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NBS

PUBLICATIONS

NBSIR 82-2521

Full-Scale Study of the Effect of

Pendent and Sidewall Location on

the Activation Time of an

Automatic Sprinkler

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

National Engineering Laboratory

Center for Fire Research

Washington, DC 20234

July 1982

Sponsored in part by:

U.S. Fire Administration

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Washington, DC 20472 HX—

)epartment of Health and Human Services 1JJ Vashington. DC 20201

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FULL-SCALE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF

PENDENT AND SIDEWALL LOCATION ON

THE ACTIVATION TIME OF AN

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER

Warren D. Hayes, Jr. and Richard H. Zile

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Bureau of Standards

National Engineering Laboratory

Center for Fire Research

Washington, DC 20234

July 1982

Sponsored in part by:

U.S. Fire Administration

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Washington, DC 20472

Department of Health and Human Services

Washington, DC 20201

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

LIST OF FIGURES iv

LIST OF TABLES V

Abstract 1

1. INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 General 1

1 . 2 Background 2 1.3 Recent Studies of Sidewall Sprinklers 4 1.4 Project Scope 5 1.5 Objective 5

2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS 5

2 . 1 Approach 5 2.1.1 General 5 2.1.2 Selection of Thermal Exposure Conditions 5 2.1.3 Measurement of Thermal Response 8 2.2 Test Facility 9

2.2.1 Room/Corridor/Lobby Test Facility 9 2.2.2 Propane Burner 9 2.3 Instrumentation 10

2.3.1 General 10

2.3.2 Tell-Tale Sprinkler System . 10

2.3.3 Thermocouples . 10

2.3.4 Time Constant Discs 11

2.3.5 Video Monitoring 11

2.3.6 Data Acquisition 12

3. TEST PROCEDURE 12

3.1 Test Schedule 12

3.2 Experimental Procedure 12

4. RESULTS 12

4.1 Tell-Tale Sprinklers 13

4.2 Time Constant Discs 13

4.3 Comparison of Tell-Tales and Time Constant Discs 15

4.4 Prediction of Disc Temperatures ..... 15

5. DISCUSSION 16

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 18

7. FUTURE WORK 18

8. REFERENCES 19

APPENDIX A. PLUNGE TEST 46

APPENDIX B. TIME-TEMPERATURE PLOTS FOR TIME CONSTANT DISCS 47

APPENDIX C. STATISTICAL VARIANCE AMONG REPEATED TESTS (STANDARD DEVIATION) . . 61

iii
LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Room Gas Temperatures during Bedding Fires 21

Figure 2. Ramp Temperature Change [11] 22

Figure 3. NBS Room/Corridor/Lobby Fire Test Facility 23

Figure 4. Plan View of the Fire Test Compartment 24

Figure 5. Elevation View of the Fire Test Compartment 25

Figure 6. Schematic Diagram of the Burner 26

Figure 7 . Photograph of Ceiling Instrumentation 27

Figure 8. Photograph of Door Sidewall Instrumentation 28

Figure 9 . Photograph of Opposite Sidewall Instrumentation 29

Figure 10. Tell-Tale Sprinkler Timer System Schematic 30

Figure 11. Sidewall (21.5 s) Disc Temperature Lags, 60°C/min Temperature

Rise 31

Figure 12. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Pendent Position,

60 to 180°C/min Temperature Rise 32

Figure 13. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Door Sidewall

Position, 60 to 180°C/min Temperature Rise 33

Figure 14. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Opposite

Sidewall Position, 60 to 180°C/min Temperature Rise 34

Figure 15. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Pendent

Position, 180 to 2600°C/min Temperature Rise 35

Figure 16. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Door Sidewall

Position, 180 to 2600°C/min Temperature Rise 36

Figure 17. Rate of Temperature Rise vs Time from Beginning of Linear

Temperature Increase to Activation Temperature, Opposite

Sidewall Position, 180 to 2600°C/min Temperature Rise 37

Figure 18. Temperature vs Time Curves - Measured and Corrected for 5.1 mm

Thermocouple 38

Figure 19. Temperature vs Time Curve - Measured and Predicted for 21.5 s Disc 39

Figure 20. Temperature vs Time Curve - Measured and Predicted for 80 s Disc 40

Figure 21. Temperature vs Time Curve - Measured and Predicted for 160 s Disc 41

IV
LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1. Burner Programs 42

Table 2. Calculated Dimensions of Time Constant Discs 42

Table 3. Instrument List . . 43

Table 4. Test Schedule 43

Table 5. Tell-Tale Sprinkler Activation Time Summary 44

Table 6. Time Constant Disc Required at Sidewall Positions to Equal a 21.5 Second Disc at the Pendent Position 45

v

FULL-SCALE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF PENDENT AND SIDEWALL LOCATION

ON THE ACTIVATION TIME OF AN AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER

Warren D. Hayes, Jr. and Richard H. Zile

Abstract

A series of 17 full-scale tests was conducted to obtain

measurements of the thermal response behavior of simulated

and actual sprinklers positioned in the pendent and two

separate sidewall locations. Exposure fires were simulated

by a propane burner, and replicated the approximate temperature rises of several different burning furniture items

typically found in residential and board-and-care type

occupancies

.

The results indicate that for this test arrangement the

response time of a sprinkler is influenced by the location of

the sprinkler, the growth rate of the fire, and the response

characteristics of the sprinkler itself. In addition, for the

fire growth rates studied, differences between the activation

times of a pendent positioned sprinkler and those of two sidewall locations appeared significant. In some cases, it appears

that equivalent response time at the sidewall location to that

of a pendent location cannot be achieved for the configurations

tested. The implications of these results require further

investigation

.

Key Words: Automatic sprinklers; compartment fires; fire

safety; life safety; room fires; sidewall sprinkler systems;

thermal response.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 General

This study is part of a multiyear sprinkler research program ongoing at the

National Bureau of Standards (NBS) . The overall goal of the program is to develop a quantitative basis for engineering guidelines for automatic sprinkler system design,

with a focus on life safety. This portion of the study is sponsored in part by the

Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) , and

the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

.

The work reported here resulted from a series of full-scale experiments designed

to examine the differences in response time for sprinklers in a bedroom-sized compartment, depending on the type of fire and the location of the sprinkler head. This

1
represents an initial step towards characterizing the response time requirements for

sprinklers positioned in sidewall locations. A range of fire exposures was selected

to simulate typical fires occurring in 1) residences and 2) health care and boardand-care type facilities.

It is intended that this work contribute to an effort to develop engineering

guidelines for the use of sprinkler systems in board-and-care facilities, and

especially for the use of sidewall sprinklers in retrofit situations. Further, it

is intended that this work will lead to a better technical basis for sprinkler

design which w’ill permit expansion of the current scope of NFPA 13D, Standard for

Installation of Residential Sprinkler Systems, [l]

1 to include other occupancies,

and provide the basis for increased cost effectiveness in sprinkler system design

for life safety.

1 . 2 Background

Historically, the principle role of automatic sprinkler systems has been that

of property protection, and the success of such systems in controlling fires in

commercial and industrial applications is well documented. However, one of the key

recommendations in the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control's report

"America Burning" involved the pursuit of sprinkler technology targeted toward life

safety [2]

.

This recommendation has influenced much of the recent research on automatic sprinkler behavior which has been directed toward assessing the life

safety benefits of conventional sprinkler technology, augmenting the conventional

technology as well as exploring new concepts, and providing the technical basis for

the evolution of standards which address design and installation requirements to

enhance the life safety impact of sprinklers.

The initial candidates under the new life safety mandate were the residential,

health care, and board-and-care occupancies for both new and retrofit construction.

These applications brought with them in addition to the life safety issue, limitations

on 1) design requirements such as the available water supply and 2) system costs.

In order to properly address these factors, a more complete engineering basis for

sprinkler system design was necessary.

Ideally, a performance based approach to sprinkler system design is desirable

because it would enable a design engineer to optimize performance in terms of

extinguishment effectiveness and life safety. Flexibility in design is inherent in

such an approach, [i.e., sprinkler head location (sidewall vs pendent) and water

supply piping sized to meet a specific set of hazards and construction geometries]

.

