Victaulic Vortex Technology The Next Generation of Fire Suppression

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Victaulic Vortex Technology The Next
Generation of Fire Suppression
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Victaulic

• Established in 1925, Currently with over 4000
  employees with manufacturing facilities in North
  America, Europe and Asia
• For more than 83 years of setting the standard in
  grooved pipe technology and fire protection
  systems
• 165 patents
• RD staff of over 100
• UL Approval for fire protection use in 1954
• Revolutionary dry, preaction, deluge devices
  developed in 1997, sprinklers since 1998
• In 2003 Research and Development began work into
  the concept of atomizing water with sound waves

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Vortex This first HYBRID SYSTEM What it is

• The Victaulic Vortex system is a hybrid system
  incorporating water and nitrogen as extinguishing
  agents.
• Nitrogen also atomizes the water to sub 10 micron
  sized droplets
• Smoldering Fires VS. Large Fuel Based Fires
• Room integrity IS NOT required for the Vortex
  System
• Essentially you have the best of an inert gas
  system and a mist system
• Inert Gas effective for small fires. Green
  system, no room integrity and fewer nitrogen
  cylinders
• Water mist much smaller, more efficient water
  droplets at very LOW pressures. No high pressure
  pumps needed.

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Vortex Operational/Design Overview

• Nitrogen at 25 PSI and Water at 5 PSI
• Each emitter covers a maximum of 2500 ft3 (70 m3)
• Nitrogen flow is 150 Standard Cubic Feet per
  Minute per emitter
• Water Flow of .79GPM/1.06GPM
• The system has been tested and passed fire tests
  at FM up 128,570 ft3 (3600 m3) and has
  established scalability
• Vortex is a three dimensional fire extinguishing
  system. High Momentum of the nitrogen carries
  the lt10µm water droplets within the nitrogen to
  maintain velocity.

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Emitter Details
1/2(15mm) Opening for Nitrogen Flow
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Emitter Details, Penn State Research

• Schlieren Photography captures supersonic
  Atomization of the water
• Shock disc between foil and emitter
• Secondary shock fronts at foil
• Velocity
• At emitter approx. Mach 1
• At 2 ft. approx. 80mph
• At 8ft. approx. 40mph

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Victaulic Vortex System Homogeneous Suspension
Atomization

• When system activates,
• atomization occurs at
• the emitter (atomization
• zone)
• N2 velocity VERY HIGH
• (supersonic at emitter)
• H2O velocity at zero
• High We Number
• Resulting suspension has high momentum due to the
  high gas velocity

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Vacuum draws in Air, fire by-products resulting
in high turbulence in the protected area
Air is pushed out of the way and drawn in,
causing wrapping around dispersion Vortex
effect
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Nitrogen atomization is much more efficient than
current fire suppression
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Relative Surface Area of Heat Exposure
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• MAJOR COMPONENTS
• SYSTEM OVERVIEW
• LAYOUT DESIGN

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MAJOR COMPONENTS

• Releasing Panel (provided by others)
• Nitrogen Supply (Supervisory switch by
  Victaulic)
• Auxiliary Battery Box (optional)
• Water Supply (plant or potable water or stand
  alone tank)
• Victaulic Needle Valve
• Victaulic Emitter
• Victaulic grooved system on light wall black
  pipe (nitrogen)
• and copper/galvanized or stainless steel pipe
  (water)

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Vortex System Turn-Key ApproachSingle or
Multi-Zone, Nitrogen sized per site requirements
Purpose Nitrogen gas is inert and is utilized
to dissipate the oxygen within the area. The
high pressure nitrogen gas from the storage tank
is regulated to a 25 PSI output at the emitter.
The size and number of tanks are dependent upon
the size of the area being protected. The
Nitrogen tanks equipped with the Sherwood Valve
(GV58061-32) which will be supervised.
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Typical Combo-panel System Layout (Combines
the fluid control and zone control panels into
one panel for single zone systems)
Main Control Panel Series 950
High Pressure Valve Supervisory Switch
nitrogen (25 psi)
Emitters
Nitrogen Gas Supply
water
nitrogen (25 psi)
Water Supply local pressure
Emitters
Low Pressure tank (450psi) or High Pressure
Cylinder (2500psi)
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Typical Multi-zone System Layout
Main Control Panel
High Pressure Valve Supervisory Switch
Transducer feedback loop
nitrogen (25 psi)
nitrogen (low pressure)
Series 953 Emitters
Nitrogen Gas Supply
water
Fluid Control Module
Zone Control Modules
nitrogen (25 psi)
Water Supply local pressure
Series 953 Emitters
Low Pressure tank (450psi) or High Pressure
Cylinder (2500psi)
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Vortex Fire-pac Computer Rooms

• Choose one of three control option
• Dry Contacts
• Standard release Panel
• Addressable Panel
• Choose number of emitters and time of nitrogen
  discharge
• Pre-build and test assembly
• Customer could choose integrated fluid tank
• Option Distilled water for electrical
  components

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Pre-built Cabinet

• Optional integrated fluid supply
• Eliminates need for water hookup
• Custom cabinets for any number of nitrogen
  cylinders
• May be chained together with one master panel

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Installation Overview
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Layout Criteria
Vortex Emitter Minimum Distance Requirements
Sheet
Pendent
Sidewall

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Layout Criteria
Vortex Emitter Minimum Distance Requirements Sheet
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Performance Analysis
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Performance Analysis Continued
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Vortex Benefits

• Simplify building design or retrofit
• Not necessary to have air tight or pressurized
  space for operation. No fan tests
• System is effective with doors open, ventilated
  conditions
• Retrofits of data processing centers do not incur
  the expense of changing the mechanical/electrical
  systems and sealing walls to decks of buildings,
  etc
• Operates at low pressures, standard piping
  practices used per NFPA 13
• Re-Charging MINIMAL DOWNTIME
• Minimal wetting of area in the direct impact of
  the flow. Surrounding areas are virtually
  dry.

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Intangibles by System Type
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Victaulic Vortex Technology The Next
Generation of Fire Suppression