Fire Sprinklers 303

Sprinkler Protection for Storage Occupancies

Misc. Storage and Solid Piled, Bin Box & Shelf Storage (non-rack)

NOTE: This program references particular sections, paragraphs or figures in the 2007 edition of NFPA 13, Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems. To enhance the learning experience and more easily follow the

specific references, students are advised to have a copy at hand before beginning the program.

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•  Does not exceed 12 ft in height •  Incidental to another occupancy use group. •  Not constitute more than 10 percent of the

building area or 4000 ft² of the sprinklered area, whichever is greater.

•  Shall not exceed 1000 ft² in one pile or area with each pile separated from other storage areas by at least 25 ft

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•  Commodity Class I-IV: All storage arrangements •  Misc Storage and warehouses

•  Group A plastics: All storage arrangements •  Misc Storage and warehouses •  Includes expanded exposed on racks

•  Tires •  Misc Storage

•  Rolled Paper •  Misc Storage •  Just up to 10 ft

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Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 4

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 5

•  Occupancy Hazard Approach •  Apply modifiers of Chapter 11 •  Do not apply restrictions of Chapter 12 •  2002 edition

•  Plastic pallets

•  Small storage area greater than 12 ft high •  Storage chapter and Section 12.3 and A.12.3

•  Two densities within the remote area

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Storage Arrangements:

•  Solid-piled •  Palletized •  Bin box •  Shelf storage

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Closed Array is defined as storage arrangements where air movement through the pile is restricted due to vertical flues of 6 in or less

Open Array conversely, includes storage arrangements where air movement through the pile is enhanced because of vertical flues larger than 6 in

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Storage in five-sided wood, metal, or cardboard boxes with open face on the aisles. Boxes are self-supporting or supported by a structure so designed that little or no horizontal or vertical space exists around boxes.

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A load that does not have voids (air) within the load and that burns only on the exterior of the load; water from sprinklers might reach most surfaces available to burn

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Stable Piles – where collapse, spillage of content, or leaning of stacks across flue spaces is not likely to occur soon after initial fire development.

Unstable Piles – arrays where collapse, spillage of contents, or leaning of stacks across flue spaces occurs soon after initial fire development.

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Structures up to and including

30 in. deep and separated by aisles at least

30 in. wide

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Regardless of storage arrangement, NFPA 13 offers options for protection including:

•  Standard spray sprinklers •  CMSA Sprinklers •  ESFR Sprinklers •  High Expansion Foam

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•  Commodity Classification •  Storage Arrangement (solid piled,

palletized, bin box, pallet rack, clearance height, etc)

•  Select density/area (based on ceiling sprinkler temperature)

•  Adjustments for storage height and/or dry pipe systems 16

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Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety.

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Prudent design should consider “reasonable to expect” variations in occupancy. This design would include not only variations in type of occupancy but also, in the case of warehousing, the anticipated future range of materials to be stored, clearances, changing storage arrays, packaging, pile height, and pile stability, as well as other factors considered when selecting the design criteria.

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For storage greater than 12 ft the design density shall not be less than 0.15 gpm/ft²

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety.

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When storage height is greater than 12 ft regardless of the commodity:

•  2,000 ft² minimum design area for wet pipe systems

•  2,600 ft² area of operation for dry systems

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The sprinkler design density for any given area of operation for a Class III or Class IV commodity, calculated in accordance with 14.2.4 shall not be less than the density for the corresponding area of operation for Ordinary Hazard Group 2.

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In a typical warehouse with storage of Class IV commodities stored on wood pallets stacked 17 ft high with ordinary temperature, standard spray K-8.0 sprinklers at the ceiling:

0.39 gpm (original density) x .80 (adjustment) 0.312 gpm (Adjusted density)

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0.295 gpm (original density) x .80 (adjustment) 0.236 (adjusted design density)

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0.390 (density for Ordinary Temp Sprinklers) -  0.295 (density for High Temp Sprinklers) 0.095 (difference)

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Lets take a look at what our design looks like with other sprinkler choices

for protection….

