1. Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
  2. Short courses
  3. Fire Dynamics and Modelling

Short course

Fire Dynamics and Modelling

Flames coming out of top floor apartment in tower block
  • Start date: 13 December 2021
  • End date: 17 December 2021
  • Duration: Five days (although you can choose to participate on individual days)
  • Fees: £1595. Click 'About the Course' tab for Covid-19 Statement
  • Venue: Weetwood Hall Estate
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About the course

What will I learn?
The course will follow a structured approach starting from the general fundamental principles of combustion flammability and heat transfer, and will lead you through to the more specific study of fire spread and fire development in compartments. Open fires such as pool and jet fires will also be covered. The principles of fire protection practice and technology will be discussed within the context of understanding the fire development mechanism and the response of structures to fires. Your learning experience will be enhanced through worked examples and brief problems that you’ll be asked to attempt on your own or in groups.

There may also be an opportunity for some hands-on experience with predictive PC packages, although this is dependent on various aspects, including what social distancing guidelines are still in place at the time of the course running and whether we are able to gain access to a software cluster at the University.


How will I benefit?
On completion of this course, you should:

  • be able to apply general combustion and engineering principles to fires

  • know the parameters that influence flame spread and steady burning and be able to quantify the burning rate in compartment fires

  • predict the rate of development of the fire, the onset of flashover, and appreciate the application of these concepts to fire protection design

  • understand the factors influencing smoke toxicity and movement

  • be aware of the predictive tools that are available and become familiar with the application and use of such tools, through ‘hands-on’ practice.

 

Who should attend?

This course is for you if you wish or need to gain a comprehensive, scientifically-based analysis and engineering quantification tools, of fire development and consequence assessment in industrial and residential scenarios.

Perhaps you’re involved in the design and operation of buildings and chemical plant (architect, civil engineer, chemical engineer) or in the design of protection systems (passive and active system developer, manufacturer, installer).

Maybe you’re responsible for building and plant safety on a day-to-day basis, a regulator or adviser (Health and Safety Executive, Fire Service, Home Office, local authority, building control office, consultant, insurer) or firefighting professional.

This course would also be very useful if you’re a new researcher in the field. 

Programme

Provisional programme

Day 1
Fundamental processes

Registration: 08:30 – 09:00

  • Physical concepts

  • Fuel and combustion processes and fundamentals

  • Limits of flammability

  • Heat transfer: conduction and convection

Day 2
Radiation, ignition and flame spread

  • Radiation from fires

  • Ignition - general, gaseous/liquid fuels and solids

  • Spread of flame

  • Fire combustion products and toxicity as a function of ventilation conditions

Day 3
Pool fires, jet fires and cloud fires

  • Steady burning diffusion fires

  • Pool fires in the open

  • Jet fires

  • Radiation from flames

  • Example calculations: radiation flux from flare on escape route

  • Pool and jet fires, large-scale tests

  • Pool and jet fires in compartments

  • Cloud fires

Day 4
Compartment fires

  • The growth period

  • Flashover

  • The post-flashover period and backdraughts

  • Fire performance of structures

  • Smoke movement

Day 5
Compartment fire modelling

  • Using CFD models

  • Fire behaviour and modern buildings

  • A zone model in detail – CFAST

  • Hands-on experience with a zone model – please note this session is subject to Covid-19 guidance in place at the time of the running of the course and availability of university software cluster. If we are unable to run this session the course will finish with issue of attendance certificates directly after lunch.

Course finish time:  16:05 (or 13:00 if we are unable to run the hands-on session, see above)

 

 

Speakers

Course Director – Dr Roth Phylaktou, University of Leeds

Invited Speakers:

Professor Gordon Andrews, University of Leeds

Dr Florian Block/Iolanda del Prete, BuroHappold Engineering

Professor Derek Bradley, University of Leeds

Geoff Chamberlain, Waverton Consultancy Ltd, previously Shell Global Solutions UK 

Rob Crewe, DNV GL

Ben McColl, OCR Consultants

Jeremy Ockenden, Affinity Fire Engineering

Peter Rew, Atkins 

Fee information

Full five days: £1595
Any one day: £410

Fees are VAT exempt

Fees include:

  • cost of tuition

  • course materials

  • lunches

  • light refreshments

15% discount for members of The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).

Delegates are advised to book early in case any covid-19 restrictions in place at the time of the course result in reduced venue/room capacities and attendee numbers. We will be accepting bookings on a first come first served basis and if we do need to reduce numbers by cancelling bookings delegates will be informed at least four weeks prior to the course and a full refund will be issued.

View our terms and conditions

Venue details

The course will take place at Weetwood Hall Estate, which is situated to the north of Leeds at the junction of the A660 Leeds - Skipton road and the A6120 Outer Ring Road.​​

Weetwood Hall Estate
Otley Road
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS16 5PS
UK

 

Accommodation

Accommodation

The course will take place at Weetwood Hall Estate, which is situated to the north of Leeds at the junction of the A660 Leeds - Skipton road and the A6120 Outer Ring Road.

If you require accommodation, and wish to stay at the course venue Weetwood Hall Estate, please contact Emma Barker E: reservations@weetwood.co.uk / T: 0113 230 6000 quoting ‘CPD’ and the ‘Fire Dynamics’ course.

The below rates are for a superior double room and include VAT:

Friday – Sunday, bed and breakfast £84 per night
Monday – Thursday, bed and breakfast £88 per night

Please book your accommodation at least two weeks before the course commences to guarantee rates and availability. A list of alternative hotels is available on request. 

What our delegates say

“Really good course for teaching and explaining the fundamentals of fire dynamics in an interactive and well thought out course” Shell UK

“An excellent course for providing a balance between understanding the basic principles of fire science/dynamics and more in-depth practical applications. Thoroughly recommended” Kingspan

“A well thought out, relevant and interesting course” BAE Systems

“A comprehensive short course in understanding the basics of fire modelling” Geoffrey Hunt & Partners

 

Contact us

Harriet Wills – Course Coordinator

CPD Conference and Events Unit
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences 
University of Leeds,
Leeds
LS2 9JT

T: +44 (0)113 343 2494

E: cpd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk

 

Accreditation

The Fire Dynamics and Modelling CPD course, Leeds, has been approved for 32 CPD hours in total by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
 

IFE logo showing course is approved for 32 CPD hours