FIRE SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS OF A SWITCHGEAR CABINET FIRE AND ITS EFFECTS ON CABLE TRAYS

Switchgear rooms are crucial in containing essential equipment such as cabinets and cable trays in case of a possible fire. There are three fire model classes which are algebraic models, zone model, and computation fluid dynamics model (CFD). PyroSim software, a visual user interface for the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was used for simulation by using the CFD. Two different 464 kW and 1002 kW heat release rate (HRR) values were used under the same conditions for the fire scenario. By considering a fire scenario, the fire ignited due to an electrical fault in bundles of PE/PVC cables in the cabinet. In addition, this fire modeling scenario determined whether the cabinet fire caused any secondary fires in the other side cabinets or the horizontal cable trays above the cabinets and at what time these secondary fires occurred.