Analysis of the open or closed conditions of drum windows effect on smoke and temperature propagation with fire dynamics simulation in domed mosque design

Mosques are the places for worship and multifunctional gathering centers for Muslims. The number of mosques in Turkey is about 89 300 and it is still increasing day by day. The mosque is a noteworthy building type in terms of fire research since it hosts many people at the same time, but there is not enough study available in the literature for the fire safety in mosques. Today, the simulation technique has become one of the primary research methods in modern fire science due to its ease of use, fast and sensitive results, as well as the high hazard and cost of real fire tests. Using a simulation software to be able to model the fire growth in large and crowded buildings is one of the most frequently used methods in fire dynamics research. This study is focusing on the consequences of different scenarios of 750 kW fire in the Type 6 Mevlana Mosque with a capacity of 750 people, which is one of the domed mosque projects prepared by Presidency of Religious Affairs. These scenarios include 4 types that are Scenario 1-A (i.e. dome drum windows closed and fire in the ground floor), Scenario 2-A (i.e. dome drum windows open and fire in the ground floor), Scenario 1-B (i.e. dome drum windows closed and fire in the ladies' section), Scenario 2-B (i.e. dome drum windows open, fire in the ladies' section). In these scenarios, the available safe egress time (ASET) was found by examining the effects of smoke, temperature, visibility and flow velocity of gases on people's safety in the first 500-second period from the beginning of the fire. The package program "PyroSim", which is one of the fire dynamic simulations (FDS) and widely used in academic research, is used in this research. According to the results, it is found that the available safe egress time (ASET) on the ground floor is 220 seconds in Scenario 1-A and 230 seconds in Scenario 2-A. In Scenario 1-B and Scenario 2-B, since the fire don't spread to the ground floor, there is no risk of death or injury in the first 500 seconds on this floor. The available safe egress time (ASET) in the ladies' section is found as 130 seconds for Scenario 1-A, 150 seconds for Scenario 2-A, 120 seconds for Scenario 1-B, and 135 seconds for Scenario 2-B. The dome creates a space for storing the smoke, which is reducing the spread of smoke in the main space and hence raising the available safe egress time (ASET). Opening windows that provide natural ventilation in the dome causes increased available safe egress time by exhausting the smoke in a fire.