- Author
- Crampton, G.
- Title
- Determination of a Safety Factor for the Application Density of Compressed Air Foam on Flammable Liquid Fires.
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Report
- Research Report 180; RR-180, October 2004, 11 p.
- Keywords
- flammable liquids | liquid fires | safety | compressed air foam | test facilities | water flow | sprinkler systems | UL 162 | fire tests | nozzles | extinguishment
- Identifiers
- foam delivery systems; reduced water flow tests; high water flow tests
- Abstract
- Compressed-air foam (CAF) has been proven to be an effective fire suppression material for both class A and B fires. Comparison testing between CAF and standard foam water sprinklers had been conducted previously to quantify the amount of CAF required to outperform a foam water sprinkler system in extinguishing a liquid fuel pan fire and provide superior burn-back protection as specified in UL162 "Foam Equipment and Liquid Concentrates". Concerns about variations in the delivered CAF density due to fluctuating water supply pressures have been raised in the industry. This paper describes a series of full-scale Class B fire tests designed to establish minimum and maximum delivered densities of CAF by varying the water supply pressures. A safety factor could then be associated with normal design application density.