About GoZone

GoZone is a computational fire modeling software developed at the University of Liège. It utilizes a cellular automata-based approach to simulate the thermal behavior in fire compartments. This advanced zone model addresses limitations of classical models by incorporating more realistic representations of compartment geometry and fire dynamics.

Purpose and Functionality

GoZone is designed to compute the temporal evolution of temperatures within fire compartments by solving mass and energy balance equations. It particularly emphasizes modeling "travelling fires," which involve fire spreading across the compartment floor—an area where traditional models often fall short.

Key Features

• Based on a 2 zone model, an upper zone of hot combustion products and a lower zone of fresh air.
• Realistic Geometry Handling: Considers the actual shape and perimeter layout of compartments via a discretisation of the floor by triangular or quadrangular cells, unlike classical models which simplify these to basic parameters.
• Detailed Opening Positions: Precisely accounts for the position of openings along the perimeter, enhancing accuracy in air-controlled scenarios.
• Non-uniform Fire Load Distribution: Supports variable Fire load distributions across the floor area.
• Dynamic Fire Propagation: Fire spread is determined by the critical ignition energy of fuel loads rather than static RHR (Rate of Heat Release) curves. Each fuel load is heated by radiation from other burning fuel loads and from the hot zone layer.
• Localized Air Control Effects: Models air control effects on specific zones rather than across the entire compartment.
• Integrated Radiant Heat Flow: Calculates radiant heat transfer across the compartment, allowing richer subsequent thermal analysis of structural elements in the compartment.
• Seamless Structural Code Integration: Interfaces automatically with the SAFIR software for structural fire analysis.

Applications

GoZone is particularly useful for:

• Structural fire design of compartments in which the temperature is not uniform.
• Academic and industrial fire safety research.
• Integrated simulations involving thermal and structural responses during fire scenarios.
• Case studies in infrastructure like airports, where realistic fire modeling is crucial.

Authors

Antonio Gamba

Jean-Marc Franssen

WEBSITE

Reference Publication