Fire protection systems and methods for storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11547885-B2
Application number	US-201716308282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2017
Priority date	Jun 10, 2016
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

Ceiling only dry sprinkler systems and methods for protection of a storage occupancy employing a mandatory fluid delivery delay period. The systems and methods provide for fire protection of stored commodities of forty-five feet or greater with a hydraulic design ranging from six to eighteen design sprinklers. The systems and methods employ an upright sprinkler having a nominal K-factor greater than 28.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A ceiling-only dry fire protection system for a storage occupancy comprising: a grid of upright sprinklers defining a sprinkler-to-sprinkler spacing ranging from eight-by-eight feet to twenty-by-twenty feet (8 ft.×8 ft.-20 ft.×20 ft.); and a network of pipes including at least one main pipe and a plurality of spaced-apart branch lines interconnecting the grid of upright sprinklers and providing a mandatory fluid delivery delay period ranging of no more than thirty seconds (30 secs.), the network of pipes being filled with a pressurized gas and locating the grid of sprinklers relative to a fluid source in which a number of hydraulically remote sprinklers ranging between six to eighteen (6-18) sprinklers in the grid of upright sprinklers defines a hydraulic design area of the system, the network of pipes delivering, upon an activation of a first hydraulically remote sprinkler of the plurality of hydraulically remote sprinklers, a minimum operating pressure ranging from forty to sixty-five pounds per square inch (40-65 psi.) of a fluid from the fluid source to each of the hydraulically remote sprinklers within the mandatory fluid delivery delay period to protect a commodity stored beneath a ceiling having a ceiling height ranging from fifty feet to sixty-five feet (50 ft.-65 ft.), the commodity having a maximum storage height ranging from forty-five feet to no more than sixty feet (45 ft.-60 ft.), the storage having a configuration including single, double, or multiple-row rack storage or palletized, bin box, solid piled or shelf storage, each sprinkler of the plurality of hydraulically remote sprinklers having a deflector shaped to output the fluid in a respective non-circular pattern in a plane spaced between 3 feet and 5 feet from the deflector, the deflector having a central portion, a perimeter portion, and an intermediate portion between the central portion and the perimeter portion, the intermediate portion comprising a plurality of elongate deflecting surfaces protruding out of the intermediate portion of the deflector, the plurality of elongate deflecting surfaces surrounded by the intermediate portion of the deflector, the plurality of hydraulically remote sprinklers including an array of four most hydraulically remote sprinklers located on adjacent branch lines of the plurality of spaced-apart branch lines.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a releasing control panel in communication with a control valve, the releasing control panel comprising a processing unit, the control valve being a solenoid actuated control valve, the releasing control panel being configured to receive signals of a drop in pressure in the network of pipes to appropriately energize the solenoid actuated control valve for an actuation of the solenoid actuated control valve; and an accelerator in communication with the releasing control panel to detect an evacuation of gas pressure in the network of pipes and signal the releasing control panel of the evacuation.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising one or more fire detectors spaced relative to the grid of sprinklers such that, in the event of a fire, the one or more fire detectors activate before activation of any of the plurality of hydraulically remote sprinklers, the releasing control panel being configured to receive signals of a detection of the fire to appropriately energize the solenoid actuated control valve for an actuation of the solenoid actuated control valve.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the storage occupancy is any one of a refrigerated, cold or freezer storage occupancy.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network of pipes delivers upon activation of the four most hydraulic ally remote sprinklers a minimum operating pressure of 50 psi. of the fluid from the fluid source to each of the hydraulically remote sprinklers defining the hydraulic design area within the mandatory fluid delivery delay period.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the mandatory fluid delivery delay period defines a maximum fluid delivery delay period and a minimum fluid delivery delay period, each sprinkler of the four most hydraulically remote sprinklers having a fluid delivery delay period between the maximum fluid delivery delay period and the minimum fluid delivery delay period.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the mandatory fluid delivery delay period includes a maximum fluid delivery delay period of twenty to twenty-five seconds (20-25 secs.) and a minimum fluid delivery period of two to eight seconds (2-8-secs.).

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ceiling height is fifty feet (50 ft.), the commodity having a maximum storage height of forty-five feet (45 ft.), the hydraulic design area being defined by twelve to fifteen (12-15) hydraulically remote sprinklers with the minimum operating pressure being 50 psi.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ceiling height is fifty-five feet (55 ft.), the commodity having a maximum storage height of fifty feet (50 ft.), the design area being defined by twelve to sixteen (12-16) hydraulically remote sprinklers with the minimum operating pressure being 50 psi.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ceiling height is sixty feet (60 ft.), the commodity having a maximum storage height of fifty-five feet (55 ft.), the design area being defined by ten to eighteen (10-18) hydraulically remote sprinklers with the minimum operating pressure being 50 psi.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ceiling height is sixty-five feet (65 ft.), the commodity having a maximum storage height of sixty feet (60 ft.), the design area being defined by twelve to eighteen (12-18) hydraulically remote sprinklers with the minimum operating pressure being 50 psi.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hydraulic design area is defined by one of: fifteen (15) or sixteen (16) hydraulically remote sprinklers.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upright sprinklers includes:
a sprinkler body having an inlet and an outlet with a passageway disposed therebetween and extending along a sprinkler axis to define a nominal K-factor of greater than 28;
a seal;
a thermally rated trigger assembly to support the closure assembly adjacent the outlet of the sprinkler body, the trigger assembly having a temperature rating ranging from 250° F.-300° F., the trigger assembly comprising a bulb or a link and lever.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the deflector is centered, axially aligned with the sprinkler axis, spaced from the outlet of the internal passageway, and coupled to the sprinkler body, the deflector having a domed geometry with an outer surface and an inner surface including: the peripheral region, the central region and the intermediate region, the intermediate region including a primary deflecting surface, a secondary deflecting surface defining the plurality of elongate deflecting surfaces and a transition from the primary deflecting surface to the secondary deflecting surface, the transition defining a perimeter about the secondary deflecting surface such that the secondary deflecting surface is surrounded by the primary deflecting surface.

Assignees

• Tyco Fire Products Lp

Inventors

• Silva Jr Manuel R

Classifications

• A62C35/68

  Details, e.g. of pipes or valve systems (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• A62C37/50

  Testing or indicating devices for determining the state of readiness of the equipment · CPC title

• A62C35/645 Primary

  with compressed gas in pipework · CPC title

• A62C31/02

  Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing · CPC title

• A62C37/08

  comprising an outlet device containing a sensor, or itself being the sensor, i.e. self-contained sprinklers · CPC title