1 Numbers in brackets indicate the literature references at the end of this paper.

2
Such design must include consideration of 1) hazard identification, 2) sprinkler

response characteristics, 3) water spray distribution, and 4) control or extinguishment effectiveness. The effect of each of these parameters in compartment fire

situations requires better understanding, and characterization by itself and in

combination before performance based guidelines can be developed. For the present,

more prescriptive guidelines must suffice.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published in 1975 the first

edition of NFPA 13D, Standard for Installation of Sprinklers in One and Two Family

Dwellings and Mobile Homes. As the title implies, the scope of this standard

included one and two family residences and mobile homes, and for the most part dealt

with the application of conventional sprinkler technology. While this was the best

the state-of-the-art could provide, it was recognized that the installation and

hardware requirements had limited feasibility for such applications, and that there was an absence of any technical data regarding the likely benefits and limitations

of such a system in terms of life safety.

The desire to respond to these difficulties, and in turn improve upon the

technical guidance provided in the initial edition of NFPA 13D served as a focus for

recent sprinkler research. For example, a major research program sponsored by USFA

at Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC ) since 1976 has been directed at

examining key sprinkler performance parameters in terms of life safety in typical

residences. In addition, work conducted at NBS under the sponsorship of HHS has

been concentrated on the use of sprinklers in patient rooms in health care facilities,

again with the attention toward life safety considerations.

While the program objectives of these studies varied somewhat, the technical

results led to similar observations which will influence much of the research

directed toward advancement of sprinkler technology in the immediate future. Test

results indicated that conventional sprinkler technology had limited application in

terms of life safety. Hardware characteristics and installation requirements did

not in some cases provide the desired level of life safety or the design flexibility

suitable for broad application. However, it was also recognized that carefully

planned advancements in technology could provide the technical feasibility for

improved performance and less demanding design requirements.

A key design parameter, initially identified in the FMRC program as potentially

having a substantial impact on sprinkler performance, was the response characteristics

of the sprinkler head (i.e., the time required for the sprinkler to activate under a fire condition) . FMRC determined that in order to achieve a level of performance

necessary to provide adequate life safety, a sprinkler head would have to respond 4 to 5 times faster to a typical fire than conventional sprinklers respond [3]. The

importance of this parameter was later demonstrated in the NBS work where substantial

reductions in smoke concentration and carbon monoxide were observed when the activation time of the sprinkler head was reduced below that of conventional hardware [4]

.

3
The results of the work on sprinkler response characteristics have been

translated into design requirements in the November, 1980 revision to the NFPA 13D

Standard [1]. This has produced increased confidence regarding the life safety

benefits of sprinkler systems designed in accordance with the NFPA 13D-1980 ed. , and

some modest relaxation in requirements such as the water supply. However, further

research is necessary to extend the application of this technology beyond one and

two family dwellings and mobile homes, to relate the design of the sprinkler system

to the type of hazard to be considered, and to provide the technical basis for cost

saving system design - particularly for retrofit. An assessment of the performance

of sidewall sprinkler systems in terms of life safety and of improvements necessary

to insure their viability is a logical extension of current work and provides an opportunity to enhance the potential for retrofitting of sprinkler systems to

improve life safety in existing occupancies.

1.3 Recent Studies of Sidewall Sprinklers

A portion of the full-scale fire test program recently conducted under

sponsorship of USFA was directed at evaluating the performance of a commercially

available sidewall sprinkler head when exposed to a flaming upholstered furniture

fire in a typically arranged living room [5]

.

In these tests, the sidewall sprinkler was found not to respond as effectively as a pendent sprinkler when exposed to this

type of fire growth, and did not adequately control the fire. The exact nature of

the decreased effectiveness has not yet been reported.

Tests in the patient room sprinkler series sponsored by HHS at NBS have also

included some with a sprinkler located at a sidewall position. In these tests,

those with the sprinkler located at the sidewall position have demonstrated longer

times to activation than those at the pendent position, but upon activation were significantly more effective at extinguishment. This was judged by their demonstration of one fourth the weight loss of the combustible wardrobe. The reason for this

difference is not yet understood [6]. In the Builders Hardware Manufacturers

Association (BHMA) patient room tests at Illinois Institute of Technology Research

Institute (IITRI), the sidewall sprinkler actually activated faster than the pendent

sprinklers in one of three similar tests [7].

These results raise questions as to whether sprinklers located at sidewall

positions have slower response times than those located at pendent positions, and

whether the difference will affect the performance of the sprinkler system in terms

of life safety. The answers to these questions are important because cost svaings

may be achieved with the use of sidewall sprinklers in several situations, the most

notable of which is the retrofitting of existing occupancies where accompanying

piping installations would be simplified considerably. Examples of possible designs

are 1) horizontal supply lines down corridors with a branch to a sprinkler head in

each adjacent space, and 2) a vertical supply line in or near a wall with branches

to sprinkler heads in two or more adjacent spaces on each floor. The second of

these might be most useful in new residential construction.

4
1.4 Project Scope

The scope of this study is limited to providing a quantitative measure of

sprinkler response time as a function of sprinkler location in a typical bedroom

arrangement. It is further limited to placement specifications applicable to pendent

sprinklers given in NFPA 13 [8] and a horizontal sidewall location recommended in

the product catalog. It does not encompass any response optimization by minor

changes in placement with respect to the walls and ceiling. Other aspects of performance differences between sidewall and pendent locations, such as spray distribution and extinguishment effectiveness, are not addressed.

1.5 Objective

The objective of this study was to compare measurements of response times of

sidewall and pendent sprinkler locations in a small bedroom size compartment under

conditions produced by moderately sized fires of several growth rates. These fires

were designed to simulate the growth rates of incidental fires found to occur in

residences, in board-and-care facilities, and similar occupancies.

2 . EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS

2 .

1

Approach

2.1.1

General

The full-scale tests conducted in this study were arranged to expose commercially

available sprinkler heads of a type and temperature rating appropriate for light

hazard occupancies to a range of exposure fires. The sprinklers were positioned in

the center of the room in a pendent arrangement, as well as on two different sidewalls. The exposure fires in a room with an open doorway were simulated through the use of a propane burner, and replicated the approximate temperature rise of several

actual burning furniture items from previous full-scale testing.

The activation times of identical sprinkler heads positioned at the several

locations within the room were recorded. Additionally, air temperature and thermal

response measurements were taken at the same locations for the purposes of 1)

characterizing the temperature history at the different locations, and 2) predicting

activation of sprinklers having different response characteristics.

2.1.2

Selection of Thermal Exposure Conditions

Review of Selected Test Data from Previous Work

Selection of the exposure fires involved review of previous test fires conducted

by NBS [4,9], FMRC [3], and IITRI [10] involving mattresses, upholstered chairs and

combustible wardrobes. This range of fires provided a reasonable variation in

exposures typical of the occupancy types in which we were interested.

5
A review of these test results revealed a wide variation in the temperature

histories reported for fires with similar combustibles at the different test facilities

Some of the variation probably was the result of different methods of initiating the

fires. Some tests were initiated with methenamine tablets, and others with wastebasket fires. This, combined with other variables such as room size, ventilation,

location of fire within the room and points of measurement, resulted in a variation

of between 2 and 19 minutes in the duration of the initial stage of the fire,

(i.e., the time from ignition of the tablet or the trash can to the time when the

major item became involved) . An example of this is shown in figure 1 which presents

upper room temperature plots for mattress fire tests conducted by FMRC, IITRI, and

NBS . The IITRI and NBS tests were initiated with a wastebasket and the FMRC test was initiated with a methenamine tablet.

The rate of temperature rise after the major item became involved also varied

considerably. In the case of mattress fires, one minute after the mattress become

involved, different rates of temperature rise, namely 74°C and 333°C per minute,

were reported by two of the laboratories. This is illustrated by plots IITRI

(AHCA) -6 and NBS-N39 in figure 1. Both were for hospital mattress fires ignited by

exposure to a trash can fire.

Even with use of duplicate mattresses, bedding, trash can, and trash load,

different rates of temperature rise one minute after the mattress became involved

namely from 141°C and 333°C per minute were reported for tests conducted in two

different burn rooms at NBS (plots NBS-N39 and NBS-205-09) , and the peak temperature

achieved in the mattress fires ranged from about 153 °C (FMRC) to 600 °C (NBS)

.

Comparison of these data demonstrates that it is inappropriate to attempt to

replicate a single fire. Difference in room size, location of the major item of

fuel within the room, conditioning of the fuel, ventilation factors, and location

and type of the temperature sensor have produced wide variation in the thermal

histories reported for different room fires involving the same combustible item.

Therefore, the selection of source fires for this study was made to approximate

several fire growth rates in the range of those produced by typical items of furniture

rather than precisely replicating any previous test fires.

