• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.89-99
• /
• 2020

The inhibition of pitting corrosion failure of copper sprinkler tubes in wet sprinkler systems was studied. First, an apparatus and technology for removing air in the sprinkler tubes by vacuum pumping and then filling the tubes with water were developed. Using this apparatus and technology, three methods for inhibiting the pitting corrosion of the copper sprinkler tubes installed in several apartment complexes were tested. The first one was filling the sprinkler tubes with water bubbled by high-pressure nitrogen gas to reduce the dissolved oxygen concentration to lower than 2 ppm. In the second method, the dissolved oxygen concentration of water was further reduced to lower than 0.01 ppm by sodium sulfite. In the third method, the sprinkler tubes were filled with benzotriazole (BTAH) dissolved in water. The third method was the most effective, reducing the failure frequency of the sprinkler tubes due to pitting corrosion by more than 80%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed that a Cu-BTA layer was well coated on the inside surface of the corrosion pit, protecting it from corrosion. A potentiodynamic polarization test showed that BTAH should be very effective in reducing the corrosion rate of copper in the acidic environment of the corrosion pit.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.161-169
• /
• 2015

A fire sprinkler system is very important to extinguish fire in the building. The sprinkler system initiates sprinkler discharge if the detection system identifies a developing fire and opens the pre-action valve. However, pre-action fire sprinkler systems mainly installed in the underground parking lot at the apartment complex do not properly operate at fire if the connection type of fire sprinkler systems does not properly installed and operated. This study identified the relationship between fire dispersion & damage and the connection type of water supply in the sprinkler system from many fire cases at the apartment complex in South Korea. In addition, this study also identified the water supply differences and characteristics between South Korea and foreign countries. The main purpose of this study is also to improve the water connection types in the sprinkler system that can reduce the potential failures of pre-action valve operation through electrical signal system. The study also suggests the improvement plan for water connection types in pre-action fire sprinkler system that can minimize potential failure of pre-action fire sprinkler system. The suggestions for revising the fire safe standard in South Korea includes letting the water supply pipe of sprinkler system water inlet connect to the second side of pre-action valve and the water flow device that can minimize potential failure of sprinkler system.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.265-272
• /
• 2017

Inhibition of pitting corrosion of the copper sprinkler tubes by removing dissolved oxygen in water with sodium sulfite was studied on the wet sprinkler systems operated in 258 household sites. First, air in the sprinkler tubing was removed by vacuum pumping. The tube was then filled with sodium sulfite dissolved in water. Sodium sulfite was very effective in maintaining a very low dissolved oxygen concentration in water in the sprinkler tube for the observation period of six months. Water leakage from the copper sprinkler tube was reduced significantly by using sodium sulfite. Both pitting corrosion process and pitting corrosion inhibition mechanism were investigated by examining microscopical and structural aspects of corrosion pits formed in failed copper sprinkler tube. Pitting corrosion was caused by pressurized air as well as sediments such as sand particles in copper tubes through oxygen concentration cells. It was confirmed microscopically that growth of corrosion pits was stopped by reducing dissolved oxygen concentration to a very level by using sodium sulfite.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.44-50
• /
• 2019

In rack-type warehouses, it is difficult to extinguish fires effectively using sprinkler systems because high fire load commodities are stacked vertically and densely. In this study, an actual size rack structure was constructed and the effectiveness of the fire extinguished by the sprinkler system was confirmed through fire tests according to the type and arrangement of the sprinkler head in the rack structure. Through this study, to effectively suppress fires in rack-type warehouses, it is necessary to use sprinkler heads with a volume of more than 115 LPM and sprinkler heads need to be installed at the diagonal corner positions of the commodities of each rack.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.22 no.1 s.79
• /
• pp.7-12
• /
• 2007

