Fire code professionals, businesses and building owners are facing the dilemma on how to successfully address fire protection issues when working on distilleries and storage of distilled goods. NFPA Standards and Fire Codes provide only some of the answers. Despite a considerable number of fire tests and subsequent advancements in the fire and building codes, there is still a need to creatively resolve many of the remaining unanswered questions. Read more…
FM Global updated their Data Sheet 8-9 with new high-piled rack storage protection schemes. These new protection options can reduce installation costs by as much as 50%. Large-scale fire tests were used to validate these alternative designs. They demonstrated that large orifice sprinklers and higher flow rates can be successfully applied to not only simplify the sprinkler system but also reduce the total sprinkler water demand. These new protections apply to all commodities including high hazard (plastics) commodities. Read more…
NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation hosted this year’s conference on suppression and detection in San Antonio, Texas. Presented were the latest research and developments in the fire protection industry that included a diverse cross-section of subjects, such as ‘ESFR K14 sprinklers and High Clearance Update’, ‘Biomass Commodity Classification’, ‘Sub-Scale Analysis of New Large Aircraft Pool Fire-Suppression ‘, ‘Lithium-ion Energy Storage System Fires’ and many more. Read more…
NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) initiated a project to determine the impact of sloped ceilings on the protection of storage with ceiling slopes steeper than 2-in-12 (equivalent to 9.5 degrees). As part of this effort, FM Global was tasked to conduct fire simulations to better understand issues and risks associated with storage under sloped ceilings. The results of these sprinkler activation and suppression analyses have now been released by FM Global. Read more…
NFPA’s Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) initiated a two-phase study on the effects of obstructions on the ESFR sprinkler system’s ability to suppress fires. Phase one, which was primarily a literature review on the topic, was completed in 2014 and the fire test results from the second phase are now published. The tests were performed on Group A Plastics in rack storage configurations protected by K-17 ESFR sprinklers. Read more…
The proposed changes to the 2016 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, were published after the Tech Session at the 2015 NFPA Conference & Expo at the McCormick Place in Chicago. Major changes adopted included extensive revisions to the commodity classification tables, the first in two decades. For the first time in NFPA 13’s history protection schemes for Group A exposed expanded plastics stored in racks were added. Read more…
In-rack sprinklers are used when ceiling sprinkler only protection is no longer adequate to protect the rack stored commodities. Well known disadvantages of current in-rack sprinkler designs are (1) additional costs and (2) additional risks of damage of the sprinkler heads during loading and unloading of the racks. Next generation in-rack sprinklers have been UL-tested that are expected to improve on conditions on both fronts. Read more…
NFPA made available the education session presentations on their website. These free, downloadable presentation decks (in PDF format) offer an excellent opportunity for anyone looking to continue their education, or who could not attend this year’s NFPA Conference & Expo in Chicago. Audio recordings of the sessions are also available (for a nominal fee), which will help you follow along the presentation slides. Read more…
There is a better in good chance that the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) will impact your business. Current fire and building codes are based on NFPA standards, which – in some cases – differ from GHS regulations. With the start of key implementation deadlines already behind us, businesses must be aware of the differences and key requirements between these two sets of regulations in order to successfully adapt to this change. Read more…
Polyurethane foam fires are known to produce very high heat release rates and extremely toxic fumes. As a result, these types of fires provide some unique life, firefighter, property safety and fire suppression challenges. In this study polyurethane foam fires and their combustion processes are investigated using the Fire Dynamics Simulator. The software tool’s predictions were validated against test results from experimental burns. Comparisons between simulation and fire tests demonstrated unprecedented good correlation. This formed the foundation of this study validating the model and providing reliable insights into the nature and sequence of the various combustion events taking place. Read more…
