enclosure integrity testing – a loss control program of...
TRANSCRIPT
Butch Bautista – OSH Consultant, MBA, GM
Luce Global Environmental Health & Safety Specialist Inc.
Enclosure Integrity Testing – A Loss Control Program of Installed Gaseous Suppression System for Business Continuity
BACKGROUND
Gaseous Fire Suppression or Clean Agent fire suppression are terms to describe gases used to extinguish fires.
BACKGROUND
The gaseous suppression system that are used today are inert gas and halocarbon which requires compliance to NFPA 2001: Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems, ISO 14520, EN 15004 & AS ISO 14520 standards.
Before 1988, all systems were discharge tested
Cost
Time consuming
Disruptive
Not environmentally friendly
Disadvantages:
OBJECTIVES
To maintain the effective duration of
protection
Predict enclosure’s retention time
Compliance of establishment to local
fire code
Effective deployment of extinguishing agents
Incentives for complying factory
mutual loss prevention best practices
Method – Door Fan Test
Measures leakage indirectly by
pressurize/depressurize enclosure to determine the total leakage area.
All gaseous extinguishing systems create negative and/or positive pressures on
discharge
•The magnitude of these pressures will be
dependent on how tight or how leaky the
enclosure is
• Comprehensive test and calculation
procedure predict retention time
Method – Door Fan Test
Method – Door Fan Test
Agent Loss Mechanisms
Agent Loss Mechanisms
Gas suppression behavior by elevation H/H0
Agent Loss Mechanism
Agent Loss Mechanism
Agent Loss Mechanism
Static Pressure
• HVAC systems
• Stack effect
• Leaky dampers
• Wind
• All agent is lost because of leakage in the enclosure
• Many forces can increase the pressure across leakage
• More pressure = More agent lost
Leakage Summary
FINDINGS
• More pressure to the enclosure has more agent lost and waste in the drain
• Extinguishment is not effective
Waste of Money
• Not complied to meet the minimum concentration of 85% held for 10 minutes
• Property damage prior to arrival of trained personnel
NFPA 2001 Standard concentration not met
• No way to assess whether the pressures on discharge will create a structural integrity problem of the enclosure.
• NFPA 2001, ISO 14520 and EN 15004 acceptance procedure for all clean agent systems not followed
Structural integrity not identified
NFPA 2001-2012 sections (paraphrased):
NFPA Requirements
5.1.2.2(28) Adequate pressure relief vent area
5.1.2.2 (10) Estimate of the maximum positive and maximum negative pressure, relative to ambient pressure, expected to be develop upon the discharge of agent.
5.3.3 Require pressurization/de-pressurization of the protected enclosure of other tests to ensure performance that meets the requirements of this standard
5.3.7 Structural strength and integrity necessary to contain the agent discharge
5.3.4 To prevent loss of agent through openings to adjacent hazards or work areas, openings shall be permanently sealed or equipped with automatic closures
5.6.1 Adjusted minimum design concentration of agent not only shall be achieved but also shall be maintained for the specified period of time
CONCLUSION
• Enclosure Integrity is a fundamental part of the overall system performance and should be treated seriously;
• It is a mandatory commissioning function for any gaseous extinguishing system that complies with ISO 14520, NFPA 2001 & EN 15004
• The test confirms whether the enclosure meet the Standard retention time of 10 minutes @ 85% concentration.
• Ensure structural integrity is assessed upon agent discharged.
CONCLUSION
• EPA, IRI, FM, other insurers, fire suppression equipment manufacturers, and the FSSA encourages door fan tests on every installation & every year;
• Application of Room Integrity testing are not limited to power generation, manufacturing, telecommunication facilities, motor control center, DCS, clean rooms, cable tray, data processing centers and museums
Enclosure/room integrity testing is your loss control program for business
continuity where high value and vital business operations are involved.
Enclosure Integrity Testing In Action
Accreditation
LuceGlobal is a Certified Level 1,2 & 3 Enclosure Integrity Tester by Retrotec https://retrotec.com/ Email : [email protected]
Reference: • Colin.G and co-Author Anthony.S: Clean Agent Enclosure Design for ISO 14520 & AS4212. rev-2013-03.
• Fire Protection Technologies: http://www.fire-protection.com.au/product-menu/gaseous-suppression/enclosure-integrity-test-equipment
• A.Stagg: Room Integrity Level 3 Training Presentation: Fire Protection Technologies &Energy Conservation Technologies.Sept6-7,2018
• https://retrotec.com/