Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007 - (Page 16)

M/E Roundtable (Continued from page 12) sensitive thermal element (response time index) than standard sprinklers and to discharge a large amount of water from each operating sprinkler. As a result, a limited number of sprinklers—typically 12—are included in the hydraulic design criteria. If the water discharge from ESFR sprinklers is obstructed, they cannot deliver the necessary amount of water to the fire. The continued growth of the fire beyond that which is contemplated in the sprinkler design may result in additional sprinklers operating. The additional sprinklers may not be supported by the water supply and sprinkler piping design. Due to obstructions requirements for ESFR sprinklers, the building design, including size of bays, spacing of roof structural members, and roof slope, should be coordinated with the sprin- kler design in the early stages of the project. GOLDHAMMER: Often we encounter buildings that are shell designs with an unknown future tenant. Fire protection in these buildings is often based on minimal protection to reduce cost for the owner—later resulting in costly upgrades that are not anticipated by the tenants. ESFR systems should be coordinated up front with the various trades, including architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical. ESFR systems are prone to obstructions due to the technology. Coordination and field observation is critical to avoid last minute issues. CSE: Do you see clean agent suppression systems being increasingly specified for high-bay environments? When do you specify special suppression instead of sprinklers? GOLDHAMMER: Sprinkler systems are the best available protection. However, clean agent suppression systems may be applicable in sensitive environments such as research, testing and fabrication. ALLEN: Of course, local application CO2 systems have been used for years in industrial settings, such as for turbine-generators in power plants, rolling mills in steel plants, and other high bay areas. The new clean agents (halocarbon agents and inert gas agents, as covered by NFPA 2001) are currently recognized for total flooding applications only. Their use in typical high bay areas such as atriums is inappropriate due to the large volumes and need for boundaries that can contain the required agent concentrations. CSE : What are some of the jurisdictional and regional differences that you know of with respect to specifying fire protection equipment for high-bay areas? GOLDHAMMER: Some of the major differences we encounter are the way jurisdictions handle spec warehouses. It ranges from minimal protection requirements to protection for a worst case commodity and storage arrangement. In occupancies with low heat release rates, we have been required to provide monitor nozzles at the ceiling level to account for no sprinkler head activation. CSE : To what degree are building automation systems an integral part of fire protection for high-bay environments? GOLDHAMMER: Building automation systems typically are not part of the fire protection systems. However, for certain applications, automatic retrieval systems may be interlocked to shutdown upon activation of a water flow alarm. Air handling systems may be interlocked Input #210 at csemag.com/quickResponse 16 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • NOVEMBER 2007 http://solaronicsusa.com http://solaronicsusa.com http://csemag.com/quickResponse

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007

Consulting-Specifying Engineer Contents Editor's Viewpoint Letters In The News M/E Roundtable Emergency Power for Healthcare 2007 Products of the Year Industrial-strength Lighting Hazardous HVAC Codes and Standards Management Report Jobs/Classifieds Specifier's Notebook On-Peak Performance Contents Best Battery Selector in Engine Starting Applications NEC 708: Practical Impact on Backup Power Systems Protecting Power: Specifying Outdoor Generator Enclosures Investing in Backup Power Systems Coes, Consultants, Manufacturers, and Standby Power Systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007

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