Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc.

Advance Training Center

Fundamentals of Fire
Protection Engineering

ALEXANDER V. LISTANA
Professional Mechanical Engineer (Reg. Cert. 5002)
Professional Educator (Reg. Cert. 1046629)
Registered Real Estate Broker (Reg. Cert. 27944)
Real Estate Appraiser (Reg. Cert. 8780)
ASEAN Certified Energy Manager (CEM-PH-208-0818)
Certified Fire Safety Practitioner (COC No. R16-FSP0518-0391)
Member, NFPA (3246444)
 SEMINAR OUTLINE

a. Introduction (Basic of Fire Science, RA 9514 requirements for Fire

Protection, Detection and Alarm, etc.)
b. Standard components and installation requirement
c. Basics of Passive and Active Fire Protection
d. Fire Protection for High Rise Building
e. Fire Protection for Warehouse or Storage Facilities
f. Fire Pump Selection and Standard Components
g. Gaseous Fire Suppression System
h. Basics of Fire Alarm and Detection System
i. Basics of Hydraulic Calculation
j. Inspection Test and Maintenance as prescribed by NFPA 25
 Module 1

INTRODUCTION TO FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERING

BASICS OF FIRE SCIENCE

PRACTICE OF FIRE PROTECTION

ENGINEERING IN THE PHILIPPINES

UNDERSTANDING THE FIRE CODE OF THE

PHILIPPINES

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION

SYSTEMS
INTRODUCTION
Fire protection is the application of scientific and technical
principles of mitigating the unwanted effects of
potentially destructive fires

3 Primary Objectives of Fire Protection:

1. Save life and property
2. Prevent fire from becoming destructive and reduce the
impact of uncontrolled fire
3. Compliance to the law of the land (RA 9514, RA 6541)
 FIRE TETRAHEDRON
OXYGEN SOURCES HEAT SOURCES

Approximately 16% required. To reach ignition temperature

Normal air contains 21% O2. • Open flames
Some fuel materials contain • Sparks and arcs
sufficient oxygen within their • Friction
makeup to support burning. • Chemical action
CHEMICAL • Electrical energy
CHAIN • Compression of gases
• Static electricity
REACTION

SOLID LIQUID GAS

Bulky - Dust Gasoline Kerosene Natural Gas Propane
Finely Divided Coal Turpentine Alcohol Butane Hydrogen
Wood Paper Liver Oil Paint Acetylene
Cloth Plastic Varnish Lacquer Carbon Monoxide
Grain Others Olive Oil Others

Keeping these three ingredients from coming together will stop the fire
Fire is a rapid, self-sustaining oxidation process of combustible
materials accompanied by the release of heat and light

Products of Fire:
Thermal – flame and heat
Non-thermal – Smoke and Fire Gases

Fire Gases – toxic gas that kills

 Carbon Monoxide (colorless, odorless, flammable, toxic and explosive gas)
 Carbon Dioxide (colorless, odorless, non-flammable but deadly gas, at 14%
concentration CO2 is deadly)
 Ammonia (decompose at high temp, corrosive gas, fatal if inhaled)
 Hydrogen Chloride (acidic gas, reacts with white metals, iron & tin and
generate flammable gas)
 Sulfur Dioxide (coal and oil burning, not flammable but extremely toxic)
 Others
Characteristics of Fire
Fast
Fire will double every 30 seconds under normal condition
Hot
Within minutes, air temperature in a burning room can reach 300° C enough
to melt clothes, skin and scorch your lungs in one breath.
Deadly
Small fire can produce enough smoke to fill building in minutes
Smoke results:
 Teary eyes
 Choking sensation
 Impaired judgment due to carbon monoxide
 Loss of spatial recognition
 Sedation effect – respiratory failure
 There are 4 classes of fire:

Class A
Ordinary combustibles or fibrous material, such as wood, paper, cloth,
rubber, and some plastics.

Class B
Flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, paint, paint
thinners and propane.

Class C
Energized electrical equipment, such as appliances, switches, panel boxes
and power tools.

