Basics of Fire Sprinkler Design K.S. “Buck” Collier

K.S. Collier NICET Level III Fire Protection Engineering Technology/Water Based Systems Layout. Have worked in industry 28 years. January 1986 to December 1999 employed by Commonwealth Sprinkler Company February 2000 to present employed by K & E Fire Sprinkler

Elements with Largest Impact on Sprinkler Design Water Supply Occupancy Building Construction

Water Supply Basic Definition- The water that is available to the building/job site. The design of the sprinkler system is based on this available water Varies from project to project Can be public or private Public- Locality provides water flow data Some perform hydrant flow test Some provide calculated information Private- designs will include tank and pump

Water Supply The three elements of the water supply are: Static Pressure Residual Pressure Water Flow

Water Supply Static Pressure: The pressure available with no water flow Residual Pressure: The pressure available with a water flow Flow: The amount of gallons per minute of the water flow These three make up the Water Supply Curve

Water Supply Curve

Occupancy Occupancy Determines Hazard Classification Light Hazard (Schools, Office Buildings, Restaurant Seating Areas, Hospitals) Ordinary Hazard Group I (Parking deck, restaurant service area, beverage manufacturing) Group 2 (Repair garages, mercantile, barns, chemical plants, piers, wood shop) Extra Hazard Group 1 (Aircraft hangers, printing, saw mills,) Group 2 (Flammable liquid spraying, Manufactured home assemblies, plastic processing)

Occupancy The Fire Hazards are based on fuel load Each Fire Hazard has its own design criteria Design Criteria are the requirements to which the sprinkler system design is based

Design Criteria Water Density Coverage per Sprinkler Spacing per Sprinkler Remote Area

Design Criteria Water Density= Gallons per minute (GPM) per sq. ft. covered by the sprinkler Light hazard= .10 gpm per sq. ft. Ordinary hazard Group 1= .15 gpm per sq. ft. Group 2 =.20 gpm per sq. ft. Extra Hazard Group 1 = .30 gpm per sq. ft. Group 2 = .40 gpm per sq. ft

Design Criteria Coverage per Sprinkler (max. square footage) Light hazard= 225 sq. ft. Ordinary hazard= 130 sq. ft. Extra Hazard= 100 sq. ft.

Design Criteria Spacing for a Standard Sprinkler (max.) Light hazard= 15’-0” Ordinary hazard= 15’-0” Extra Hazard= 12’-0”

Design Critera Remote Area- The area that must be proven, by hydraulic calculations, that if all sprinklers activate, the piping and supply can provide the required pressure and gpm Light Hazard- minimum of 1500 sq. ft Ordinary Hazard- minimum of 1500 sq. ft Extra Hazard- minimum of 2500 sq. ft.

Hazard Comparisons

Building Construction Construction of Building Effects Design of Sprinkler System Sloped Ceilings Impact reaction time of sprinklers thus requiring an increase in remote area size by 30%. 1500 sq ft. +30% (450 sq. ft.) = 1950 sq. ft. Unconditioned Spaces Dry System required for unconditioned spaces Dry Systems impact reaction time of sprinklers thus requiring and increase in remote area size by 30%.

Building Construction Example: seasonal restaurant seating area Heated flat ceiling 1500 sq ft remote area Unheated flat ceiling 1500 sq ft. +30% (450 sq. ft.) = 1950 sq. ft. remote area Unheated sloped ceiling 1500 sq ft. +30% (450 sq. ft.) = 1950 sq. ft. +30% (585 sq. ft.) = 2535 sq. ft. remote area

ASCET Central Virginia Chapter Thank you for allowing me to give this brief presentation on Basics of Fire Sprinkler Design Sincerely, K.S. “Buck” Collier February 5, 2014