There are two kinds of design process for sprinkler system. one is pipe schedule system and the other is hydraulically designed system. We have inefficient results when we design by hydraulically designed system because the design process for sprinkler system is restricted by domestic fire code. Therefore, it is essential to do an introduction of hydraulically designed system which is based on engineering for enhancing reliability and efficiency of sprinkler system. This study presents points at issue by comparing and studying design standards of sprinkler system from Korea, Japan and NFPA, and presents improvement plans of national fire safety code of sprinkler system by processing, comparing and analyzing designs according to piping schedule and hydraulically designed system about domestic objects. Installation standards of sprinkler system have to be applied not by object buildings but by hazard classification. It is hard to design an efficient sprinkler system for fire control when water supply requirement of sprinkler systems allocated according to a size of a building because the same purpose but other buildings may request more water requirement or less. We should sublate the pipe schedule system from national fire safety code and need to introduce the hydraulically designed system. The pipe schedule system presents easy access because it is based on the forecasted engineering calculations but it is applied to only small buildings like NFPA due to its low reliability.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 2015

A series of sprinkler discharging tests was conducted to measure the droplet size and its distribution of residential fire sprinkler heads. Droplet sizes in sprinkler spray were measured using a laser diffraction method for the flush, circular and pendent type sprinkler head. In this study, the $D_{v,50}$ of the flush type sprinkler heads were ranged between $530{\sim}1040{\mu}m$ and those of circular and pendent type were $988{\mu}m$ and $916{\mu}m$, respectively. The measured cumulative volume distributions were followed by a combination of the log-normal and Rosin-Rammler distribution which is widely used in the computational fire analysis and the parameters of distribution function were obtained from the best fit line through the measured data.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.24-29
• /
• 2002

The purpose of this study is developing the computer program for hydraulic design sprinkler systems have performed the means for the general use of network analysis method. The computer program is based on the theoretical concepts of the related Hazen-Williams equations, a modified Bernoulli equations, and the Hardy Cross method of pipe network analysis. Looped piping calculations are solved by using either the Hardy Cross method or the other iteration methods. While the other methods are solved using simultaneous equations, the Hardy Cross method is concerned with one loop at a time using reiterative process. Due to its simplicity the Hardy Cross method will be the primary method described in this thesis. The purpose of this study is to develope hydraulic calculation program by using algorithm for network analysis method. The development of computer program for the hydraulic design of sprinkler systems will perform the means in the performance-based sprinkler system design.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.102-112
• /
• 2012

In this research, configulation of outside sprinkler system the prevention and postponement of vertical diffusion of blaze was studied prior to this study, vertical diffusion protecting sprinkler head has been developed and the sprinkler system was applied with discharge pressure of 0.05 MPa and flow of 60 l/min witch is stated in NFPA13's Exposure Protection Sprinkler Systems. Through the system design, we applied the system to the sample building and we made pertinent system to work manually and automatically linked to a fire alarm system. Also, we conducted a real-size mock up test verify the cooling effect of the outer wall and the postponement effect of the flame.

• Journal of ILASS-Korea
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.97-104
• /
• 2023

A sprinkler is a fire suppression system that extinguishes combustible materials in the early stages of a fire, creating a spray. However, spray formation method of the sprinkler can result in an uneven distribution of water spray on the surface of combustible materials. It is necessary to ensure a consistent water flux density regardless of the spray direction and angle. In this study, the water flux distribution was analyzed for the various types of sprinkler head: circular, flush, pendent, and upright types. All sprinkler heads have a K-factor of 80 LPM/(0.1MPa)^0.5. In this study, water collection cubes were used to examine the water flux distribution. The upright type sprinkler head showed a low standard deviation in total sprayed area, indicating a high level of uniformity. The upright type head showed the lowest standard deviation in the radial direction, and also showed the lowest standard deviation in the azimuthal direction. Upright sprinkler head has no obstructing structure along the path of droplets after they are generated. For this reason, upright sprinkler head showed the most uniform water flux distribution on the floor.

• Fire Science and Engineering
• /
• v.20 no.2 s.62
• /
• pp.8-13
• /
• 2006

Numerical simulations were carried out for a fire in a clean room to confirm needs of a smoke control system and a sprinkler system, and to investigate a possible smoke spread-out. For a 1 MW methanol fire in a space of $39m{\times}13m$ floor and 4 m high, smoke spread-out was scrutinized for failure of the sprinkler system and/or the smoke control system. It was shown that the smoke control system removes smoke safely without the sprinkler system and that the sprinkler system is required to suppress smoke generation and spread of the fire, and to remove the smoke quickly. It was also confirmed that highly reliable sprinkler heads and automatic fire detection system are required for the sprinkler and smoke control systems.