Traditional fire and safety modelling involved extensive “cold smoke” tests that could be carried out only once the complete environment was built and the fire-suppression system selected and installed. Aside from cost, this proved sub-optimal as cold smoke does not behave in the same way as hot smoke.
Access to CFD Software such as PHOENICS means that fire and safety modelling can be carried out at the design stage. This optimizes the choice of smoke evacuation and fire suppression systems; reduces overall cost; achieves a more accurate representation of fires before they happen; and, most importantly, can contribute to the saving of lives.