Tyco Fire Protection Products showcased its expertise in water mist suppression solutions on the International Water Mist Association (IWMA) Conference in Istanbul. Dr Tim Nichols, Sales Director Water Mist EMEA, gave a presentation entitled ‘Fire Protection of Compact Archive Storage utilizing Water Mist’, the place he discussed how the extinguishant is nicely suited to the safety of irreplaceable works and artefacts in extremely useful buildings.
Tim’s lecture focused on a hearth check protocol that was formulated to verify the performance and use of Tyco’s own water mist resolution, AquaMist, in an historic constructing, house to valuable archive storage. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 750 standard requires that, when using a water mist suppression system, fireplace testing is undertaken pertinent to the chance. However, of the published fireplace test protocols listed in NFPA 750, none details the requirements for archives that contain curler (compact) racking. Many of the racks in the targeted building are of the ‘roller’ sort, which restrict the quantity of space for constructing providers, together with those for extinguishing system pipework.
Together with the challenge stakeholders, Tyco devised the protocol to include check rig and format, take a look at type, fire load, information acquisition (for instance, sensors and imaging), hardware required (such as pumps, nozzles, pipe, tank, generator), and well being and security procedures (for instance, the fire brigade). The associated performance based mostly fire exams had been then designed to replicate the vary of utility parameters associated with archive storage.
While ignition sources on the authentic website had been recognized to be minimal, and the primary fire source confirmed as arson, the multi-level building poses quite a few challenges that had to be thought-about when formulating the fire take a look at protocol to ensure efficient protection. Low ceilings and numerous obstructions, similar to lighting, ducts and pillars, contribute in course of the confined environment of the archive storage basement level. Items are saved in a combination of open racks and compact racks, which offer less than a 150mm gap between themselves and the ceiling, and there’s limited on-site water storage. Pre-test danger analysis also highlighted restricted entry and exits under and above ground, so it’s important for storage space to be maximised and secure egress provided in case of the event of a fireplace. In addition, the highly useful nature of the storage contents meant that the chosen hearth suppression answer had to ensure minimal injury to these historic gadgets.
To achieve เกจอาร์กอน , the tests needed to meet varied objectives. These comprised speedy control of the fire inside a prescribed space (in this case, defined as within a block of racks); control of temperature; attenuation of radiation; and minimisation of collateral damage through water clean-up. They also needed to bear in mind numerous parameters, including the desired excessive pressure mist system; a 30 minute run time; and an annual measurable achievement objective (AMAO) outlined in accordance with a formulation based mostly on the quantity of nozzles activating during testing.
The fire checks, carried out for both open and curler racks with minimum storage gaps, had been undertaken in a personalized check rig, designed, constructed and fitted to duplicate the exact specification, racking arrangements and storage supplies of the positioning. Considered a high load, the gas materials have been similar to that present in archive storage, including paper, books, micro-film and CD instances.
Success was defined by pass or fail criteria and determined by detailed quantitative measurements on system configuration, hydraulic analysis, discharge pressure, discharge sequence, fireplace spread, temperature, fire injury and water consumption. In each exams, Tyco’s AquaMist system operated successfully and was noticed to suppress and control the fireplace effectively. The challenge staff was impressed by the lack of fireside and smoke injury to the supplies and structure and the product has since been installed within the constructing in query.
“The IWMA conference is a fantastic alternative to highlight the benefits of water mist as a fire suppression answer, as well as show its versatility in a wide range of applications,” comments Dr Tim Nichols. “Identifying a niche out there and taking the chance to formulate a fire take a look at protocol for archive storage enabled us to validate the skilled capabilities of our AquaMist system and facilitate safety of a customer’s extremely valuable belongings.”
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