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Fire Sprinklers The State of the Technology

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Title: Fire Sprinklers The State of the Technology


1
Fire Sprinklers The State of the Technology
  • National Fire Sprinkler Association
  • 2008 Annual Seminar

2
The Residential Initiative
  • The effort to convince code officials to call for
    mandatory sprinklers in the International
    Residential Code has taken center stage
  • The initiative is the culmination of a
    residential sprinkler effort that began 30 years
    ago

3
A Confluence ofNeed and Ability
  • An October 2007 UL/FPRF study found that todays
    synthetic furnishings reduce the time to escape
    from home fires to as little as 3 minutes from 17
    minutes only 30 years ago
  • Attempting to develop design fires for
    performance-based codes, the University of
    Canterbury in New Zealand has found that 20
    percent of the fires involving a single
    upholstered chair exceed the standard
    characterization of a fast fire (1 MW in 150 s)
  • The residential sprinkler is listed on the basis
    of its ability to address these ultra-fast fires

4
Residential Sprinkler Fuel PackageUL 1626
5
Performance-Based Codes and Fire Sprinklers
  • SFPE April 2008 international conference was the
    6th to include case studies from teams around the
    world

6
Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
7
Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
8
Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
9
The Logic of Sprinklers
  • PIARC (World Road Association) guidelines and
    NFPA 502 require that equipment exposed to
    ventilation airflow be designed to remain
    operational for a minimum of one hour in an
    airstream temperature of 250oC
  • Tests at the Fire Research Institute of Japan, as
    well as recent experience (March 2007 Burnley
    Tunnel fire in Sydney Australia) show that fires
    in tunnels can produce temperatures in excess of
    1000oC within 2 minutes

10
Changes in Design Criteria
NFPA 502 Road Tunnels, Bridges, Highways Table
A.10.5.1 - Fire Data for Typical Vehicles
11
Views of Sprinkler Reliability
  • Assumptions in papers presented at 2008
    conference
  • New Zealand Case Study Studies on reliability
    show ranges from 81.3 to 99.5 based on routine
    checks per NZ45412007, sprinklers assumed to
    have high operational and performance reliability
    and fire maintained at size at which sprinklers
    operate
  • Swedish Case Study 84 probability used for
    sprinkler activation and control
  • Australian Case Study 95 for a standard system
    to 97 for a system with floor control valves and
    end of line flow monitoring

12
Views of Sprinkler Reliability
  • Norway (incl. reps of Natl. Office of Bldg Tech.
    and Standards Norway) The probability of a
    sprinkler system functioning correctly in case of
    fire is of the order of 95-97
  • Iceland (incl. Iceland Fire Authority) 95
    conservatively
  • Sweden A common success rate for sprinklers is
    approximately 95

13
Are We Asking the Right Question?
  • At 752 am on May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh
    took off from Roosevelt Field, NY in the Spirit
    of St. Louis
  • 33½ hours later he was rushed by a crowd of
    100,000 as he landed at Le Bourget Field in
    Paris, becoming the first person to fly alone
    across the Atlantic Ocean

14
Can It Be Done?
  • Q Can properly designed, installed and
    maintained fire sprinklers provide full
    protection against fires?
  • A Yes
  • Australia/New Zealand
  • 99.45 success in 8,973 fires between 1886 and
    1986
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • 98.3 success in 115 fires between 1952 and 1980
  • New York City High Rise
  • 98.4 success in 1,648 fires between 1969 and 1978

15
The Common Question
  • What kind of performance is indicated by a
    compilation of results from a variety of
    conditions and capabilities?

16
The Right Question
  • What procedures must be followed to ensure that
    fire sprinklers are effective?
  • Proper design and installation
  • Proper inspection, testing and maintenance

17
Best Practices
18
CPVC Compatibility Concerns
19
Best Practices in Inspection, Testing and
Maintenance
  • NFPA 25 will be revised in the Annual 2010 cycle
  • NFSA to propose a Hazard Evaluation Form
  • NFSA to develop bulleted owner brochures

20
Best Practices in System Design and Installation
  • The fire sprinkler industry relies on compliance
    with NFPA 13
  • Incomplete protection criteria can lead to
    failures
  • Fire testing is often needed to develop solutions

21
Protection Criteria Clarification Blocked in the
2007 NFPA 13
Compact storage Back-to back shelf storage Record
storage in racks
22
New Criteria Being Developed Based on Fire Test
Programs
23
High Bay Compact Storage
24
High Volume Low Velocity (HVLV) Fans
25
Protection Criteria for 6-Sided Portable Storage
Containers
26
Protection Criteria for Rack Storage of Boats
27
Seven Trends (2005)
  • More consolidation
  • More specialty products
  • More environmental concerns
  • More consideration of liability
  • More consideration of performance
  • More use of computers
  • More focus on risk

28
Eight Trends (2008)
  • More consolidation
  • More specialty products
  • More specialty protection criteria
  • More environmental concerns
  • More consideration of liability
  • More consideration of performance
  • More use of computers
  • More focus on risk

29
NFPA 13 Chapter 20Special Designs of Storage
Protection
  • New home of recent special protection criteria
    for plastic motor vehicle components and Big Box
    stores
  • Future home of special protection criteria for
    record storage in racks, compact file storage,
    and other unique arrangements addressed through
    sponsored fire testing
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