- Author
-
Kim, A.
|
Crampton, G. P.
|
Asselin, J. P.
- Title
- Comparison of the Fire Suppression Performance of Compressed-Air Foam and Foam-Water Sprinkler Systems for Class B. Hazards .
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Report
-
IRC-RR-146,
- Book or Conf
- Fire Suppression and Detection Research Application, 8th Annual Symposium. Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Proceedings. January 21-23, 2004,
Orlando, FL,
1-34 p.,
2004
- Keywords
-
fire suppression
|
fire detection
|
compressed air foam
|
water
|
sprinkler systems
|
class B fires
|
fire hazards
|
fire tests
|
flammable liquids
|
NFPA 16
|
UL 162
|
nozzles
|
pipes
- Abstract
- Fixed pipe compressed-air foam (CAF) systems have been developed over the past decade through a research collaboration between the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) and the Department of National Defence. Prototype CAF systems have demonstrated, through full-scale testing, their superior fire suppression performance for controlling and extinguishing fires for a number of hazards, including flammable liquids. To date, however, no detailed comparison testing with other similar fire suppression systems for flammable liquids has been undertaken. Fixed pipe CAF systems represent a major innovation in fire suppression technology. By injecting air into a foam-water stream in a mixing chamber, a significantly superior foam is produced primarily as a result of uniform, small bubble sizes. That foam is transported through a piping system to rotary nozzles which distribute foam over a prescribed area. There are currently no specific fire suppression performance or installation standards for CAF systems; thus, to assess the new technology for potential applications, comparisons must be made using existing standards for similar fire suppression systems.