Fuel and Ventilation-Controlled Fires

The effect of ventilation on fire development is one of the most important phenomena to understand in tunnel fire safety engineering. Ventilation controls the combustion process and is usually the phenomenon that engineers find most difficult to comprehend. Tunnel fires are considerably different from compartment fires in the way flashover occurs and develops; misconceptions about the effects of ventilation in tunnel fires are clarified in this chapter. The difference between fuel-controlled fires and ventilation-controlled fires is shown and explained. This chapter lays out the basics for understanding the role of ventilation interactions with other combustion phenomena and in fire development. This chapter is based partly on theory but also includes experimental data obtained by the authors and other scholars.