Man has always sought to achieve perfection in almost everything. Progress in the technical field is a real confirmation of this. Today, the fire extinguishing system has reached a completely different level, higher. Modern methods of extinguishing fire can save the lives of people in certain premises, as well as protect their property. One option for fighting a fire is a sprinkler system that extinguishes a fire as soon as it starts. If the object is equipped with this method of extinguishing an open flame, then you do not have to wait for the arrival of special services, and also use fire extinguishers.
Varieties of fire fighting water supply
Today, sprinkler and deluge systems are being created for public buildings. The first are air, water and mixed. These systems are designed for installation in rooms with or without heating. In water installations, pipelines are completely filled with liquid. Therefore, such systems are used only inheated rooms. In air installations, water enters the pipeline only after the control and alarm valve has been activated. They can be used in unheated rooms. The pipelines are initially filled with compressed air, therefore, only after its release, the fire is extinguished with water. Also, for rooms that do not have heating, mixed systems are used. In such installations, pipelines are filled with water in summer, and compressed air is in them in winter, since the liquid freezes at low temperatures.
Drencher systems incorporate heads that are equipped with holes with a diameter of 8, 10 and 12.7 mm. Such elements are used not only to extinguish a fire, but also with their help water curtains are created. They are designed to isolate fires. Such systems can be operated manually and automatically.
Features of using sprinkler type installations
This type of fire extinguishing is fully automatic. The sprinkler system is created on large objects. A feature of these installations is the localization of an open flame in closed areas, where the spread of fire is accompanied by a large amount of heat release. Most often, this method of extinguishing fires is used in crowded places, in parking lots that have a closed type, in numerous offices, retail and industrial premises.
Working principle
Any sprinkler fire extinguishing system consists of water mains. Principle of operationlies in the fact that the installation is always ready to supply a substance that contributes to the elimination of fire. It can be water or a special composition. The system operates under high pressure. Sprinklers are distributed over the entire area of a certain room, which are usually covered by sprinklers. They are special nozzles made of light-alloy material. When a fire breaks out, the valve is exposed to high temperatures, which breaks the seal and releases the extinguishing agent.
Design Features
Sprinkler fire extinguishing system may consist of several separate sections. Each of them is equipped with an individual control and alarm valve. Also, a separate section can be equipped with special devices that supply compressed air. This is necessary in order to increase the pressure in the pipelines. Such design features of fire extinguishing systems depend on the area of the object, as well as its configuration.
Types of installed equipment
All sprinkler systems have thermal locks. In most cases, they work when the temperature reaches 79, 93, 141 or 182 degrees. The first two values refer to low temperature systems. Their operation must occur no later than 300 seconds after the fire. Such a requirement is specified in GOST R 51043-2002. The two following values apply to high temperature systems. For themthe thermal lock must work no later than 600 seconds after the ignition in the room has begun.
Design and installation of fire sprinkler system
The first step is always to complete a project. It will be needed for the correct placement of equipment and pipelines of the fire extinguishing system at the facility. When developing drawings, the area of a certain room is always taken into account. It is also necessary to take into account the consumption of the substance required to extinguish the fire. Depending on the type of premises, the location of each element of the system is determined, which are sprinklers, pipelines, as well as a pumping station and a control unit. This must take into account the height of the ceilings, the existing ventilation and the parameters under which the water will be supplied.
Installation of a sprinkler system consists of several steps. All necessary materials and components are first supplied to the facility. Then the cables are laid and the pipelines of the system themselves are laid. Further, the installation of other elements that are part of the fire extinguishing installation is carried out. At the last stage, commissioning tests are carried out.
Main element for fixing pipes
Sprinkler piping is suspended from horizontal surfaces. Basically, they are the ceilings of the premises. To simplify the installation of pipes, a clamp for sprinkler systems is used. The appearance of suchdevice has a teardrop shape. Clamps are usually made of galvanized steel. They have different diameters, depending on the size of the pipes used in the systems. There is a special hole in the clamps, which is designed to fix them on the ceiling. To perform such a process, it is necessary to insert a threaded rod, which will be fixed with a nut. When using this installation method, it is possible to adjust the level of the pipeline. Usually, the required number of clamps on the ceiling is initially installed, after which the system itself is installed directly. Thanks to the use of such elements, the installation of pipelines is very fast. Clamps can be attached using various means - these can be pins or threaded studs.
Maintenance of installations
The sprinkler system, like any other engineering network, needs regular service. It is essential to keep the plant running. One of the main elements are sprinklers, which must be constantly checked for physical damage. It is necessary to ensure that they do not have leaks, and such elements should not show signs of corrosion and destruction. If defects are nevertheless found, then it is necessary to replace the thermal locks, and the liquid is completely drained. After all work is done, the system is restarted. Also ownerof such installations, you need to know that their trouble-free operation is possible for 10 years after installation.
Efficiency of sprinkler systems
Currently, in order to obtain reliable information about the operation of any equipment, they collect information from which statistics are generated. According to the latest data, a sprinkler fire extinguishing system effectively performs its tasks if at least one sprinkler is triggered in 10-40% of possible cases. Up to 80 percent of fires can be eliminated by simultaneously turning on 10 valves. At the same time, such efficiency is observed over a large area. Having completed the installation of the sprinkler system at the facility, the owner of the premises will spend the minimum amount of money. As a result, he will receive a fire extinguishing installation that will operate fully automatically. At the same time, it does not depend on the connection to the electrical network. All these advantages allow the sprinkler installation to occupy a leading position among all fire extinguishing systems existing today.