Simulation of Selected Fire Exposures

The upholstered furniture or bedding fires initiated with a small trash can

fire were observed to include two distinct burn stages which will be referred to as initial burning and involvement of the major item. Of course, there is a transition

stage, but test results indicate that it is rarely predominent. The initial stage

consists of successive involvement of the combustible items contained in the trash

can. As the fuel in the trash can is consumed by the incipient fire, the covering

of the furniture or the bedding becomes involved. This progressive burning results

in somewhat of a plateau in the temperature rise until the interior of the major

6
item, most commonly polyurethane, becomes involved. After the interior becomes

involved, the fire grows much more rapidly. This latter period of fire growth is

the most distinguishing feature of the fire.

The selection of fire simulations for this study was influenced by the design

of the propane burner, concern for maintaining the integrity of the burn room and

desired expediency in analysis of the data. (For details of the burner see section

2.2.2 of this report.) It was found by preliminary experimentation using the pilot

group of burner jets that to simulate the temperature plateau (initial 50°C stage)

characteristic of trash can ignitions, the input gas pressure to the burner had to

be reduced to a gage pressure of 68.9 kPa (10 psi) . The result of this was to limit

the maximum rate of temperature increase that could be obtained.

To reduce the complexity of analysing results it was desirable to insure that

all of the tell-tale sprinklers reached activation temperature while the ceiling air

temperature was continuing to rise in a linear fashion, and that symmetry of the

flame should be maintained as closely as possible. To maintain symmetry, and avoid

any effects of moving the center of the fire plume, the burner was programmed for

the first three series to include only the first five groups of burner jets. The

inclusion of the sixth group would have added large asymmetry to the flame.

Rates of temperature rise of 60, 90, and 190°C per minute, measured 25 mm

(1 in) below the ceiling in the center of the room, were selected to simulate small

to moderate fires. Schedules for sequence of operation of the burner groups for

these different rates are given in table 1. In addition, a rate of 2600°C per

minute was selected to represent a severe fire such as that resulting from the

involvement of a combustible wardrobe. This rate was achieved by adding burner

zones 2 through 7 at one second intervals. The addition of the seventh zone almost

immediately after the sixth reduced the effects of the flame asymmetry caused by

zone 6 which was excluded in the first three series to avoid such an effect.

The selection of a linear rate of temperature rise simplifies the analysis

considerably. A device such as a sprinkler link placed in an environment which is

increasing in temperature in a linear manner will change in temperature as shown in

figure 2 until any part of the device starts to change phase (e.g., the fusible link

begins to melt) . It will take a time period greater than four times the measured

response time constant of the device to adopt the same rate of temperature increase

as the environment. The expression relating "compliance" of the link temperature

rise to a step change in the environmental temperature is the same as that for a capacitive electrical circuit [11]:

7
C = 1 - e' t/T

(1)

where C = compliance

t = time elapsed after step change of environmental temperature

t = time constant of link

e = base of natural log

The time lag of the sprinkler link temperature behind the linear ramp increase

in the environmental temperature once compliance has been attained is the time

constant of the link.

2.1.3 Measurement of Thermal Response

Tell-Tale Sprinkler Heads

A single make and model sprinkler head was used at all three sprinkler locations

in each of the tests to indicate the time at which a "typical" commercial sprinkler

head activated. These heads did not apply water or otherwise have any affect on the

fire, and are referred to as "tell-tale" sprinkler heads throughout this report.

These sprinkler heads had a 74 °C (165°F) temperature rating and a link and lever

design, and were characterized by a time constant (t) of 114 s at an air velocity of

2.4 m/s (8 ft/s) as determined by the FMRC "plunge test" [12] (see appendix A).

Details of the means for remotely indicating activation of the tell-tales are given

in section 2.3.

Time Constant Discs

The concept of using a metal disc attached to a thermocouple for measuring

thermal response was developed by Dr. G. Heskestad at FMRC [12]. Those used in this

test series were made from brass sheet with diameter and thickness dimensions

selected to exhibit a surface area to mass relationship that provided a specific

thermal response to the temperature change of air moving past them at a given velocity.

The thermal responses (time constants) selected were 5, 21.5, 80, and 160 s, at a reference velocity of 1.5 m/s (5 ft/s). Dimensions of these discs are given in

table 2

.

The 5, 80, and 160 s time constant discs were fabricated based on an extrapolation

from a 21.5 s disc calibrated and supplied to NBS by FMRC. The extrapolation was based on the relationship:

T = hA <2)

substituting for m (mass of disc) and A (area of disc)

:

tt D

2 T = ~4 tpC

h [ 2 (-“£—) + TTDt]

8
solving for D:

D

4 xht

pCt - 2xh (3)

where

:

D = diameter of disc

t = time constant of disc

p = density of brass

C = specific heat of brass

t = thickness of disc based on available stock thicknesses

h = surface heat transfer coefficient (calculated from data on disc with

time constant (t = 21.5 s) measured in a 1.5 m/s (5 ft/s) air stream.

2.2 Test Facility

2.2.1 Room/Corridor/Lobby Test Facility

The test facility used for this study was a room/corridor/ lobby used previously

for patient room sprinkler fire tests. The burn test area of this facility consists

of a 2.35 x 4.22 m (11 x 14 ft) burn room opening into the middle of a 2.44 x 18.82 m

(8 x 62 ft) corridor which is terminated at one end with a 2.90 x 9.91 m (9 x 32 ft)

lobby. The overall layout of the facility is shown in figure 3. The interior

partitions are nominal 2x4 steel studs faced with 12.7 mm (1/2 in) gypsum board.

The suspended ceiling is nominal 1-1/2 x 1 inch steel channels wired to the roof

rafters and faced with 12.7 mm (1/2 in) gypsum board. The walls and the ceilings of

the burn room and the burn corridor are surfaced with 12.7 mm (1/2 in) thick cementasbestos board over the gypsum board.

2.2.2 Propane Burner

The propane burner was located in the burn room as shown in figures 4 and 5. The burner assembly consists of a 914 mm (36 in) square by 25 mm (1 in) thick

aluminum plate with 39 gas nozzles in a hexagonal array. The nozzles are divided

into seven groups or zones shown schematically in figure 6, each controlled by an electrical on/off valve. The valve for each zone can be operated by a separate

switch on a control console connected to the burner with an umbilical cord. A flow

control orifice immediately follows in line to the manifold for each zone and therefore establishes the output relationship of each zone to the total output of the

burner, independently of the number of nozzles distributing the gas for each zone. The selection of the nozzles incorporated in each zone was done with emphasis on obtaining a smooth transfer of combustion rather than symmetry of fire growth. When

operated at a gage pressure of 206.8 kPa (30 psi) , the burner is capable of producing

3.98 x 10 6 W (13.6 x 10 6 BTU/hr) . The control console and the propane tanks were

located in an observation room at the east end of the burn corridor.

9
2.3 Instrumentation

2.3.1 General

Instrumentation included three tell-tale sprinklers, 12 time constant discs,

22 thermocouples, 1 air velocity probe, 1 heat flux meter, a video camera and monitor,

and an automatic data acquisition system. The instrument list is given in table 3.

Plan and elevation views of the room instrumentation are given in figures 4 and 5.

2.3.2 Tell-Tale Sprinkler System

The tell-tale sprinklers were located in the center of the ceiling, on the wall

over the door, and on the wall opposite the burner. The size of the room used for

this study permitted examination of only a single pendent sprinkler location. The room is approximately 3.4 by 4.2 m (12 x 14 ft) which provides an area of 14.3 m

2 (168 ft 2 ). Therefore, the pendent location was at the center of the ceiling. Its

deflector was positioned 63 mm (2-1/2 in) down from the ceiling. The doorway sidewall head was centered over the doer and the opposite sidewall sprinkler head was located midway between the front and back wall. The deflectors of the sidewall

heads were positioned 152 mm (6 in) from the ceiling and 64 mm (2-1/2 in) from the

wall in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Photographs of the three

tell-tale positions are shown in figures 7, 8, and 9. The tell-tale sprinkler

timing system, illustrated in figure 10, consisted of a tank of pressurized air, a pressure regulator, throttle valve, pressure, switch and pressure gage for each

tell-tale sprinkler. The pressure regulator was set at a gage pressure of 48.3 kPa

(7 psi) , and the throttle valve was opened only enough to compensate for leaks in

the system. The valve, gage and switch are connected to each tell-tale sprinkler

with nominal 3/8 inch OD copper tubing. When a sprinkler head opened, the air

pressure was released and the switch was activated. Each switch was connected by an electrical cable to a timer in instrument room no. 2.