Class D
Certain combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium,
and sodium.
 Smoke Ceiling Temp. rise,
reaches temp. visibility is
A small fire starts
the reaches reduced to zero
in your home
smoke 70oC. trapping people Ceiling temp exceeds
detector Smoke 500oC. Flashover occurs
begins to the room and extending
layer down fire throughout home

0 1 2 3 4 5 10 15 20
Time Line (minutes)

Smoke detector You You call 110 The fire dept.

awakens you investigate and give the responds
and find a operator
fire, and information.
evacuate The fire dept. The fire dept. arrives, assesses the situation &
family is notified applies 100-250 gpm to fire now engulfing your
members house. Fatalities involve anyone who was trapped in
the house.

WITHOUT SPRINKLERS
A small Smoke Ceiling Fire is Sprinkler
fire starts reaches temp. controlled by maintains a
in your the reach sprinkler survivable
home smoke 70oC. The spraying water atmosphere
detector sprinkler at 7-15 gpm allowing
head people to
activates escape

0 1 2 3 4 5 10 15 20
Time Line (minutes)

Smoke You You call 110 The fire

detector investigate and give the dept.
awakens and find a operator responds
you fire, and information.
The fire dept. arrives and ensures complete
evacuate The fire dept.
extinguishment. Fire, smoke and water damage
family is notified
are limited due to the sprinkler system. Damage
members
is limited to the fire room and fatalities are
avoided.

WITH SPRINKLERS
 IGNITION STAGE
• Point wherein the fire starts
• There is plenty of oxygen, little heat and smoke
• Fire is still small and generally confined to the fuel that initially
ignited
- Low temp = charring  glowing combustion
- High temp = gases  flaming combustion
Requirements for ignition: Oxygen + formation of char
- surface oxidation of char = smoldering
- smoldering > heat > continuous pyrolysis (flaming
 GROWTH STAGE
• Temperature and smoke level increases
• Oxygen level decreased and the fuel is already dried out

• Hot gasses rise to the ceiling and spreads outward the walls

• Can be continuous if there is enough fuel and oxygen

• The smoke layer is getting thicker and fire is starting to spread

to nearby furniture
 FLASH OVER
• Transition between growth and fully developed stage
• Presence of huge smoke which indicates the rapid
change of situation
• May involve exposed combustibles
• Increasing level of smoke with decreased visibility
• Gasses are generated by heat
 FULLY DEVELOPED

• All combustibles materials present are continuously burning

• Maximum amount of heat is released

• The volume of fire is dependent of the number and size of

ventilation openings

• Unburned gasses begin flowing to adjacent spaces and ignite

once it enters a space where air more abundant
 DECAY
• Intensity of fire decreasing due to lack of available fuel

• Most of fuel consumed

• Effort concentrated on cooling of the remaining fuel

1. Radiation
2. Convection
3. Conduction
4. Direct Contact
Radiation

Radiation is the transmission of heat energy through

electromagnetic wave.
21
Convection

HEAT
Convection is the transfer of heat energy by the movement of
heated fluids.
22
 M
Ordinary combustible materials
E
T
A
L

Conduction - is the transmission of heat from one body to another. It is

the transfer of heat from one molecule to another molecule
 Fire Extinguishment Theory

Cooling - temperature reduction

Smothering - oxygen dilution
Starvation - fuel removal
Inhibition - breaking the chemical reaction
Cooling
Removal of heat from the burning material/fire area.

REDUCTION OF HEAT BY COOLING

1. Use something that absorb heat
2. Use water being the best cooling agent
3. Use foam which contains 94% water
Smothering
Cutting off the supply of oxygen from fire area

DEPRIVATION OF OXYGEN
1. Secure the door at close position
2. Displacement or diluting oxygen by
means of CO2
3. Blanketing- using wet blanket as
foam
 Starvation
Removal of un-burnt material from fire area

REMOVAL OF FUEL
 1. Shut off fuel supply
 2. Relocate flammable/
combustible materials
INHIBITION OF CHAIN REACTION or breaking
the combustion Chain
 5 CLASSES OF FIRE
Class A
Ordinary combustibles or fibrous material, such as wood, paper, cloth,
rubber, and some plastics.

Class B
Flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, paint, paint
thinners and propane.

Class C
Energized electrical equipment, such as appliances, switches, panel boxes
and power tools.

