Reliability and Effectiveness of Sprinkler Systems in Poland

The article presents research on the reliability and effectiveness of sprinkler systems in selected countries around the world as well as results of similar studies conducted in Poland based on the data of the State Fire Service. First discussed are the specifics of analysed data and the problems regarding its acquisition and presentation in a simplified form without proper reflection and the assessment of its specificity, quality, detail, uncertainty and completeness. The next step presents the methodology of detailed data analysis based on full description of fire events and the segregation of fire events into separate subcategories. Such an analysis allowed the presumption that in the five-year period 2013–2017, in 94.4% of relevant fire events sprinkler systems in Poland have demonstrated the achievement of their intended goals. This result is similar to the results achieved in other countries known for high level of fire safety culture (USA, UK, Sweden). In the author’s opinion, this proves the high immanent reliability of these systems, which results from their simple construction and proper maintenance, and not from the country in which they were installed. Taking into account these results, it is recommended that Poland should update its regulations in a manner similar to that of developed countries, so that they take into account in a greater extent the protective value and characteristics of sprinkler systems and the benefits resulting from their application. It is also recommended to increase the detail of publicly collected data on fire protection systems in buildings because better knowledge about the characteristics of these systems in Poland may allow achieving an even higher level of their reliability and effectiveness.

Assessing sprinkler systems performance with a novel experimental benchmark

Sprinkler systems are one of the most popular methods of irrigation worldwide. One of their key parameters is the so-called level of uniformity, i.e. every portion of the soil should be irrigated with the same amount of water. Assessing the level of uniformity is crucial for optimal design of sprinkler systems. In this manuscript, a novel experimental benchmark is presented in order to test irrigation sprinklers, assess their performance, and define their acceptable working conditions. Different sprinklers have been tested, their water application depth curves have been determined, and their performance has been evaluated using a combination of metrics. Results show that the majority of sprinklers are characterized by very good performance in terms of operating pressures in the range 2.0-3.0 bar and tend to decrease their efficiency for operating pressures outside of that range.

Calculated assessment of effectiveness of class B fire suppression using automatic fire sprinkler systems

Introduction. The problem of timely activation of fire sprinkler systems is highly relevant for effective fire suppression before the critical moment, when calculated values applied to extinguish the fire, become ineffective. A number of works address the problem of effective application of the fire sprinkler system to Class A fires. The application of such methods to Class B fires has not yet been considered.The model simulating a fire in a room with an automatic fire extinguishing system. The response time assessment model, developed by the co-authors for an automatic water-consuming fire sprinkler system, allows to identify the velocity of flame spreading over the surface of an HFL/CL spillage and the temperature rise rate in the ceiling area in the case of a B class fire.A sprinkler is triggered by the bulb bursting caused by the thermal effect produced by the ascending convection flow. A model has been developed to determine the response time of a fire sprinkler system exposed to the effect of a heat flow, caused by the Class B fire, on a heat-sensitive sprinkler bulb.Activation of a fire sprinkler system by the rate-of-rise heat detector. A model, designated for determining the activation time of a rate-of-rise heat detector, was developed.Examples. A number of examples, illustrating the response time of traditional, deluge, and forced launch fire sprinkler systems, are provided in the article.Conclusions. The obtained formula allows to quickly check the applicability of different types of fire sprinkler systems to ensure the effective protection of premises in which class B fires may break out.

Reduced Copper Piping Corrosion in Sprinkler Facilities

Copper pipes used in fire sprinkler systems are somewhat superior to steel pipes in terms of corrosion resistance. They have been widely used in apartments since 2010, but their firefighting performance has not been firmly established due to leakage caused by pitting. In order to solve this problem, copper pipes need to be replaced by pipes made of other materials such as STS or C-PVC, which, however, would impose an economic burden on the party responsible for maintenance, as well as economic loss to other relevant parties and inconvenience to residents. Although 27 leakages occurred in the E region in 2018, it was found that the number of incidents was reduced to just one case after an application of corrosion inhibitor. Therefore, for 2 months beginning in October 2020, a second project to reduce piping corrosion was conducted with 2,000 households in five regions nationwide. During this period, the standing fire water of five apartment buildings in the A region was measured as having a pH 8.34–9.08, an ORP -94.9–-135.8 mV, and an EC 0.097–0.137 ms/cm, which indicated a need for improvement. Subsequently, a corrosion inhibitor was poured into the fire water, resulting in improved values of pH 11.13–11.26, ORP -257–-265.5 mV, and EC 4.189–5.769 ms/cm, which demonstrated the effect of preventing pipe corrosion. It was evident that water-soluble silicate was adsorbed on the metal pipe of the anode to form a thin monolayer, which induced basicity by increasing the pH and by decreasing the ORP, which eventually minimized corrosion.

Improvement of the Daily Management System for Sprinkler Systems

The maintenance and status of institutional maintenance of sprinkler facilities are examined to identify problems and suggest improvement plans for the daily maintenance system for sprinkler facilities over time. In addition, the details of poor inspection practices of sprinkler facilities installed in buildings in the Seoul metropolitan area and records prepared by the agency for fire safety management are analyzed. Suggested improvement measures include drafting legislation to establish maintenance guidelines, standardizing work on fire safety management, handling defective contents, strengthening education of business supervisors, and establishing a maintenance space to prevent corrosion and flooding.

Experimental Study on Fire Sources for Full-Scale Fire Testing of Simple Sprinkler Systems Installed in Multiplexes

Fires are accidents that can cause numerous human casualties in multiplexes. The simple sprinkler systems applied in South Korea employ sprinklers to protect people against residential fires, as specified by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 13D. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the fire control performance of multiplexes, which are at a greater risk than residential facilities. This study aims to verify the fire control performance of simple sprinklers in multiplexes and to develop a fire source that can be used as a protocol for testing fire suppression methods. The fire source was evaluated by using a 3 MW large-scale calorimeter (ISO 13784). The proposed fire source for multiplexes was applied in various forms according to the application methods, with ignition sources including cotton wick, wood crib, and heptane, and then the fire tests were conducted.