2.3.3 Thermocouples

Two 0.51 mm (0.020 in) thermocouples were located in the center of the ceiling,

64 mm (2-1/2 in) down from the ceiling surface, to measure the air temperature along

the ceiling. Cr.e of these was connected to the data acquisition system and the

other to a strip chart recorder at the burner control console location.

A group of four thermocouples, including one of 0.05 mm (0.002 in) diameter

wire, one of 0.13 mm (0.005 in) diameter wire, one of 0.25 mm (0.010 in) diameter

wire , and one of 0.51 mm (0.020 in) diameter wire was located beside each tell-tale

sprinkler. The thermocouple junctions were at the same level as the thermal link of

the sprinkler and in the case of the sidewall tell-tales, the same distance from the

wall as the link. They were made from chromel-alumel wire with beads approximately

three times the diameter of the wire.

2 The 0.25 mm (0.010 in) diameter thermocouples were replaced with 5 s time constant

discs after test 11.

10
The junctions of the 0.05 mm (0.002 in) and 0.13 mm (0.005 in) diameter

thermocouples were fabricated by a commercial supplier of thermocouple materials.

These junctions with about 25 mm (1 in) of lead wire were connected to 0.5 mm (0.020

in) diameter thermocouple wire by wrapping the finer wire arcund the thicker wire

and crimping approximately 64 mm (1/4 in) of copper capillory tubing over the wrap.

The junctions of the 0.25 mm (0.010 in) diameter wire were welded with a portable

spot welder and subsequently were spot welded to 0.51 mm (0.020 in) diameter lead

wire. The junctions of the 0.51 mm (0.020 in) diameter wire were formed in place

with a portable spot welder by just crossing the wires and welding. Therefore,

except for the junctions, most of the thermocouple wire was 0.51 mm (0.020 in)

diameter solid, duplex, insulated with asbestos and covered with woven glass.

The eight thermocouple array 51 mm (2 in) down from the ceiling and the tree

consisting of seven TC's were part of the instrumentation for a previous test

program and were included in this study for later comparisons.

2.3.4 Time Constant Discs

A group of four time constant discs was also located adjacent to the tell-tale

sprinklers at each of the three locations. Included in each group was one disc with

a time constant of 160 s, one with a time constant of 80 s, and two discs with a 21.5 s time constant. One of the latter had a shiny finish and one was painted

black with a coating used for heat flux meters in order to obtain an indication of

whether or not radiative heat transfer between the link and the environment was

significant. As with the thermocouple arrays, the discs were located at the same level and distance from the wall as the links of the tell-tale sprinklers and

oriented in the same direction as the links in the sprinklers.

Thermocouple attachments to the discs represented a compromise between having

the least effect on the heat exchange with the environment and the need to physically

support the discs. Attachments to the 21.5 and 80 s discs were made by crossing the

thermocouple wires at the center of the disc and spot welding them to the disc.

Although these junctions could be pulled off fairly easily, they all survived the

test series. In the case of the 21.5 s disc, 0.25 mm (0.010 in) wire was used, and

for the 80 s disc, 0.81 mm (0.032 in) wire was used. The 1.02 mm (0.032 in) thick

wire was used for the 360 s discs and attachment was made by drilling a shallow hole

for each wire, inserting the wire into the hcle, and peening about three places in

the disc around the hole.

2.3.5 Video Monitoring

A video camera was mounted in a viewpoint in the side of the room opposite the

burner to observe burner operation. This was connected to a monitor in the observation room beside the burner control console.

11
2.3.6 Data Acquisition

The data was recorded on magnetic tape by a digital data acquisition system

located in instrument room no. 2.

3 . TEST PROCEDURE

3.1 Test Schedule

Three tests were run on each of three days following the schedule given in

table 4. To partially compensate for the potential affect of slight variation in

initial temperature due to elevation of ambient temperature from previous tests,

tests were repeated at each rate of rise so as to have a given test performed first,

second, and third on different days.

3.2 Experimental Procedure

Before each test, a new tell-tale sprinkler head was installed at each location,

pressurized to a gage pressure of 48.3 kPa (7 psi) , and the timers reset to zero. The only instrument requiring pre-test adjustment was the velocity probe which was always balanced to output a small positive voltage.

The cooling water for the heat flux meters was turned on. Just prior to the

initiation of the test, a zero scan was put on the magnetic tape. At time zero, the

burner program was begun simultaneously with the activation of the timers and data

acquisition equipment which was set to repeatedly scan through all the channels,

each scan immediately following its predecessor. The resulting scanning interval

was 2.5 s.

In all 17 tests, the initial burner rate was set to provide a temperature

plateau of 50°C for 180 s, to simulate the initial fire from a small trash can fire.

The burner rate was then increased to provide one of four selected linear increases

in temperature. The burner was extinguished as soon as the temperature curve on the

strip chart recorder at the burner control leveled off at its high point. Data

recording was terminated 10 minutes after the burner was extinguished.

4 . RESULTS

The results of 17 tests, three each with rates of temperature increase of 60,

90, and 180°C per minute, and eight with a rate of temperature increase of 2600°C

per minute are reported. Table 5 summarizes the following: 1) activation times

(i.e., from beginning of test, and including the 180 s time period for the initial

temperature plateau) of the tell-tale sprinkler head, tested simultaneously at the

pendent and two sidewall positions, 2) the average activation time, 3) the standard

deviation among repeated tests, 4) the initial ambient temperature, and 5) the

extrapolated time for the ceiling air temperature to reach 600°C for each rate of

temperature rise. The thermal histories of the 160, 80, 21.5 and 5 s time constant

12
discs, also exposed simultanteously at each of the three positions, are presented as plots in appendix B, The plots are grouped by location and by time constant (t) for

each rate of temperature rise. Appendix C provides illustrations (i.e., plotted

standard deviation) of the variance in measured temperature values at corresponding

times among repeated tests.

4.1 Tell-Tale Sprinklers

The results tabulated in table 5 demonstrate the variation in response time of

a typical commercial sprinkler head positioned in three different locations in the

room. The activation time lags of the door sidewall position and the opposite wall

sidewall position behind the activation time of the center ceiling pendent position

averaged 47.2 and 68.2 s respectively for the 60°C/min temperature rise, 32.9 and

58.3 s respectively for the 90°C/min temperature rise, and 25.8 and 41.8 s respectively for the 180°C/min temperature rise. In the case of the 2600°C/min temperature

rise, the lag times were substantially shorter at 8.6 and 16.1 s respectively. It

should be noted that the activation times recorded in table 5 were measured from the

beginning of the test, but the temperature ramp itself was delayed 180 s in order

to simulate the incipient burning stage described in section 2.

As would be expected, lag times were decreased for both sidewall locations when

the rate of temperature rise was increased. This was especially noticeable when

comparing the lag times associated with the substantially higher 2600°C/min rise to

those of the other three simulations.

4.2 Time Constant Discs

At the pendent location (see figures Bl, B7, B13, and B19) , the 160 s disc did

not adopt the slope of any of the temperature ramps of the simulated fire exposure

as measured with the center ceiling thermocouple which had a calculated time constant

3 of 13.5 s . This is expected since it takes an exposure period of more than four

time constants of the thermal device, (e.g., 640 s in this case) to do so, and the

longest burner program incorporated its last fire zone at 459 s. Very shortly after

the last burner zone was added, the slope of the ramp began to fall off, and the

test was terminated. The 80 s disc did not reach compliance with the 180 or 2600°C/min

ramp for the same reason.

3 The time constant of the 0.51 mm (0.020 in) diameter chromel-alumel wire

thermocouple was calculated to be 13.5 s, corresponding to a bead thickness of

three times the wire diameter, and with an air velocity of 1.5 m/s (5 ft/s). The

calculation was made based on a relationship for thermal time constants reported

by Dils [ 13 ] .

13
None of the discs in either of the sidewall positions (see figures B2 , B3 , B8

,

B9 , B14, B15 , B20 , and B21) attained compliance with even the lowest temperature

ramp. Furthermore, the ramps adopted by the 21.5 s sidewall discs demonstrated a break from linearity part way up the ramp. Although there were insufficient temperature and velocity measurements to form firm conclusions regarding the cause, a possible reason might be the loss of heat from the air stream to the ceiling in the

course of the extended travel distance. It might also result from a changing flow

pattern in the room occurring after the space above the door soffit has been filled

and hot air begins to spill through the door into the corridor. It is possible that

the 80 and 160 s discs respond too slowly to make the break conspicuous. It should

be noted that the 5 s disc, included only in the 2600°C/min ramp exposure, responded

faster than the 13.5 s thermocouple, lending some support to the validity of the

slightly different convective heat balance equations used to calculate the disc and

the thermocouple time constants.

