- Author
- Evans, D. D. | Stroup, D. W.
- Title
- Methods to Calculate the Response Time of Heat and Smoke Detectors Installed Below Large Unobstructed Ceilings.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Journal
- Fire Technology, Vol. 22, No. 1, 54-65, February 1986
- Sponsor
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC
- Report
- NBSIR 85-3167, July 1985, 49 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900; Rush Service (Telephone Orders Only) 800-553-6847; Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Keywords
- ceilings | computer programs | egress | escape | fire alarm systems | fire detection | fire suppression | heat detectors | smoke detectors | sprinkler systems | NFPA 72E
- Identifiers
- DETACT-QS
- Abstract
- Recently developed methods to calculate the time required for ceiling mounted heat and smoke detectors to respond to growing fires are reviewed. A computer program that calculates activaton times for both fixed temperature and rate of rise heat detectors in response to fires that increase in heat release rate proportionally with the square of time from ignition is given. This program produces nearly equivalent results to the tables published in Appendix C, Guide for Automatic Fire Detector Spacing, (NFPA 72E, 1984). A separate method and corresponding program are provided to calculate response time for fires having arbitrary heat release rate histories. This method is based on quasi-steady ceiling layer gas flow assumptions. Assuming a constant proportionality between smoke and heat released from burning materials, a method is described to calculate smoke detector response time, modeling the smoke detector as a low temperature heat detector in either of the two response time models.