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Table 14.3.1(b) provides design criteria for the use of Specific Application Control Mode (16.8 K-Factor) for Palletized and Solid-Piled Storage of Class I Through Class IV Commodities

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Configuration Commodity Class

Max Storage Height

Max Building Height

Palletized I or II 25 ft 30 ft

Palletized III or IV 25 ft 30 ft

Solid pile I or II 25 ft 30 ft Solid pile III or IV 25 ft 30 ft

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 29

System Type

No. of Design Sprinklers by Min

Operating Pressure

10 psi 22 psi

Hose Stream Allowance

Duration (Hours)

Wet 15 - 500 2

Wet - 15 500 2

Wet 15 - 500 1.5

wet - 15 500 1.5

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 30

Table 14.3.1(a) provides criteria for Large Drop Sprinkler designs in wet pipe and dry pipe systems

Large Drop Sprinklers

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Table 14.3.1(a) Large Drop Sprinklers

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 32

For the purpose of using Tables 14.3.1(a) and 14.3.1(b) pre-action systems as treated the same as dry pipe systems.

Building steel shall not require special protection where Tables 14.3.1(a) 14.3.1(b) are applied.

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Permitted to protect:

•  Ordinary hazard occupancies •  Storage of Class I through Class IV

Commodities & Plastic commodities •  Miscellaneous storage & other storage

specified in Chapters 12 - 20 and by other NFPA standards 34

Table 14.4.1 provides the criteria for ESFR Protection of Palletized and Solid-Piled Storage of Class I Through Class IV Commodities

ESFR sprinklers can protect Class I, II, III, or IV, encapsulated but no open-top containers or solid shelves are permitted

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Nominal K-Factor

Orientation psi Hose Stream Allowance

14.0 Upright or pendent

50 250

16.8 Upright or pendent

35 250

22.4 Pendent 25 250

25.2 Pendent 15 250

Reprinted with permission from NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Copyright © 2007, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. This reprinted material is not the complete and official position of the NFPA on the referenced subject, which is represented only by the standard in its entirety. 36

Q = K (√P)

With K-14 sprinkler @ 50 psi Q = 14 x (√50) Q = 14 x 7.07 = 98.99 gpm

With K-25.2 sprinkler @ 15 psi

Q = 25.2 x (√15) Q = 25.2 x 3.873 = 97.6 gpm

Example for a 30 ft high building… elevation 13 psi 50 psi + 13 psi = 63 psi

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ESFR – calculate 12 sprinklers CMSA – calculate 15 or 20 sprinklers (psi varies)

ESFR – add 250 gpm hose allowance CMSA – add 500 gpm hose allowance

ESFR K-14 starting pressure = 50 psi ESFR K-25 starting pressure = 15 psi CMSA K-11.2 starting pressure = 50 psi or 25 psi

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Bin box and shelf storage over 12 ft but not exceeding the height limits of 14.2.1 and where provided with walkways at vertical intervals of not over 12 ft shall be protected with automatic sprinklers under the walkway(s).

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•  Plastic and Rubber Classifications •  Group A / B / C •  Mixed pallets

•  Spray Sprinklers – Storage heights •  palletized, solid piled, or in bin boxes

•  up to 25 ft in height

•  shelf storage •  up to 15 ft in height

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•  2,500 ft² minimum design area for wet pipe systems •  3,250 ft² area of operation for dry systems

•  Closed array can be reduced to 2,000 ft² •  OH and EH can pick any point of their curves

•  Figure 13.2.1 •  Hi-temp reduction / K-factors ≥ 11.2

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When the storage heights are between the intervals in the Table, you interpolate the density per section 15.2.8.

•  17 ft storage with a 35 ft ceiling (column A) •  15 ft: 0.45 gpm/ft² •  20 ft: 0.6 gpm/ft² •  (0.6 – 0.45) / 5 = 0.03 gpm/sf per ft •  Height difference 17 ft - 15 ft = 2 ft •  0.45 gpm/ft² + 0.03 gpm/ft² per ft x 2 ft = 0.51 gpm/ft²

•  17’6”: 0.03 x 2.5 ft = .075 + 0.45 = 0.0525 44

•  Sprinkler temperature rating •  A.15.2.1 •  Ordinary temperature rating

•  Mixed storage arrangement: •  15.2.6 criteria for rack storage can be applied

•  Hose stream (Table 15.1.1) •  < 5 ft 250 gpm & 90 minutes •  5 to 20 ft 500 gpm & 120 min •  20 to 25 ft 500 gpm & 150 min

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•  CMSA - same format as Chapter 14 •  Difference – no dry-pipe system •  Expanded plastic restriction

•  ESFR - same format as Chapter 14 •  Expanded plastic restriction •  Correction to Table 15.4.1

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Fire Sprinklers 303

Sprinkler Protection for Storage Occupancies

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