Results of the second test with the 2600°C/min ramp revealed that the 5 s disc

did not respond as it did in the first test. Subsequently, it was observed that

due to their low mass and the higher velocities attributed to the 2600°C/min growth

rate the discs were pushed against the walls or rotated and not aligned as would be

the link of a sprinkler at the respective positions. The thermocouple wire supporting these discs apparently was not stiff enough to maintain them in the appropriate

position. Attempts in subsequent tests to support them without interferring with

their response appeared only partially successful. The discs with additional support were in the correct position after the tests but it is likely that the high velocity

air currents of the fire plume continued to deflect them enough during the tests to

effect their response. Their misalignment probably occurred simultaneously with the

activation of the seventh zone of the burner which was approximately 6 s into the

2600°C ramp program. This would appear to explain the large variance observed with

the 5 sec discs for the 2600°C/min temperature rise (see figures C14, C15, and C16)

.

Taking advantage of the use of ramp increases in temperature, the reductions in

time constants needed to provide the sidewall sprinklers with the same response as the pendent sprinklers under identical conditions can be determined from the plotted

data

.

If a line is drawn at a selected activation temperature on the temperature

plots in appendix B for any disc located at the pendent and sidewall positions, the

time separation of the sidewall discs from the pendent disc on that line represents

the time lag that must be substracted from the time constant of the sidewall disc.

An example of this is given in figure 11. Based on such an approach, the values of

the time constants required in sidewall locations to provide the same response as a 21.5 s disc at the pendent position are tabulated in table 6. A similar comparison

could be made for other time constants.

14
4.3 Comparison of Tell-Tales and Time Constant Discs

The time-temperature curves of the time constant discs can be used to estimate

when a sprinkler of identical time constant at the same location as the disc would

activate

.

An interesting comparison of the activation times was made using 74°C (165°F) as the sprinkler temperature rating. Plots of time to activation temperature versus

rate of temperature rise are given in figures 12 thru 17 for each time constant at

each location. These plots also include average activation times of the tell-tale

sprinkler with a time constant of 114 s and estimated time to reach an arbitrarily

selected critical temperature of 600°C in the upper room. For the comparisons in

figures 12 thru 17, the initial 180 s period simulating a constant temperature level

of approximately 50° C has been subtracted out. Predictably, the curve for the 114

S tell-tale sprinkler lies between those for the 80 and 160 s discs. Of course,

more experimentation is needed to fill in data between the 180 and 2600°C rate of

temperature rise. Without further data at these higher rates of temperature rise,

it is difficult to assure the activation of a 74°C rated sprinkler head before

attainment of a critical temperature of 600°C in the upper room, regardless of which

of the three sprinkler locations was selected.

One of the purposes for including time constant discs in this study was to

obtain data that would permit the prediction of the response of a sprinkler of any

time constant to selected fire exposures. An attempt was made to do this by first

correcting the measured gas temperatures from data from a thermocouple of known time

constant and then predicting the temperature of one of the discs included in the

same test. Correction of the thermocouple temperature data was accomplished by

solving the following heat balance equation for the thermocouple.

where

:

h = convective heat transfer coefficient of the thermocouple

A = surface area of the thermocouple

T„ = temperature of the gas

T = temperature of the thermocouple

m = mass of the thermocouple

c = specific heat of the thermocouple

4.4 Prediction of Disc Temperatures

hA (TG

T) (4)

but:

where

:

T time constant of the thermocouple

15
so

:

T T dT

dt t (5) g

-

approximating the derivative:

= T T

2 - T1

fc 2 " t

l + T,

where

:

T = corrected gas temperature G

1 T = temperature of the disc or thermocouple

t = time

t = time constant

( 6 )

The time constant of the thermocouple was measured in an improvised plunge

tester constructed at NBS [14] and was adjusted through use of the following

relationship:

where

:

t = time constant at selected time in a test

= time constant measured at a reference air velocity

V = air velocity at selected time in test

V = reference velocity of air during plunge test measurement of disc

The prediction of the disc temperature was accomplished by use of the RungeKutta [15] method for solving equation 5.

Comparison was then made of the predicted and the measured disc temperature for

the pendent location. Plots of the corrected gas and predicted disc temperatures

along with the measured gas and disc temperatures are given in figures 18 thru 21.

The predicted and measured temperature plots for the 21.5 s disc are in good agreement. While the plots for the 80 s and 160 s discs indicate that these time constants

are slightly longer than the estimates obtained from correction of the gas temperatures, the accuracy of the prediction is still fair. An estimate of the error may

be obtained by the method illustrated in figure 11.

5. DISCUSSION

The results demonstrated that the response time of a sprinkler link (simulated

or actual) can be substantially influenced by 1) the growth rate of the fire, 2) the

location of the sprinkler in the room with respect to the fire, and 3) the response

16
properties of the device itself. In addition, if the growth rate of the fire, and

the resulting temperature rise at different locations at the ceiling in a room can

be ascertained, then the time at which a device of a given time constant will

activate can be approximated.

The value of these results, in terms of development of an engineering basis for

sprinkler design, can best be described in terms of an example. A design engineer

may desire that the sprinklers for a particular design activate prior to the attainment of 600°C in the upper room of a compartment (a temperature level that has been

observed [16, 17] to approximate conditions at the onset of flashover) . If it is

assumed that the individual rates of temperature rise selected for this study (i.e.,

60, 90, 180 and 2600°C/min) are representative of the range of hazards associated

with the occupancy of concern to the designer, then the time to reach 600°C in the

upper room can be extrapolated from the data in table 5, and compared to the activation times for devices of different time constants and different locations obtained

from figures 11 thru 16.

The results indicate that a device characterized by a time constant ranging

from 21.5 to 160 s would be satisfactory for fires producing temperature increase

rates of 60, 90 or 180°C/min - regardless of sidewall or pendent location. However,

at a temperature rise of 2600°C/min, a sprinkler positioned in the pendent location

having a time constant of 160 s would not activate prior to the attainment of 600°C,

and the tell-tale sprinkler (t = 114 s) would be only marginally acceptable. Similar

screening can also be performed by examination of figures 16 and 17 for the two

sidewall positions.

It should be emphasized that this example represents a simple case, based on a conservative criterion, primarily for illustrative purposes. Continued research is

contemplated that will permit the evolution of a performance based engineering

approach to sprinkler design which encompasses a more universal application of this

concept. This initial work does not include any specific considerations for other

potential hazards such as smoke concentration or toxic gas production. Inclusion of

these parameters, beyond simple correlations, would be difficult at this time. In

addition, other system parameters such as water supply availability and spray

distribution, and their resulting effects on extinguishment effectiveness, require

examination.

An alternative design consideration involves determining the response

characteristics for sidewall sprinkler locations that will provide similar response

times to that of a specific pendent sprinkler. For example, a pendent sprinkler

having a particular water flow and spray distribution may require a time constant of

21.5 s. Recent full-scale studies at FMRC support this for "typical" residential

fires [3]. Assuming no substantial difference in water flow and spray effectiveness, table 6 illustrates the required decrease in time constant for the two sidewall

positions that would provide similar response to the pendent location for the 60, 90

17
and 180°C/min temperature rates. The data in table 6 suggest that the designer

would have to avoid locating a sprinkler at an opposite sidewall location if com- parable response to a 21.5 s time constant sprinkler at the pendent position was desirable. While adjustment of the water supply and spray effectiveness might

compensate, that is beyond the scope of this paper.

6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions regarding sprinkler response characteristics are based on results from a limited number of full-scale tests. These tests were con- ducted in a room size compartment typical of a residential or health care occupancy

with a single door opening, opposite the location of the fire source. The location

of the fire source was not varied.

1. The response time of a sprinkler head is influenced by the design location of

the sprinkler, the growth rate of the fire, and the response characteristics of

the sprinkler itself.

2. For the configuration tested and regardless of the fire growth rate, the pendent

location (closest to the fire source) always provided the earliest response,

for devices of similar time constants (tell-tale sprinkler or time constant

disc) . The opposite sidewall location (greatest distance from the source)

consistently provided the slowest response.

3. The magnitude of the lag times for the sidewall locations was greatest for the

lower fire growth rates. Although expected, this may be quite significant in

designing sprinklers for residential and health care occupancies where early

response to moderate fire growth rates has been demonstrated to be significant

in maintaining conditions acceptable for life safety.

4. The predicted thermal response of a device having a known (laboratory measured)

time constant compared favorably with its measured response in the full-scale

tests. However, additional refinement is considered necessary.

