NFPA 13 Sprinkler System Design Density Curves – Where Did They Come From?
By: Garner A. Palenske, P.E.

“The design criteria found today in NFPA 13 for storage occupancies can be traced mainly to fire tests conducted in the 1970s. These tests used standard 165°F (74°C), ½” (13 mm) orifice sprinklers and a test commodity intended to simulate cartoned wood and paper products.”

An interesting review on the decision-making process towards assuring the necessary water flow (via minimum required pressures) reached the hydraulically most remote area follows.  Additionally the process towards conducting the final tests on which the curves were fit is discussed.  Finally, it’s important to note that the curve from the Class II products was then fit to single tests performed on Class III and Class IV products using the assumption of “parallelism”.

“The use of automatic sprinklers to protect people and property from the consequences of fire has withstood the test of time…Conservative requirements, such as designing to a constant sprinkler pressure, inclusion of hose allowances, and reduction in water supply capacity, provide an additional factor of safety.”

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224

Benchmarking of Container Analysis Fire Environment simulation using the memorial tunnel fire ventilation tests

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate the ability of certified Spent Nuclear Fuel packages to withstand the conditions of specific severe, long-duration fire accidents. The study chose to focus on the conditions in real tunnel fires using a fire dynamic simulator program (FDS):
(1) The 8,800 gallons of gasoline in the Caldecott roadway tunnel in 1982
(2) The 28,600 gallons of tripropylene in the Howard Street tunnel in 2001

The authors of this article looked to compare the FDS program to their container analysis fire environment (CAFE) code using the data from a series of fire tests within the abandoned Memorial tunnel in West Virginia. They find that the temperature prediction accuracy of their CAFE code is similar to FDS.

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224

SFPE International in cooperation with the SFPE Greater Atlanta Chapter presents:  Fire Protection Engineering P.E. Preparation:  Content and Problems Seminar being held on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 ($249 for a full-day seminar fee).  Attendees will receive a $125 voucher toward the 2012 Fire Protection Engineering PE Exam Online Course.  This seminar is held in conjunction with the SFPE Greater Atlanta Chapter Fire Safety Conference on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 in Duluth, GA.  Click here to view the conference program.  For question contact Tracy Franklin at (770) 355-0774.

2012 Fire Protection Engineering P.E. Exam Online Preparation Seminar: July 10 – October 11, 2012: This 14 live online 1.5 hour session allow for maximum retention in preparing for the FPE/P.E. Exam. For more information or to register, visit http://www.sfpe.org/.

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224

“Near misses and resulting inspections may help prevent an injury or even a fatality, but an investigation cannot take place if the near miss is not reported accurately. Therefore, setting up a successful safety management program to ensure near misses are reported and investigated is an important step in reducing occurrences of serious incidents.”

“OSHA defines a near miss as an incident in which no property was damaged and no personal injury was sustained, but where, given a slight shift in time or position, damage or injury easily could have occurred.”

“Another part of the near-miss system is learning how to encourage employees to report a near miss without feeling that they will get into trouble.”

“Having several outlets to report a near miss will make the process less painful for employees, said Tim Neubauer, safety consultant for the National Safety Council.”

How reporting close calls can prevent future incidents

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224

Balers for Urban Woody Biomass [Go to page 20]

James Dooley and David Lannning

The objective: “make urban woody biomass the next major recyclable!” An urban baler was designed by discussing specifications with potential users. Lab tests measured the pressure density relationships and Poisson forces that would be expected. The prototype as been successfully operated since 2008, and general production will begin in 2013. “For those of us with hay baling experience, crunching sounds from a baler takes some getting used to.”

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224

National Safety Council:

Effective prevention is grounded in science. NSC’s focus on cell phones and driving, including a recommendation to ban the use of hands-free and handheld phones while driving, is based on the extensive research available.

Here you’ll find links to abstracts or the complete text of distracted driving, cell phone and texting studies.

©2011 ACS Engineering & Safety, LTD 40 Cypress Creek Pkwy, PMB 370 Houston, TX 77090 (281)-353-8224