Class D
Certain combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium,
and sodium.
30

Class K Fires in cooking appliances that involve

combustible cooking media (vegetable or animal
oils and fats).
Lets do some exercise on Classification of Fire
Most fires are caused by people who fail to follow proper work practices,
make mistakes and who uses poor judgment

• Electrical causes – 23%

 The leading cause of fire is electrical failure.
 It is preventable by proper design, installation and use.
• Smoking – 18%
 It is a matter of control and education.
 Smoking should be strictly prohibited on specified areas especially
involving flammable liquid and combustible materials
• Friction – 10%
 It happens due to poor maintenance of building equipment, misaligned or
broken machine part, jamming of materials, poor adjustment of equipment
power drives and static electricity
 It can be prevented by routine, regular maintenance, 5S
• Overheat materials or equipment – 8%
 Abnormal process temperature, especially those involving heated flammable
liquids or materials.

• Burning Flames – 7%
 Improper use of portable torches, dryers, ovens, portable heating units.
 Can be prevented by adequate ventilation, combustion safeguards and ample
clearance

• Combustible Sparks – 5%
 Sparks and ambers released from fire boxes, various process equipment,
industrial trucks, heavy equipment, furnaces and incinerators.
 It can be prevented by proper enclosing of working area and provision of spark
arrestor.
Fires is one of the foremost threats to the people and property that results to injuries,
deaths and loss of business . It is estimated that 45% of businesses never re-open after a
minor fire.

Seventy-four (74) people were

killed in the fire, making the
incident the third worst fire incident
in Philippine history.

On May 13, 2015, a fire broke out

when welding sparks ignited
chemicals being stored near the
entrance of the factory. The weld
was being performed to repair the
doors of one of the main entrances
to the building.
Kentex is a small manufacturer of Flip Flops and rubber shoes located in Valenzuela
City.
Thick, black smoke engulfed the building as rubber and chemicals burned. The fire spread quickly and
few people escaped..

It took five hours for the fire department to control the blaze which left the building unstable thus causing
a delay in the retrieval of the dead.
Unable to leave, trapped workers retreated to the second floor and attempted to escape and call for help.

Most of the victims were suffocated to death from the smoke. Many bodies were reduced to skulls and
bones. Seventy-three of the 74 bodies were found on the factory's second floor.
Kentex Fire is the third worst fire incident in the Philippines after the 1996 Ozone Disco
Club fire that killed 162 and the 2001 Manor Hotel fire that led to the death of 75 people.
Ozone Disco Fire

The Ozone Disco Club fire, Timog Avenue, Quezon City, is the worst fire in Philippine history and among
the 10 worst nightclub fire in the world.

The fire broke out before midnight at 11:35 pm on March 18, 1996 leaving at least 162 people dead with 95
injured.

At the time of the fire, it was estimated that there were around 350 patrons and 40 club employees inside,
though it had been approved for occupancy for only 35 persons.

Most of the club guests were high school and college students attending graduation or end-of-the-school-
year celebrations.

Survivors reported seeing sparks flying inside the disc jockey's booth shortly before midnight, followed by
smoke which they thought was part of the party plan of the DJ. After about 15 seconds of smoke, the
electrical systems of the disco shut down, followed by the flames.

Many of the bodies were discovered along the corridor leading to the only exit, piled up waist-high. The
club's emergency exit is not properly installed and was blocked by a new building next door. It was also
reported that the exit had been locked from the outside by the club's security guards, who had thought that
a riot had taken place.
Resorts World Manila Incident

Few minutes after midnight on June 2, 2017, 37 people at the Resorts World Manila entertainment
complex in Pasay City were killed and 70 were injured when a gunman caused a stampede and set fire
to casino tables and slot machine chairs around midnight. All of the attack's deaths and injuries resulted
from the initial stampede and smoke inhalation from the fire.

Eventual evidence confirmed that the attack was financially motivated and committed by Jessie Javier
Carlos, a debt-riddled former civil servant.

Jessie Carlos carrying 3 liters of gasoline and an M4 Bushmaster rifle entered the RWM casino's
second floor for high rollers. The gunman reportedly wore a mask, and did not utter any words before
opening fire with his rifle. The gunfire caused mass panic, and in the evacuation some guests were injured
by a stampede.