5. The use of time constant discs in lieu of actual sprinklers to evaluate response

times at different locations under full-scale conditions was found to be

satisfactory.

7 . FUTURE WORK

Work is continuing at NBS to determine the applicability of existing analytical

models in predicting sprinkler response time. In addition, research should be

directed at interrelating the primary sprinkler characteristics in terms of life

safety. While thermal response has been identified as a key parameter, others

18
including water spray characteristics are also important in determining extinguishment effectiveness and the impact on life safety. Research in these areas will

lead to a performance basis for sprinkler system design.

8. REFERENCES

[1] Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems in Residential Occupancies,

NFPA 13D, National Fire Protection Assn., Quincy, MA (1980 ed)

.

[2] America Burning , The Report of the National Commission on Fire Prevention and

Control, Washington, D.C., May 1973.

[3] Rung, Hsiang-Cheng , Sprinkler Performance in Residential Fire Tests Study,

Factory Mutual Research Corp. , Report No. 22574, July 1980.

[4] O'Neill, J. G. and Hayes, Jr., W. D. , Full-Scale Fire Tests with Automatic

Sprinklers in a Patient Room, Natl. Bur. of Stand. (U.S.), NBSIR 79-1749, June

1979.

[5] Cote, A. E. and Moore, D. A., Field Test and Evaluation of Residential Sprinkler

Systems: Los Angeles Test Series (draft). Presented to the NFPA 13D Subcommittee

on April 7, 1980, National Fire Protection Assn., Quincy, MA, April 1980.

[6] O'Neill, J. G. , Hayes, Jr., W. D. , and Zile, R. H., Full-Scale Fire Tests with

Automatic Sprinklers in a Patient Room: Phase II, Natl. Bur. Stand. (U.S.) , NBSIR

80-2097, July 1980.

[7] Mniszewski, K. and Waterman, T. , Effects of Open Doors on Sprinkler Effectiveness

in a Patient Room, for Builders Hardware Manufacturing Assn, by Illinois

Institute of Technology Research Institute, IITRI Project J8299-1, Final

Report, June 1978.

[8] Installation of Sprinkler Systems, Standard No. 13-76, National Fire Protection

Assn., Quincy, MA, (1976 ed)

.

[9] Babrauskas, V. , Combustion of Mattresses exposed to Flaming Ignition Sources,

Part 1 Full-Scale Tests and Hazard Analysis, Natl. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), NBSIR 77-

1290, September 1977.

[10] American Health Care Assn. , Fire Test is a Nursing Home Patient Room, Report

7463, Washington, D.C., June 1975.

[11] Benedict, R. , Fundamentals of Temperature, Pressure, and Flow Measurement,

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1969.

19
[12] Heskestad, G. and Smith, F., Investigation of a New Sprinkler Sensitivity

Approval Test: Plunge Test, Factory Mutual Research Corp., FMRC Serial No.

22485, December 1976.

[13] Dils, R. and Follansbee, P., Wide Bandwidth Gas Temperature Measurements in

Combustor and Combustor Exhaust Gases, Pratt and Whitney Report 76-01, East

Hartford, CT, 1976.

[14] Evans, D. D. and Madryzkowski , D. , Characterizing the Thermal Response of

Fusible-Link Sprinklers, Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), NBSIR 81-2329, August 1981.

[15] Young, D. and Gregory, R. , A Survey of Numerical Mathematics, Vol. I, page

473, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, MA, 1972.

[16] Fang, J. B., Fire Buildup in a Room and the Role of Interior Finish Materials,

Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Tech Note 879, June 1975.

[17] Budnick, E. K. and Klein, D. P. , Mobile Home Fire Studies: Summary and

Recommendations, Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), NBSIR 79-1720, March 1979.

20
( 3 03Q ) 3amvy3d^3I

i

21

Figure

1.

Room

Gas

Temperatures

during

Bedding

Fires
TEMPERATURE

(T)

TIME (t)

Figure 2. Ramp Temperature Change [11]

22
23

Figure

3.

NBS

Room/Cor

ridor/Lobby

Fire

Test

Facility
4. 22 -————

•51

• 51

130 076,78,79,80,81

o

• 74,75,77

50*^113 61,62,63,64, 65,66,67

90,91,930

o

92,94,95,

96,97 o

•51 •51

• 51

• THERMOCOUPLE-GAS

HEAT FLUX METER

? VELOCITY PROBE

O TELL-TALE SPRINKLERS

O TIME CONSTANT DISCS

82,83,850 O Q64,86,87,88,89

051

ALL DIMENSIONS IN METERS

Figure 4. Plan View of the Fire Test Compartment

24
HEAT FLUX METER

y VELOCITY PROBE

O TELL-TALE SPRINKLERS

OTIME CONSTANT DISCS

Figure 5. Elevation View of the Fire Test Compartment

25
20

Zone 6

Zone 4

Zone 3

Zonel

Zone 5

Zone 2

Zone 7

Figure 6. Schematic Diagram of the Burner

26
27

Figure

7.

Photograph

of

Ceiling

Instrumentation

28

Figure

8.

Photograph

of

Door

Sidewall

Instrumentation

29

Figure

9.

Photograph

of

Opposite

Sidewall

Instrumentation
TIMER

SPRINKLER

HEAD

Figure 10. Tell-Tale Sprinkler Timer System Schematic
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s)

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rise
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OJ

o

C\J

o

OJ

o

00^ U)

-a

c

o

o 8

ID CO

LlJ o 2

OJ Io

CD

O

CO

O

CO

OLDOIDOLOOLDOo

Or^-LOOJOI^LDCVJ

OJ vH vH vH I

(Oo) 3aniVd3dlAI3i

38

Figure

18.

Temperature

vs

Time

Curves

-

Measured

and

Corrected

for

5

. 1

mm

Thermocouple
225

o

o

CO

o

hcvj

o

OJ

o

rH

CVJ o

^

-a

c

o

O §

ID CO

LU

O 2

OJ Io

G)

O

CO

o

CO

o

o LD o ID o ID o ID O o

OJ

hrHLO

rH

OJ

rH

o

rH

h- ID OJ

(Do) 3aniVd3d^31

39

Figure

19.

Temperature

vs

Time

Curve

-

Measured

and

Predicted

for

21.5

s

Disc
225

o

o

CO

o

hOJ

o

OJ

o

xH

OJ

o

^

“O

c

o

o 8

LO CO

LU

O 2

OJ ho

CD

O

CO

O

CO

O

o LO o LO o LO o LO o

o h- LO OJ o LO OJ

OJ xH xH vH xH

too) 3aniva3dW3i

40

Figure

20.

Temperature

vs

Time

Curve

-

Measured

and

Predicted

for

80

s

Disc
225

o

o

CO

O

hCVJ o

OJ

o

OJ

o

^

TDC

o

o 8

Lf) CO

LU

O 2

OJ bo

G)

O

<0

o

00

OLDOLOOIDOLOOO Oh-lDOJOh-LDOJ

OJ X—I xH X—1 X—I

(Oo) 3aniva3dn3i

41

Figure

21.

Temperature

vs

Time

Curve

-

Measured

and

Predicted

for

160

s

Disc
Table 1. Burner Programs3

Burner Groups Activated 60 °C/min

Activation Times

90 °C/min

(sec)

180°C/min

l b

0 0 0 1,2 180 180 180

1,3 207 196 187

1,4 234 212 194

1,2,4 261 229 201

1,3,4 288 247 208

1,2, 3,4 315 264 216

1,2,5 340 282 224

1,3,5 365 299 233

1,4,5 390 316 241

1,2, 4,

5

414 331 249

1,3, 4,

5

437 346 256

1,2, 3, 4,

5

459 361 262

aThe burner program for the 2600°C/min rate of temperature rise was accomplished

by adding burner groups 2 through 7 at one second intervals.

bActivation of burner group 1 provided an initial temperature plateau at

approximately 50°C. This plateau was maintained for 180 s to simulate the

burning of a small trash container as an exposure fire before the linear

temperature increase ramp was initiated.

Table 2. Calculated Dimensions of Time Constant Discs

Time

Constant

(s)

Diameter

(mm)

Thickness

(mm)

5 6.4 0.2

21.5 9.8 0.8

80 27.6 3.1

160 55.1 6.3

42
Table 3. Instrument List

Channel Type I . D

.

