Fire Sprinklers The State of the Technology

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Fire Sprinklers The State of the Technology

• National Fire Sprinkler Association
• 2008 Annual Seminar

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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

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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

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Residential Sprinkler Fuel PackageUL 1626
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Performance-Based Codes and Fire Sprinklers

• SFPE April 2008 international conference was the
  6th to include case studies from teams around the
  world

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Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
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Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
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Use of Fire Sprinklers by Design Teams from
Various Countries
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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

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Changes in Design Criteria
NFPA 502 Road Tunnels, Bridges, Highways Table
A.10.5.1 - Fire Data for Typical Vehicles
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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

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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

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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

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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

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The Common Question

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

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The Right Question

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

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Best Practices
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CPVC Compatibility Concerns
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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

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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

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Protection Criteria Clarification Blocked in the
2007 NFPA 13
Compact storage Back-to back shelf storage Record
storage in racks
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New Criteria Being Developed Based on Fire Test
Programs
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High Bay Compact Storage
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High Volume Low Velocity (HVLV) Fans
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Protection Criteria for 6-Sided Portable Storage
Containers
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Protection Criteria for Rack Storage of Boats
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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

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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

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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