People hearing the initial shots immediately fled from the first and second floors of the building, but some
retreated deeper into the building for cover.
M4 BUSHMASTER
Davao NCCC Mall fire: What were the loopholes?

The 14 year-old local shopping center NCCC Mall was gutted by a massive fire two days before
Christmas on December 23, 2017.

The fire started in a short circuit at the ceiling portion of the alley between the fabric and
furniture sections at the third level of the mall.

The fire blazed for 32 hours.

38 workers, including 37 call center employees, died after they were trapped at the fourth level
where a business process outsourcing company SSI was located.
• The emergency exit paths of mall were not smoke and heat-proof
• No connection between alarm system at SSI and mall’s
• No functioning sprinkler, control valves are in closed
• The building failed to comply with the requirement of an automatic fire suppression system.
Cebu Metro Ayala Mall Fire
Metro Ayala Center Fire (Cebu City)

Fire hit the Metro Ayala Center Cebu at the Cebu Business Park on January 5, 2018, Friday
night.
The fire, which broke out at 9:30 p.m. at the toys stockroom in the third floor, reached the
topmost floor of the Metro Department Store Supermarket and destroyed the whole
supermarket and affected the second upto fifth floors.
No one was reported injured. All customers and mall employees were safely evacuated.
The blaze was raised to Task Force Bravo, prompting firefighting units from neighboring towns
and cities to respond.
Heavy duty construction equipment, including a crane, have been used to demolish the
building's concrete walls to clear the smoke and let firefighters douse the blaze.
BFP-7 declared a fire out in Metro Ayala at 4:18 p.m. on Monday, or 20 hours after the fire.
Industrial Fire in Philippines

 South Pacific Inc, Phoenix Petroterminal and Industrial Park,

Calaca, Batangas, Feb. 20, 2016. An LPG storage tank
exploded which affected 7,000 MT of gas. 2 injured, no death.
1126 individuals were evacuated to diff. sites. State of
Emergency in Calaca was declared.

 House Technology Industries, General Trias, Cavite, Feb. 3,

2017. No death, 126 were injured, affected 15,000 workers.
HTI is a manufacturer of pre-fabricated house parts for export.
The fire started when a machine malfunctioned and triggered
small explosions in a section with combustible materials.

 Yokohama Tire Phils., Clark Freeport Zone, May 14, 2017. No

casualty. Biggest Yokohama plant ouside Japan. The fire
destroyed newly made tires meant for export, loss is reported
at US$50M.
Fire at Land Management Bureau (Binondo)

Fire engulfed the entire building of

LMB in Binondo, Manila at 12:30
AM, Monday, May 28, 2018

The LMB reported that the

massive blaze that raged the
building caused huge loss of land
documents

Note: Fire caught the Land

Registration Authority building in
QC on July 22, 2011,
1:55pm
The LMB fire affected the National Archives Building nearby
Among the documents stored in the
National Archives office affected by the
blaze in Binondo: part of the 1798 report
recommending the division of Ilocos into
two provinces.

Imagine if the fire is not controlled - the

archives contained at least 60 million
documents and re-cords from the Spanish,
American, and Japa- nese occupations, the
oldest dating back to as early as the 16th
century.

The archive contains sources of knowledge

about early Philippines such as research
findings, laws, maps, and land grants.
Refrigerated
processed
meat – NJ,
USA
Retail store with storage in rear – SC, USA
Practice of Fire Protection
Engineering in the Philippines

RA 8495 – Philippine Mechanical Engineering

Law
 Republic Act No. 8495
An Act Regulating the Practice of Mechanical Engineering in the Philippines
SECTION 3.B 0- DEFINITION OF TERMS

Mechanical equipment or Materials handling

machinery - includes all Heat exchanger such as equipment,
prime movers such as cooling towers, kilns and such as pumps, cranes,
01 steam engines and 02 dryers coolers and 03 conveyors, hoists,
turbines, internal heaters elevators, escalators,
combustion engines and mechanized dumbwaiters,
gas engines and turbines; moving ramps and
steam generators walkways

