Man has always sought to achieve perfection in almost everything. A real confirmation of this is the progress in the technical field. Today, a fire extinguishing system has reached a completely different level, higher. Modern methods of eliminating fire can save the lives of people in certain rooms, as well as protect their property. One of the options for dealing with fire was the sprinkler system, which eliminates the fire immediately after its occurrence. If the facility is equipped with this method of extinguishing an open flame, then you do not have to wait for the arrival of special services, as well as use fire extinguishers.
Varieties of fire water supply
Today, sprinkler and deluge systems are being created for public buildings . The first are air, water and mixed. These systems are designed for installation in rooms with or without heating. In water installations, the pipelines are completely filled with liquid. Therefore, such systems are used only in heated rooms. In air installations, water enters the pipeline only after the control-alarm valve is activated. They can be used in unheated rooms. Pipelines are initially filled with compressed air, so only after it comes out does the fire extinguish with water. Also for rooms that do not have heating, mixed systems are used. In such installations, the pipelines are filled with water in the summer, and in winter there is compressed air in them, since the liquid freezes at low temperatures.
Drench systems incorporate heads that are equipped with holes with diameters of 8, 10 and 12.7 mm. Such elements are used not only to extinguish a fire, but also with their help create water curtains. They are intended for isolation of the centers of ignition. Such systems can be driven manually and automatically.
Features of the use of sprinkler type installations
This type of fire fighting is fully automatic. A sprinkler system is created on large objects. A feature of these installations is the localization of an open flame in closed areas where the spread of fire is accompanied by a large amount of heat. Most often, this method of extinguishing fires is used in crowded places, in car parks having a closed type, in numerous offices, retail and industrial premises.
Principle of operation
From water supply networks consists of any sprinkler fire extinguishing system. The principle of operation is that the installation is always ready to supply a substance that helps to eliminate fire. It can be water or a special composition. The system is operated under high pressure. Sprayers are distributed throughout the entire area of a particular room, which are normally closed by sprinklers. They are special nozzles made of alloy material. When a fire occurs, the valve is exposed to high temperature, and the seal is opened and a flame extinguishing agent is supplied.
Design features
The sprinkler fire extinguishing system may consist of several separate sections. Each of them is equipped with an individual control and signal valve. Also, a separate section can be equipped with special devices that supply compressed air. This is necessary in order to increase the pressure in the pipelines. Such design features of fire extinguishing systems depend on the area of the facility, as well as its configuration.
Types of equipment to be installed
Any sprinkler system has thermal locks. In most cases, they work when the temperature reaches 79, 93, 141 or 182 degrees. The first two values refer to low temperature systems. Their operation should occur no later than 300 seconds after the fire. Such a requirement is specified in GOST R 51043-2002. The following two values apply to high temperature systems. For them, the thermal lock should work no later than 600 seconds after the ignition started in the room.
Design and installation of sprinkler fire extinguishing systems
Initially, it is always necessary to complete a project. It will be needed for proper placement of fire extinguishing system equipment and pipelines at the facility. When the development of drawings is carried out, the area of a certain room is always taken into account. It is also necessary to take into account the consumption of the substance required to extinguish the fire. Depending on the type of room, the location of each element of the system is determined, which are sprinklers, pipelines, as well as a pumping station and a control unit. At the same time, the ceiling height, existing ventilation and the parameters at which water will be supplied must be taken into account.
Installation of the sprinkler system consists of several stages. First, all the necessary materials and components are delivered to the facility. Then the cabling and the piping of the system itself are carried out. Next, the installation of other elements that are part of the fire extinguishing installation. At the last stage, commissioning tests are carried out.
The main element for fastening pipes
Pipelines of sprinkler systems are suspended to horizontal surfaces. Mostly they are ceilings. To simplify the installation of pipes, a clamp is used for sprinkler systems. The appearance of such a device is drop-shaped. Clamps are made, as a rule, of galvanized steel. They have different diameters, depending on the size of the pipes used in the systems. There is a special hole in the clamps, which is designed to fix them on the ceiling. To perform this process, you must insert a threaded rod, which will be fixed with a nut. When using this installation method, it is possible to adjust the level of the pipeline. Usually, the required number of clamps is installed on the ceiling initially, after which the system itself is installed directly. Thanks to the use of such elements, the installation of pipelines is very fast. The clamps can be fixed using various means - these can be pins or threaded rods.
Installation Service
The sprinkler system, like any other engineering network, needs regular maintenance. It is of great importance for maintaining the installation in working condition. One of the main elements is sprinklers, which must be constantly checked for physical damage. It is necessary to ensure that they do not have leaks, and also on such elements should not be present traces of corrosion and destruction. If defects are nevertheless detected, it is imperative that the thermal locks be replaced, and the liquid is completely drained. After all work is done, the system is restarted. Also, the owner of such plants needs to know that their trouble-free operation is possible for 10 years after installation.
Sprinkler system efficiency
Currently, to obtain reliable information about the operation of any equipment, information is collected, from which statistics are generated. According to recent data, a sprinkler fire extinguishing system effectively performs its tasks if at least one sprinkler is triggered in 10-40% of possible cases. Up to 80 percent of fires can be eliminated while 10 valves are turned on. At the same time, such efficiency is observed on a large territory. Having completed the installation of the sprinkler system at the facility, the owner of the premises will spend a minimum amount of money. As a result, he will receive a fire extinguishing installation, which will fully work in automatic mode. At the same time, it does not depend on the connection to the electric network. All these advantages allow the sprinkler installation to occupy a leading position among all existing fire extinguishing systems.