Water Based Fire Suppression Systems

Sprinkler Systems

Water has always been the most common substance used to extinguish a fire. Water is usually readily available, is nontoxic, can be stored at atmospheric pressure and normal temperatures, takes the heat out of a fire, and is inexpensive. It is better than any other recognized liquid for fighting the majority of fires. In designing a fire protection system, the engineer must determine which system to select based on each system’s pros, cons, and code requirements. Each system has its own unique applicable use, which depends on the type of structure to be protected, the contents of the building, the severity of the fire, the anticipated fire growth rate, water sensitivity, ambient freezing conditions, and desired time until activation.

4 Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems

Pre-action

Pre-action fire sprinkler systems are filled with air and water is allowed to pass through when the smoke alarm or detector goes off. This type of system requires two triggers to start water flow. It helps greatly that the pre-action fire sprinkler can be set to prevent water from spouting in case of a false alarm or a mechanical failure. The pre-action system is good for use in places where the sprinklers are only necessary when there is an actual fire so other items in the building do not get water damage from an accidental sprinkling. Such buildings include libraries and data centers. These places contain items of high value like electronics and goods damageable by water such as books

Dry Pipe

Dry pipe sprinklers are similar to pre-action systems as they use pressurized air in the pipe which exits before water escapes. This causes a minute delay in water discharge but is ideal for buildings with low temperatures so the pipes do not freeze. These fire sprinkler systems have a fast opening tool to get rid of the air and speed up the flow of water. Warehouses located in the north are a good example of what buildings should use dry pipe sprinklers.

Wet Pipe

Wet pipe fire sprinklers constantly have water in them. This allows for a quick reaction to a fire and is the most common type of sprinkler installed in buildings. A type of building that uses the wet pipe system is a high-rise or office building with a few floors. This fire sprinkler system is cost efficient and low maintenance.

Deluge

These types of fire sprinkler systems also need a smoke or heat detector like the pre-action system. A deluge system has open nozzles that can be used when a hazard is present. When flammable liquids are spread across a floor, deluge fire sprinklers are good to have. In that case, buildings such as industrial parks and buildings with many tanks have deluge fire sprinkler systems installed.

Fire Hydrants

Beside the direct usage for fire at the cities, towns, it is used for supply of water for the fire department, at factories, warehouses, buildings, industrial plants,etc. for controlling the fire.

Operating nut when turned to opening direction by special hydrant key, moves the movement hose down. Disc is seperated seat therefore the hydrant has been opened . When operating nut is turned into closing direction hydrant becomes shuts-off by the reverse action is applied. The gate closes at the flow direction top to bottom. The gate provides drip-tight sealing because of being under water pressure water line.

Foam Suppression Systems

Foam is used whenever there is a possibility of a liquid fire. The Foam will mix with water and then expand over the liquid that is on fire, cool the fire, and will finally suffocate it.

Used in:

• Flammable Liquid Storage
• Loading Racks
• Processing Areas
• Refineries
• Dike Areas
• Aircraft Hangars
• Heliports
• Jet Engine Test Facilities
• LNG Storage/Manufacturing
• Marine Applications
• Warehouses

Foam fire sprinkler systems offer a proven technology for the control of burning flammable liquids. Foam fire sprinkler systems operate by mixing a foam concentrate at specific proportions with water to create a foam blanket that smothers a fire. The distribution of a foam blanket over a flammable liquid will extinguish a fire by eliminating the fire’s oxygen supply and provide a cooling effect on the burning fuel.

Foam concentrate is stored within a tank and can be introduced into the sprinkler water through several different methods. A bladder tank which is the simplest form of storage will use a proportioner to introduce and mix the foam concentrate with the sprinkler water. Foam concentrate is forced from the tank by introducing water around a bladder which “squeezes” foam from the tank and forces it into the proportioner. The operation of a bladder tank system is completely mechanical; it does not require the use of electrical components which could fail as a result of a fire. Another means of foam concentrate delivery is through the use of a foam pump. This pump takes supply of foam from a storage tank and pumps foam into the sprinkler system at a required percent concentration. The foam pump system will operate over a variety of sprinkler system flows and when the hazard is at a greater distance from the foam storage location.

Foam is also available for the protection of hydrocarbon fuels and polar solvent fuels such as ethanol. Foam systems come with variety types of foam including low expansion, medium expansion and high expansion foam. Each foam concentrate will create various types of foam blankets from slight “low” expansion blankets to “high” expansion ratios used to protect large volume areas.