SMOKE CONTROL

Smoke Control Systems

6 - 9 questions on the Fire Protection PE Exam

Smoke Control Systems appear on roughly 6 to 9 questions and are governed largely by NFPA 92. The topic covers both pressurization (stairwells, elevators, zones) and smoke management (atria and large volumes). Section 4 of the Fire Protection PE Textbook works through the design basis and the calculations examinees are most likely to see.

What the Textbook Covers: Smoke Control Systems

NCEES lists three sub-areas for this topic:

Basis of Design

System types (pressurization vs. smoke management), major components, and the design criteria that drive them.

Calculations

Smoke plume mass flow, venting and exhaust rates, tenable-height design, and the pressure differences required across smoke barriers.

Inspection, Testing & Commissioning

Acceptance testing, special inspections, and the periodic testing that keeps a system compliant.

A Taste: The Axisymmetric Plume

Most atrium smoke-management calculations begin with the axisymmetric plume — the mass rate of smoke entrained into a rising column depends on the fire’s heat release rate and the height of the smoke layer above the fuel. Designing the exhaust to remove smoke at least as fast as the plume produces it is what keeps the smoke layer above the design tenable height.

The textbook presents the NFPA 92 relationships and shows how to select the design fire that makes them work.

This is only a preview. The full explanation, diagrams, worked examples and practice problems are in the Fire Protection PE Textbook.

Get the Full Picture

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