Piping
system with a working Mechanical working
HVAC-R equipment and
machinery, including pressure of not less machines for metallic
compressors and than 70 kpa, fired and and non-metallic
centrifugal fans, unfired pressure materials and other
04 mechanical pollution
05 vessels 06 mechanical equipment
and machinery whether
abatement and installed on land,
environmental underground, or on
control system board watercraft.
 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SYLLABI
Effectivity of Updated Syllabi: 8 11 2013

Advance Engineering Power Plant Design, Design Project,

Sciences, AutoCad, Industrial Plant Eng’g, Vibration
Machine Shop, Engineering, Design Project, ME Laws
Engineering and Ethics, Codes and Standards,
Management Contracts, BOSH, Elective Subject, OJT

1st
Basic 2nd 4th
Engineering
Fluid Machineries, HVAC-R,
Sciences and
Machine Design,
Mathematics
Technopreneurship, Engineering
Data Analysis, ME Lab,
Communication
3rd 5th
Dynamics, Statics, Fluid Mechanics,
Thermodynamics, DC & AC
Machinery, Electronics Circuits for
ME, Combustion, Materials Science,
Instrumentation & Control
 Fire Protection is part of Sanitary Engineering Board Exam

01 02
Stage 1. Pre-flashover or growth phase
Stage 2. Flashover
Stage 3. Fully developed fire (Stable Phase)
Stage 4. Decay (Cooling Period)
 PASSIVE AND ACTIVE FIRE SAFETY FEATURES
Passive Fire Protection Systems includes but not limited to:

1. Fire walls, fire-rated floors, barriers and glass

2. Fire Proofing and Fire Stopping Materials
3. Insulated steel beams
4. Compartmentation
5. Means of Egress

Active Fire Protection Systems includes but not limited to:

1. Automatic Fire Suppression System (Water, Gas, Chemical)
2. Fire Detection and Alarm System
3. Positive Pressurization of Egress/Fire Exits
4. Automatic Smoke Control and Exhaust System (Smoke Management)
5. Standpipes and Fire Hose Cabinet
6. Fire Hydrants
7. Manual fire suppression systems (Portable Fire Extinguishers)
8. Back-up Power and Water Supply availability
9. Mobile Fire Suppression Equipment
PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION FEATURES

 To control fire growth

 To control smoke spread
 To limit spread within the fire building
 To prevent fire spread to other buildings
 To allow rapid egress
 To minimize damage to the building and its contents
 To facilitate Fire Service operations
 To prevent structural collapse
INTERNAL FIRE SPREAD
PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS
 The efficiency of Passive Fire Protection systems is measured by its Stability,
Integrity, and Insulation where combining all these properties will extend the
building element’s capability to prevent the fire from spreading and failure of
structural elements;
 Fire Ratings consist of three numbers, for example 60/60/60. This numbers are
in minutes and refer to:
Stability  The protected load bearing element fulfills
its function during the entire fire resistance
period
Integrity  The system does not allow spread of fire or
hot gasses during the entire fire resistance
period
Insulation  The temperature increase of the unexposed
side of the system remains under set limits
during the entire fire resistance period
FIRE RESISTANCE/RATING TEST PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
Failures in Loadbearing Capacity, Integrity and Insulation will result to
structural collapse
 PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION MATERIALS

Boards

Coatings

Fire Stoppings

Fire Resistant Glass

Chipboard

Gypsum plasterboard

Fiber cement board

Calcium silicate board, etc.

Objectives:

Fire compartments are generally included in building design to limit fire

and smoke spread so that people have longer time to escape.