Instrument Description

50 TC 1 Center of room ceiling air, 0.05 M Dwn

51 TC 2 Ceiling air average, 8 TC on diagonals. 0.05 M Dwn

61 TC 3 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall, 0.05 M Dwn

62 TC 4 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall, 0.15 M Dwn

63 TC 5 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall, 0.31 M Dwn

64 TC 6 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall, 0.61 M Dwn

65 TC 7 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall. 0.91 M Dwn

66 TC 8 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall. 1.22 M Dwn

67 TC 9 Room tree, 0.97 M-W wall, 1.68 M-S wall, 1.53 M Dwn

68 TC 10 Center ceiling velocity probe

74 TC 11 Pendent loc. , 2 mil TC

75 TC 12 Pendent loc., 5 mil TC

76 TC 13 Pendent loc., 10 mil TC

77 TC 14 Pendent loc. , 20 mil TC

78 TC 15 Pendent loc., 160 s disc

79 TC 16 Pendent loc., 80 s disc

80 TC 17 Pendent loc. , 21 s disc

81 TC 18 Pendent loc., 21 s disc blackened

82 TC 19 Door sidewall, 2 mil TC

83 TC 20 Door sidewall, 5 mil TC

84 TC 21 Door sidewall, 10 mil TC

85 TC 22 Door sidewall, 20 mil TC

86 TC 23 Door sidewall, 160 s disc

87 TC 24 Door sidewall, 80 s disc

88 TC 25 Door sidewall, 21 s disc

89 TC 26 Door sidewall, 21 s disc blackened

90 TC 27 Opposite sidewall, 2 mil TC

91 TC 28 Opposite sidewall, 5 mil TC

92 TC 29 Opposite sidewall, 10 mil TC

93 TC 30 Opposite sidewall, 20 mil TC

94 TC 31 Opposite sidewall, 160 s disc

95 TC 32 Opposite sidewall, 80 s disc

96 TC 33 Opposite sidewall, 21 s disc

97 TC 34 Opposite sidewall, 21 s disc blackened

113 VEL 14 Air velocity probe, ceiling center, 0.05 M Dwn

130 FLX 1 Total flux meter, (20 BTU/sq ft/s), 0.74 M level

999 TIME Elapsed time in seconds

Table 4. Test Schedule

Temperature Rise Order of Testing

1st day 2nd day 3rd day

60°C/min 1 3 2 120°C/min 2 1 3 180°C/min 3 2 1

43
Table

5.

Tell-Tale

Sprinkler

Activation

Time

Summary

2

(0 .

CL) P U o (N n

+J g o in m i/i fd CD '—

'

i—

t

P

rH lt) o in o

in in in in in m

* h m ^ n n n

in in in in m in m

r- 00 kO O CN 00 rH x“x x-x X-x X—X ^~x X—

X

x-x X-X X—X ^-x x-x

• • • • • • • • 1—

1

• CN r- CN x-x kD 00 00 Oh O in

0) 1—

1

00 CN CN kD 1—

1

ro O • rH • • • 00

44 1—

1

r- kO ro 00 o kD 00 CN • 00 Oh kD ON IX o kD

•H id rH rH i—

i

rH i—

1

i—

l

i—

l

i—

i

Oh i—

1

ON Oh CN (Ti CM CN CN CN CN ro CN

in »—•'

-

'

x—

'

>—-»"— ' • »—

-

' ' •wX —

x

-—

c

X—

—

'x-X X ' X—

—

0 a) Oh 00 Oh 0,-0 00 ID o O'! CM 00 i—

l

LO rH CN r- r* CM CO kD 00 00 6 0 in 00

CL| *H O 10 00 CN CN <N kO rH ro O 00 •—

i

kD 00 CN oh Oh 00 ON kD ON r- o kD kD

in LO LO LO CN rH CN CN r* 00 r- r- O 00 o o o o O rH o

U)

ro ro ro ro ro ro ro ro CM CN CN (N CN 1—

1

CM CN CN CM CN CN CN

0)E

•H

&H kD kO 00 o rH LO o x-x X~x X ,^-x ^-x X—

X

X—X X-X X—

X

X—

X

x-x X—

X

i—

1

• • • • • • • • in 00 kD kD ID 00 rH 00 kD ro in C i—

1

CN Oh o i—

i

00 LO i—

1

LO • • • • 0 p id LO LO LO 1—

1

O CN i—

1

r- o Oh CM Oh ro 00 Oh 00 Oh 00 o 00 •H o 2 i—

1

rH rH rH rH i—

1

rH i—

1

r- ON r-« 00 i—

1

rH rH rH rH rH rH CN rH

4-> o a>

**— >—

•

•—

v—

•

• • •—

>—

•

• * x—

x

'—

X 

1 X—

'

—

X_^ —

X—

X

N-4 X-x X-x- id Q T3 rH pH kD > •rH kD kD 00 o LO 'tr rH LO o r- r- LO 00 00 kD ro rH CO rH 8 6 3 m CN

•H 10

44 CN Oh o rH i—

1

00 LO i—

1

LO 00 r- o Oh (N kO <J\ ro 00 Oh 00 ON 00 o 00 CN o ro CN ro ro Oh 00 o Oh LO LO kD Oh O^ ON Oh Oh ON o Oh < ro ro co ro CN CN ro CN CN CN CN CN i—

1

rH 1—

1

rH rH 1—

1

I—

1

CN i—

i

i—

l

x-x r-x V X—x ro CN Oh 00 ^-x x-x .x-x X^s ,-X x~x X—

x

^-x x*^x x—

x

• • • • 1—

1

o ro 1—

1

O rH LO Oh CM ^-x x-x kD x—

X

1—

1

^-X in X-X 44 LO r- 00 ro • • • • • • • • • 00 • rH • CM • ON C o o Oh o LO 00 CO CN in 00 r- kD o • • o • o • o • a) 1—

1

•—

i

—

rH 00 00 00 LO LO LO m rH Oh a\ rH Oh rH Oh 1—

1

Oh

Td — **—

-

X

1 -

1 >— •— >—

'

—

•

*X—1' '—

-

'x-

X—X—

X

•— •— •—

•

c LO Oh •^r 00

<D P

ro CN Oh 00 ro 1—

1

o ro rH kD o rH LO Oh kD CN 00 kD 1—

1

rH CN IT) Oh in

LO r- 00 ro LO 00 ro CN ro LO 00 r- kD rH O Oh Oh O ON O ON O ON o

00 00 r- 00 kO LO kD kD ro CO ro ro Oh 00 00 Oh 00 Oh 00 Oh 00

CN CN CN CN CN CN CN CN CN CN CN CN rH rH rH «—

1

1—

1

rH rH rH 1—

1

o > o > e> > o > > <u > a) > 0) > <u < Q < Q <c a <C P

T5 n nd nd

44 44 44 44

in in in in

nd a

a) E

44 a)

id

i—i aj Eh o e 0 f—

1

Pi *H 44 id in

id E-I O —

P •H

44 44 X rH w PU

• c

a) Cu a) -H

44 m E in E

id o 0)H\

K Eh C4 U

o

rH

cd • •H 44 P —

-P in E U

•H CD d) o G Eh EH “

M

o o o

m mm

c- r- ro o o

ID ID ID

i—i in id

CM CM CM

r- r- c-

^r in m in

o o o

ON CN ON

in cm co

ro m ro iNi—I i—li—li—I i—lr—I —

t

ID ID ID ONONONONONONONON

CO CO CO i—I rH I—I I—I rH rH rH I—

I

o o o o

00 00 CD o

i—I i—I i—I IDCM

o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o

ID ID ID ID ID ID ID

CM CN CM CM CM CM CM

o cm rH ooinr^'Doomr^'S'

COCMCO CMCMCMCMCMCMCMCM

44 • w o

0) Z

E-i

00 ON in id o N CO M1 in ID I— 00 ON

cn TJC0

O

CDin

ll

-pc

id P

inco

0

IDE

•rH

4-1

a)

i—

i

ns

4->

1

a) Eh

id in 4J

a> id p >a

i—

i

id 0 > S3 rH 4C

44

in

parentheses

are

times

from

initiation

of

temperature

ramp

to

link

activation.
Table 6. Time Constant Disc Required at Sidewall Positions

to Equal a 21.5 Second Disc at the Pendent Position

Rate of

Temp

.

Rise

(°C/min)

Time

Door

Sidewall

Location

(s)

Constant

Opposite

Sidewall

Location

(s)

60 6.8 -6.8

90 11.4 0.3

180 13.4 4.4

45
APPENDIX A

PLUNGE TEST

The plunge test is a method of evaluating the responsiveness of thermally

reactive devices, and was developed at FMRC by Dr. G. Heskestad [12]. Essentially

it is a recirculating air tunnel provided with electrical heating coils to heat

the air, maintained at a selected velocity, to a selected temperature above the

activation temperature of the device to be tested. The thermally activated device

to be tested is plunged from room air into the recirculated air and the time

interval from plunge to activation is measured. The time constant of the device is

then calculated using the following relationship.

where

:

TtATt

AT

g

t = -t/£n 1 - AT

the time constant of the device (seconds)

time interval between plunge and activation (seconds)

the difference between ambient air temperature and the

temperature rating of the device

difference in temperature of the hot air stream and the

device immediately before plunging.

