New sprinkler for early suppression is currently in works

New sprinkler for early suppression is currently in works

The Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC) has reached new developments in its sprinkler research that may change current protection philosophies and strategies.

One loss control problem that has developed over the last several decades is the high-challenge storage fire. In the 1970s, large-drop sprinklers were developed for use against these severe fire challenges. The key to the large drop sprinkler is its “penetration factor,” or its ability to deliver water through a strong fire plume and related thermal updrafts. But many of today’s fire experiences are challenging even the large-drop sprinkler beyond its effective limit.

In 1974, FMRC scientists began to investigate the idea of sprinkler sensitivity. This work ultimately led to the development of “fast-response” residential sprinklers, which are designed to operate over a fire at a very early stage and suppress it with minimum fire damage and water demand.

FMRC researchers now believe that by combining the technology of fast-response sprinklers with the most advantageous characteristics of improved large-drop sprinklers, early fire suppression—even of the high-challenge fire—is possible. This is the goal of the Early Supression-Fast Response (ESFR) sprinkler research program.

FMRC has identified three controlling factors that determine early suppression: 1) sprinkler response time, or the speed of sprinkler actuation; 2) required delivered density, which is the minimum amount of water needed to suppress a fire in a particular storage configuration; and 3) actual delivered density, related to the sprinkler’s ability to deliver water to the seat of the fire. The earlier water is applied to a growing fire, the lower the required delivered density will be and the more sprinkler water will actually get to the seat of the fire.

In November 1983, the ESFR concept was introduced to representatives of the sprinkler industry. Since then, five United States and one European manufacturer have been working with FMRC to develop prototype hardware for further testing. Because the initial goal of the ESFR sprinkler is to offer more reliable protection against the high-challenge fire, development criteria are based on the early fire suppression of 25foot (7.6-meter) double-row, high-rack storage of plastic commodities.

Development of the ESFR sprinkler will also require a new approval or testing standard to evaluate and list sprinklers. To ensure the progress of this phase, FMRC and Underwriters Laboratories are pooling resources, with the goal of jointly developing a single standard.

FMRC is also working with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to ensure that its technical committees get the information they need for the standards-making process. In addition, the National Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, is in the process of raising $500,000 from private industry and trade associations to support the ESFR sprinkler research program.

FMRC believes the ESFR program will result in the generation of high-performance sprinkler heads and much-improved protection.

Paul Dansbach and Glenn Corbett

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