Factors affecting the level of compartmentation:

• occupancy load
• building type or purpose
• fire load
• Height
• active fire systems
BUILDING COMPARTMENTATION
 FIRE RESISTANT PARTITION
Issue

Fire exit route and safe escape

passage ways are critical to
life safety

Solutions
Fire rated partitions, whether
slab to slab CHB,
Concrete Masonry or Drywall
Partitions
Fire rated doors and smoke stop
doors for access
 FIRE RESISTANT GLASS

Glass doors, windows and

partitions should have a fire
resistance rating equivalent
to the rating of the area it is
located.
FIRE RESISTANT GLASS

A minimum of 2
hours fire resistant
rating for glass
located in stairs.
 FIRE RESISTANT GLASS

WIRED GLASS
INSULATED GLASS
NON INSULATED GLASS
Fire door is a door with a fire-resistance rating used as part of a passive fire
protection system to reduce the spread of fire or smoke between
compartments and to enable safe egress from a building or structure.
FIRE SHUTTERS
FIRE RESISTANT CEILING

Issue
Compartment wall
not slab to slab

Solutions
Fire rated ceilings,
whether suspended
ceiling or ceiling
membrane system.
ACCESS HATCH PANELS
Issue
Access Hatch/Panels is
normally constructed by
non-fire resistant system

Solutions
Put tested access
hatch/panels to prevent fire
from penetrating the hatch
openings
 CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM
Issue
Fire from lower/upper floors will
pass through the gaps between
the concrete slab and the
curtain wall

Solutions
Put fire resistant
construction system to seal
the gap between the concrete
slab and the curtain wall
 FIRE RESIST ANT DUCT

Problems
Temperature rise due to fire will
distort the metal sheet ducts,
making them unable to extract
smoke

Solutions
Put tested cladding system to the
metal sheet ducts

Can also use tested self supporting

ducts
FIRE RESISTANT DUCT

Kitchen ventilation
Smoke extraction
Stair pressurization
Fresh air supply
 FIRE RESISTANT DUCT
RESULT OF AN ACTUAL FIRE

Shows deflection of metal duct A duct system, protected

(without cladding protection) after with fire resistant cladding
an actual fire after an actual fire
 FIRE DAMPER
FIRE DAMPERS are passive fire protection products used in heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ducts to prevent the spread of fire
inside the ductwork through fire-resistance rated walls and floors.
 FIRE STOPPING

Fire stopping is the sealing of

gaps or openings in fire resistant
constructions like walls and slabs

Gaps are created due to:

Service penetrations
Structural movement gaps
Poor workmanship
New service installations
Other trades interference
 STRUCTURAL FIRE PROTECTION
Objectives:
1. To enable firefighters to bring a fire under control, or to carry out
search and rescue operations without the building collapsing.

2. In fire safety design, to provide adequate means of escape for the

building occupants.
 stability of structure exposed to a fire during the escape period
 compartments to be provided to keep smoke and heat away from escaping
occupants
3. To prevent disproportionate damage to property.
CONCRETE SPALLING
 STRUCTURAL STEEL
RESUL T OF AN ACTUAL FIRE

Deflection of steel structure Steel structure collapsed after

after an actual fire an actual fire
 STRUCTURAL STEEL

Issue

Steel loses its load bearing

capacity at temperatures in excess
of 550°C during a fire

Risk of building structure collapse is

greatly increased
 TYPES OF FIRE PROTECTION FOR STEEL STRUCTURES

BOARD CLADDING
SYSTEM

CEMENTITIOUS
PRODUCTS
INTUMESCENT
COATINGS
 ACTIVE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM

DRIVEN BY WATER PRESSURE

• HYDRANT
• WATER MIST SPRAY
• FOAM
• SPRINKLER

DRIVEN BY GAS PRESSURE

• CLEAN AGENT FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
• POWDER OR DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHANT
SYSTEM
HYDRANT SYSTEM
A fire hydrant, is a connection point by which firefighters can
tap into a water supply
Fire hydrant systems comprise the following primary
components:
•Water Supply Pipes and Valves
•Pump Set Fire Hose
•Hydrant Valve or Landing Valve & Coupling
 WATER MIST SPRAY

A water mist system is a fire protection system

which uses a very fine water sprays that produces
mists.

The small water droplets allow the water mist to control,

suppress or extinguish fires by:
1. cooling both the flame and surrounding gases by
evaporation
2. displacing oxygen by evaporation
3. attenuating radiant heat by the small droplets
themselves
The effectiveness of a water mist system in fire
suppression depends on its spray characteristics,
which include the droplet size distribution, flux
density and spray dynamics such as the shielding
of the fuel, fire size and ventilation conditions.