46
APPENDIX B

TIME-TEMPERATURE PLOTS FOR TIME CONSTANT DISCS

47
700 -

600

{~'500

u.oUIQ

tx 400 - niUI

a.|

300 -

200 -

100

Figure B1 . Pendent disc array time- temperature curves/60°C per minute rise

700

600

-^SOO

U.oUia

a 400

UJ

CL^ 300

200

100

0

Figure B2 . Door sidewall disc array time-temperature curves/60°C per minute rise

48
700

600

-~s500 -

U-oUJo

a 400 - 2UJ£300 -

200 -

100 -

0

«- 0 60 120 180 240 300 380 420 480

TIME (SECONDS)

Figure B3. Opposite sidewall disc array time-temperature curves/60°C per minute rise

700

600 -

~S00 U.oUl0

400 3

1

UJ

<

L

£300

200

100

49
700 -

600 -

f-vSOO -

LlOLJOa 400 - &Ui

CL£300 -

200

100

700

600

—S00

la_ Oiii Oa 400

Z3

clLd

CLy 300

200

100

50
700

600

£•500

£u

a

£300 -

200 -

100 -

0 L

Figure B7 . Pendent disc array temperatures/9 0°C per minute rise

700 -

600 -

£•500 - o

a 400

Q_£300

200

100

51
700

600 -

£-500 - oUJa

a 400 -

zi . i

Ul

a.§300 -

200 -

100 -

Figure B9 . Opposite sidewall disc array/90°C per minute rise

700

600

£-500

0

£

Sr 400

1

S3

CL§300

200

100 -

0 *-

52
700

600

~SOO Llo

g

a 400

a.| 300

200

100 -

0 L 0 60 120 160 240 600 MO 420 400

TIME (SECONDS)

Figure Bll. A 80 second disc temperatures/90°C per minute rise

700 -

600 -

^500 -

u.o

s

$400 - 3

CL 300 -

200

100

53
TEMPERATURE

(DEG

F)

700

600

'500 oUJQ

a 400

rai

ui

Q.

jl 300

200

100

Figure B13. Pendent disc array temperatures/180°C per minute rise

700

600

500

400

300 -

200

100 -

0 L- 0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 460

TIME (SECONDS)

Figure B14. Door sidewall disc array temperatures/180 °C per minute rise

54
Figure B15. Opposite sidewall disc array/180°C per minute rise

700

600

{''500

Li. oUia

5 400

Z)2u

CL£ 300

200

100

55
400 m i i i m i i i i i i i i i t m i m n i i m nr

~r i i i t t t i i i i i i i i i i

700

600

.500

ouio

K 400 <KUi

a.isoo h

200 -

100 -

CENTER CEILING AIR

0

L0

i I I I I I I I 0 60

-L.L-1.1-

1

120

1 , 1 1—1 1,1 180 11 I II I .1. 1 L i-1 1. 1. 1 L 1. 1 i 11 I 1 1 I 240 300 360 420 480

TIME (SECONDS)

Figure B17. A 80 second disc temperatures/180°C per minute rise

56
1400

1300

1200

1100

1000

C 900

Q BOO

3 700

600

SOO

400 -

300 -

200 -

100 -

0 -

Figure B19. Pendent disc array temperatures/2600°C per minute rise

1400

1300

1200

1100

1000

IT 900

BOO u

^

700

&

£ 600

2

fcf SOO

400

300

200

100

0

Figure B20. Door sidewall disc array temperatures/2600°C per minute rise

57
1400

1300

1200

1100

1000

c 900

13U

vo— 000

u

2

700 <&

£ BOO

2

fcf 500

400

300 -

200 -

100 -

0 -

Figure B21. Opposite sidewall disc array temperatures/2600 °C per minute rise

1400

1300

1200

1100

1000

c 900

ao ®00 v—

wovg

700

g

£ soo 2

£

58
1400

1300

1200

1100

1000

tr 900 o

bJQ BOO u2

700 £ 600 2

bJ 500 -

400 -

300

200 -

100 - 0 -

59
FIVE SECOND DISC TEMPERATURES

TWENTY-NINE HUNDRED DEGREE PER MINUTE RISE

TEST - SPLO 19

Figure B25. A 5 second disc temperatures/2600°C per minute rise

60
APPENDIX C

STATISTICAL VARIANCE AMONG REPEATED TESTS

(STANDARD DEVIATION)

61
32

,24

Q

zO

*->

CS

ce<

Clz

<t—

(/>

16

8 -

0 L

32

c

u>

UJ

Cl

24

o

%

Q

l/l

16 -

8 -

Figure C 2. Standard deviation of 160 second disc/pendent position

62
32

24

zo

16

0 L

Figure C3. Standard deviation of 160 second disc/door sidewall position

32

C

o

Uio

zo

>

UJQ

O

s?O

z<

24 -

16 -

0

Figure C4

.

Standard deviation of 160 second disc/opposite sidewall position

63
c

oUJQ

Z

o

»—>

UJQ

0

a:<a

1h—

i/>

Figure C5. Standard deviation of 80 second disc/pendent positon

64
32

zo

t—<

UJO

Q

or<o

16

8 -

0 L

0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480

TIME (SECONDS)

Figure Cl. Standard deviation of 80 second disc/opposite sidewall position

32

C

oLJQ

24

zo

<,>

UJd

0

3Q

11—

in

16

8

0

Figure C8. Standard deviation of 21.5 second disc/pendent position

65
Q

o

UJQ

<>Q

O

ce<o

Z

<>-

Irt

32

C

o

UJo

24

zo

*—<>

UJo

a

a

<o

</»

16 -

Figure CIO. Standard deviation of 21.5 second disc/opposite sidewall position

66
32

C

o

UJo

24

2o

I—<>UJQ

o

a

<Q

Z<k - IS)

8 -

0

Figure C12. Standard deviation of a blackened 21.5 second disc/door sidewall position

67
32

a

-

0 !—

Figure C13. Standard deviation of a blackened 21.5 second disc/opposite

sidewall position

32

<.>Q

Q

Q

(/)

16 -

8 -

0 L

68
co

UJQO

*—<>

UJOoo—

to

69
NBS-H4A (rev. 2-80

U.S. DEPT. OF COMM. 1. PUBLICATION OR 2. Performing Organ. Report No. 3. Publication Date BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

REPORT NO.

SHEET (See instructions) NBSIR 82-2521 July 1982

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

FULL-SCALE STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF PENDENT AND SIDEWALL LOCATION ON

THE ACTIVATION TIME OF AN AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER

5. AUTHOR(S)

Warren D. Hayes, Jr. and Richard H. Zile

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION (If joint or other than NBS. see in struction s)

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

7. Contract/Grant No.

8. Type of Report & Period Covered

9. SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS (Street. City . State. ZIP)

U.S. Fire Administration and Department of Health and Human

Federal Emergency Management Agency Services

Washington, D.C. 20472 > Washington, D.C. 20201

10. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

[1] Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

11. ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here)

A series of 17 full-scale tests was conducted to obtain measurements

of the thermal response behavior of simulated and actual sprinklers

positioned in the pendent and two separate sidewall locations. Exposure

fires were simulated by a propane burner, and replicated the approximate

temperature rises of several different burning furniture items typically

found in residential and board-and-care type occupancies.

The results indicate that for this test arrangement the response

time of a sprinkler is influenced by the location of the sprinkler, the

growth rate of the fire, and the response characteristics of the

sprinkler itself. In addition, for the fire growth rates studied,

differences between the activation times of a pendent positioned sprinkle:

and those of two sidewall locations appeared significant. In some cases,

it appears that equivalent response time at the sidewall location to that

of a pendent location cannot be achieved for the configurations tested.

The implications of these results require further investigation.

12. KEY WORDS (Six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only proper names; and separate key words by semicolon s) Automatic sprinklers; compartment fires; fire safety; life safety;

room fires; sidewall sprinkler systems; thermal response.

13. AVAILABILITY 14. NO. OF

Unlimited

Q3] For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

PRINTED PAGES

7*

Order From Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402. 15. Price

[^Pi Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161 $9.00

USCOMM-DC 6043-P80

1