Assessment of Commodity Classification for Sprinkler Protection Using Representative Fuels

Abstract

In order to assess the classification of commodities for sprinkler protection, fire suppression tests were conducted using representative fuels. The measured heat release rates and applied water fluxes are used to calculate the critical delivered flux (CDF) and develop a suppression correlation for each tested commodity. The heat release rate (HRR) measurements together with the CDF calculations show that the CDF can be obtained within an uncertainty of ±3 mm/min. The CDF values are then combined with the measured convective HRR to project the critical sprinkler discharge flux (SDF) – the minimum water flux above which the fire will be controlled. Comparison of SDF values and full-scale sprinkler test results shows that the SDF is a reasonable choice for ranking commodities. Examination of the calculated CDF values using the suppression correlations suggests that the ranking remains the same for various fuel array heights. Furthermore, the responses to suppression by the exposed plastics are very different from those of the cartoned fuels, indicating that these two types of commodities require different treatment.