Water mist fire suppression, when compared to the use

of gaseous agents and traditional sprinkler systems, has
the following advantages:
1. Immediate activation
2. High efficiency in the suppression of a wide variety
of fires
3. Minimized water damage
4. Environmentally sound characteristics
5. No toxic issues
1) High Velocity Water Spray System
High Velocity Water spray systems are installed to extinguish fires involving
liquids with flash points of 65 deg. C (150 deg. F) or higher.
It was found that water applied in the form of the finely broken needles to
create an emulsion possessed a high resistance to electric current.
This equipment is now more or less standard for live oil filled electrical gear
and is quite commonly installed for the protection of electrical equipment
carrying voltage of 400 KV or more
2) Medium Velocity Water Spray System

It may not be possible to extinguished fire completely for lighter oils, liquefied petroleum
gases and other flammable liquids with flash points below 65 deg C. When fire happens,
controlled burning is the most effective response.

Adequate control of such fires and also protection of vessels and plant exposed to
surrounding fire can be achieved by properly designed medium velocity water spray
system.

Cooling smothering and dilution play apart in varying degrees with such a system.

This type of system utilizes sprayers which produce a medium velocity water discharged
with directional properties operating at a minimum water pressure of approximate 1.5 bar.
All systems are fitted with alarm equipment and monitoring devices as required.

Medium velocity water spray system has been developed and extensively and installed for
the following applications: protection of vessels, plant, and structures exposed to heat from
adjacent and surrounding fires.
 FOAM-WATER SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
Foam systems protect any hazard where flammable
liquids are present, such as petrochemical,
chemical, oil and gas, aviation, marine/offshore.

Fire suppression foam is comprised of three parts:

foam concentrate, water and air.

How does foam work ?

1. The foam blankets the fuel surface, smothering the
fire and separating the flames from the fuel surface;

2. The foam cools the fuel and adjacent heat and

ignition sources

3. The foam suppresses the release of flammable

vapor that can mix with air
Foam for fire protection purposes is an aggregate of air-filled bubbles
formed from aqueous solutions and has lower density than the lightest
flammable liquids. It is principally used to form a coherent floating blanket on
flammable and combustible liquid lighter than water and prevents or
extinguishes fire by excluding air and cooling the fuel.

It also prevents re-ignition by suppressing formation of flammable vapors. It has

the property of adhering to surfaces, providing a degree of exposure protection
from adjacent fires.

Foam is applicable as fire control or extinguishments agent for flammable liquid

tanks or processing areas. Foam solution for these hazards may be supplied by
fixed piped systems or portable foam generating systems. Foam may also be
applied to these hazards by portable hose streams using foam nozzles, portable
towers or large capacity monitor nozzles.
A foam-water sprinkler system is a special system that
is pipe-connected to a source of foam concentrate
and to a water supply. Foam concentrates are
available in 1%, 3% and 6% concentrations.

The piping system is connected to the water supply

through a control valve that usually is actuated by
operation of automatic detection equipment that is
installed in the same areas as the sprinklers.

Applications:
1. Aircraft hangars
2. Basements and cable tunnels
When this valve opens, water flows into
3. Flammable packaging areas
the piping system, foam concentrate is
4. Flammable and combustible liquid drum storage areas
injected into the water, and the resulting
5. Hazardous waste facilities
foam solution discharging through the
6. LNG tank farms and loading facilities
discharge devices generates and
7. Mines
distributes foam.
8. Roll-paper warehouses
9. Shipboard engine rooms
10. Storage buildings and warehouses
 POWDER OR DRY-CHEMICAL-BASE SYSTEM

Dry chemical fixed pipe fire suppression systems are self

contained units consisting of a pressure vessel, nitrogen
cylinders , automatic detection devices and
electric/pneumatic manual actuation devices. .

The three-dimensional extinguishing effect of the powder

cloud is caused by anti-catalytic effect, a chemical
intervention into the combustion process.

