanced tools, providing clear, actionable data that helps support fire safety designs during the approval process.
International Code Compliance and Regulatory Standards
Veracious Fire ensures that all CFD fire and smoke modelling is performed in compliance with local and international fire safety standards as applicable, including:
- New Zealand Building Code (C/VM2)
- UAE Fire and Life Safety Code of Practice
- British Standards (BS 9999, BS 7974)
- NFPA Standards (including NFPA 101, NFPA 92)
- Indian National Building Code (NBC)
- National Building Code of Canada (NBC) and other regional codes as required
We are adept at working with authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), building officials, and stakeholders across multiple regions to ensure that all fire engineering designs meet or exceed the requirements of the applicable codes, thereby facilitating a smooth regulatory approval process.
Sector Expertise
Our CFD fire and smoke modelling services are used across a variety of sectors, including:
- Commercial Buildings (e.g. high-rise offices, shopping malls)
- Residential Developments (e.g. apartment complexes, mixed-use buildings)
- Healthcare Facilities (e.g. hospitals, aged-care homes)
- Industrial Facilities (e.g.warehouses)
- Transportation Infrastructure (e.g. tunnels, airports)
- Educational Institutions (e.g. universities, schools)
For each project, Veracious Fire ensures a tailored approach that meets the specific safety objectives and operational needs of the building, while maintaining a high level of accuracy in modelling results.
Deliverables and Reporting
Upon completion of our CFD fire and smoke modelling analysis, Veracious Fire provides clients with:
- Detailed 3D and 2D visualizations of fire and smoke spread
- Comprehensive reports including temperature distributions, smoke velocity, and toxic gas concentrations
- Recommendations for optimizing smoke control systems and fire safety designs
- Validation studies to demonstrate compliance with relevant building codes and standards
- Support for regulatory approval and documentation for performance-based designs
Veracious Fire Engineering Consultants bring extensive experience and technical expertise to CFD fire and smoke modelling, ensuring that each project achieves the highest level of fire safety while meeting the regulatory requirements of both local and international markets. By leveraging CFD technology, we provide innovative solutions that ensure safe evacuation, effective smoke control, and fire protection across all building types.
