- Author
-
Liu, S. T.
- Title
- Analytical and Experimental Study of Evaporative Cooling and Room Fire Suppression by Corridor Sprinkler System.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Sponsor
- Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBSIR 77-1287,
October 1977,
56 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
sprinkler systems
|
compartment fires
|
corridors
|
drop sizes
|
evaporation cooling
|
fire suppression
|
large scale fire tests
|
gas temperature
|
water sprays
- Abstract
- Investigations, both theoretical and experimental, are conducted to evaluate the effects of a corridor sprinkler system on the cooling and suppression of a fire in an adjacent compartment connected by an open doorway. A simplified one dimensional mathematical model is presented to preduct the net reduction of the corridor ceiling hot gas temperature by evaporative cooling. Scaling criteria based on the analysis of the motion of an evaporating droplet were developed for the correlation of full-scale and small-scale experimental results and the design requirements of a small-scale experiment. Representative test results from a full-scale and a one-quarter scale model experiments are presented. These tests demonstrate the effectiveness of water spray in reducing the corridor hot gas temperature to a level low enough for safe passage, and in causing a strong recirculating flow at the room doorway. This flow reduces the oxygen content around the fire significantly, and results in a much reduced burning rate of the fuel. The effect of the spray droplet size on the cooling and on fire suppression is discussed.