Extinguishing powders mainly consist of non-poisonous non

toxic inorganic salts mixed with waterproofing and pouring
agents. They are used for fires with solid, liquid or gaseous
substances and for metal fires.
 CLEAN AGENT FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM
(Gas-base)

Heat Reducing Agents Oxygen Reducing Agents

FM - 200 NOVEC 1230 ECARO Argon Argonite Inergen

Interrupts Chemical Reaction CO2

Halon FE-13, 25, 36
FM200 Gas Extinguishing
FM-200® Fire Suppression agent was the first environmentally acceptable
replacement for Halon 1301. FM-200® has zero ozone depleting potential,
a low global warming potential and a short atmospheric lifetime.
It is particularly useful where an environmentally acceptable agent is
essential, where clean up of other media presents a problem, where
weight versus suppression potential is a factor, where an electrically non-
conductive medium is needed, and people compatibility an overriding
factor.
FM-200® is a colourless, liquefied compressed gas. It is stored as a liquid
and dispensed into the hazard as a colourless, eclectically non-conductive
vapour that is clear and does not obscure vision. It leaves no residue once
dissipated.
FM 200 System is dependent on smoke and heat detector for
automatic activation

Panel
Board
How the system work?
Output Manual Release &
Control Abort switch
Input
Panel Strobe Lamp + Bell Alarm

Heat
Detector

Photo Smoke
Detector Input
Output

Smoke cause from fire Fire Suppressed Gas FM 200 discharge to FM 200 Activated
Room
Carbon Dioxide Gas Extinguishing Agent
Carbon Dioxide as an extinguishing agent is swift and thorough. Within seconds,
it smothers a fire and holds damage to a minimum. Stored under pressure as a
liquid, carbon dioxide quickly expands to vapor and a state of fine particles of
dry ice, much like snow.

This "snow" absorbs heat rapidly, changes to a vapor under normal temperature
conditions, and even faster in the presence of fire.

The carbon dioxide vapor chokes combustion, and the snow effect reduces the
ambient temperature to help prevent re-ignition.
Carbon dioxide is a three dimensional agent, enabling it to penetrate the
entire hazard area, including electrical cabinets. Low-pressure and high-
pressure carbon dioxide systems have equal extinguishing capabilities when
each is designed to handle a specific hazard.
Carbon dioxide is normally harmless to equipment, materials and property. It
leaves no residue to be cleaned up, mopped up or scraped off. Production
downtime is held to a minimum.
Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless, electrically non-conductive agent
for the protection of vital services. In many instances, water is not a suitable
extinguishing medium, for example, where electrical equipment is concerned
or clean up time is vital, gaseous extinguishing agent is the only option.
CO2 Systems are installed in unoccupied applications, as the agent is
hazardous to humans due to the concentrations required to extinguish fires.
 ENVIRONMENTAL PROPERTIES
Properties Novec 1230 Halon 1301 FM-200 ECARO-25
(FK-5-1-12) (HFC-227ea) (HFC-125)

Ozone Depletion 0 10 0 0
Potential

Global Warming 1 6900 3220 3500

Potential

Atmospheric 0.014 65 29 33
Lifetime (years)

EPA's SNAP Yes N/A Yes Yes

Conformance

Source: Fireflex System Inc., Technical Presentation to ASPE

Cleveland, OH on March 10, 2010
 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Properties Novec 1230 Halon 1301 FM-200 ECARO-25
(FK-5-1-12) (HFC-227ea) (HFC-125)

Design % 4-6% 5% 6.25-8.7 % 8-11.3 %

NOAEL % 10 5 9 7.5

Occupants
67-150 % Nil 3-44 % Nil
Safety Margin %

(NOAEL) No Observable Adverse Effects Level for acute toxicity, including cardiac sensitization
 Types of Clean Agent Systems

Engineered System – a system that requires

individual calculation and design to determine the flow
rates, nozzle pressures, pipe sizes, area of volume
protected by each nozzle, quantity of agent, and the
number and types of nozzles and placement in the
enclosed system.

Pre-engineered System – a system that does

not require calculation, the specifications are
pre-determined. Fixed amount of agent to
protect a predetermined hazard and volume.
WET CHEMICAL KITCHEN FIRE SUPPRESSION
 ALEXANDER V. LISTANA, PME CEM CFSP REB REA

VP for Engineering and Operations,

Power V Engineering

THANK Deputy VP for Technical, PSME

VP Technical, PIFPO

YOU President Nominee, Rotary Club of Makati Southeast

09178637420

[email protected]