Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities

67 Pages·2012·2.301 MB·English

by  Joshua Dinaburg, Daniel T. Gottuk (auth.)

SPRINGER BRIEFS IN FIRE
Fire Detection
in Warehouse
Facilities
SpringerBriefs in Fire
Series Editor
James A. Milke
For furthervolumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/10476
Joshua Dinaburg Daniel T. Gottuk
•
Fire Detection in
Warehouse Facilities
123
Joshua Dinaburg
Daniel T.Gottuk
HughesAssociates, Inc.
Baltimore, MD
USA
ISSN 2193-6595 ISSN 2193-6609 (electronic)
ISBN 978-1-4614-8114-0 ISBN 978-1-4614-8115-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-8115-7
SpringerNewYorkHeidelbergDordrechtLondon
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2013943571
(cid:2)FireProtectionResearchFoundation2012
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Foreword
Automaticsprinklersarethetraditionalfireprotectionsysteminwarehouses;their
major purpose is to control and suppress fire. However, with an increase in
warehouse sizes, limitations in water supply and changes in firefighting strategies
by fire departments, the effectiveness of current sprinkler protection strategies for
warehouses has been questioned. In 2009 and 2010, the Fire Protection Research
Foundation conducted two workshops to address fire safety concerns in modern
warehouses, which involved warehouse users, insurance companies, fire engi-
neering firms, researchers, fire protection system manufacturers, and code and
standardwriters1,2.Atthese workshops,theapplication offiredetection forearly
fire warning, fire location identification and monitoring in warehouses was
explored, as were the potential benefits of quicker response of suppression sys-
tems,reducingwatersupplyrequirements,andminimizingtheinvolvementoffire
departments. However, currently there is little research available or guidance on
the utilization of fire detection technologies of various types in warehouse
environments.
Accordingly,theFireProtectionResearchFoundationinitiatedthisprojectwith
anoverallgoaltoprovidetechnicalinformationforthedevelopmentofguidelines
and standards for applying fire detection technologies for modern warehouse
protection. The objective of this first Phase program was to assess the potential
role for detection systems in this environment and develop a proposed research
plan to implement the goal.
v
vi Foreword
The Foundation acknowledged the contributions of the following individuals
and organizations to this project:
Project Technical Panel
Bob Elliott, FM Approvals
Rich Gallagher, Zurich Insurance
Dave Icove, University of Tennessee
Jonathan Levin, Liberty Mutual Property
Karen Rebman, Target
Nicholas Williams, C&S Wholesale Grocers
Steve Wolin, Code Consultants, Inc.
Project Sponsors
AP Sensing
Axonx
Fire Fighting Enterprises
SimplexGrinnell
Xtralis
Contents
Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3 Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4 Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4.1 Existing Warehouse Characteristics and Fire
Protection Strategies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4.2 Fire Loss Incidents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
4.3 Applicable Detection Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.4 Warehouse Detection Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.5 Literature Review Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
5 Fire Hazard Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.1 Characteristic Warehouse Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.2 Characteristic Warehouse Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
5.3 Warehouse Fire Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
5.4 Additional Applications of Detection Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.5 Fire Hazard Analysis Summary and Conclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . 52
6 Research Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Bibliography of Additional Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
vii
Fire Detection in Warehouse Facilities
1 Background
Automatic sprinklers systems are the primary fire protection system for use in
warehouseandstoragefacilities.Theeffectivenessofthisstrategyhasrecentlycome
into question at the National Fire Protection Research Foundation Workshops
conducted in 2009 and 2010 [1, 2]. These concerns arose due to the increasing
challenges presented by modern warehouse facilities, including increased storage
heightsandareas,theuseofautomatedstorageretrievalsystems(ASRS),limitations
inavailablewatersupplies,andchangesinfirefightingstrategies.Theapplicationof
fire detection devices used to provide early warning and notification of incipient
warehousefireeventsisbeingconsideredasacomponentofmodernwarehousefire
protection.
2 Objective
The purpose of this project is to provide technical information to aid in the
developmentofguidelines andstandardsforthe use offiredetection technologies
for modern warehouse fire protection. The goal of this phase one project is to
assess the potential role for fire detection in modern warehouse facilities and to
develop a proposed research plan to implement the overall project goal.
3 Approach
Thephaseoneprojectwasbrokenintothreedistincttasks.Thefirsttaskconsisted
ofaliteraturereviewfocuseduponvariousaspectsofthewarehousefiredetection
issue. These aspects included:
1. A characterization of existing warehouse facilities, both within the United
Statesandabroad.Thisincludedareviewofthenumberandsizeofwarehouse
J.DinaburgandD.T.Gottuk,FireDetectioninWarehouseFacilities, 1
SpringerBriefsinFire,DOI:10.1007/978-1-4614-8115-7_1,
(cid:2)FireProtectionResearchFoundation2012
2 FireDetectioninWarehouseFacilities
facilities, as well as the general design characteristics and features, both vol-
untaryandcompulsory.Someadditionaldiscussionwasincludedregardingthe
general fire department response and actions in various jurisdictions for
warehouse fire incidents.
2. Areviewofmodernfirelossincidentsinwarehouses,includingbothstatistical
andnarrativecomponents. Thereview focused uponthe typical lossscenarios,
the ignition, flame spread, and commodity types, the presence and role offire
protection features, and the actions of the fire department.
3. The types of fire detection equipment that may be applicable to warehouse
installations.
4. Existing research relevant to the application and performance offire detection
systems in warehouses.
The second task consisted of development of a fire hazard assessment for
modernwarehousefacilities.Theassessmentwasintendedtoprovideinsightsinto
the potential impact of early warning detection and notification with a goal of
reducing the destruction of property during warehouse fire incidents. The fire
hazard analysis focuses upon four factors related to the severity and impact of
warehouse fire incidents. These aspects include:
1. Development of characteristic warehouse building designs, including building
sizes, storage configurations, and suppression systems. The proposed ware-
housedesignsareintendedtoencompassavarietyofdesignsthatarecompliant
with NFPA 13 requirements [3].
2. Development ofcharacteristic fire incidentsbased uponstatistically significant
ignition scenarios and locations. Mathematic correlations have been used to
estimate potential fire growth, smoke production rates, and likely sprinkler
activationtimesofthefireswithinthedesignwarehouses.Thepotentialextent
and growth rate of each fire has been considered both with and without oper-
ating and/or effective sprinkler systems present.
3. Descriptionofthegeneralfirefightingassessmentsandtacticsusedforfighting
warehouse fires is provided. The expected fire department response times
occurring after discovery of a fire event are also reviewed and compared with
the calculated fire growth calculations to estimate the condition of the ware-
house at the time fire combat is ready to begin.
4. Evaluation of the potential impact of detection technologies with regard to the
fire department response time after ignition and the severity of the fire at that
time.Anassessmenthasbeenmadetodeterminethepotentialabilitytoprovide
earlierwarningtoreducethetotalresponsetimeandreducetheseverityofthe
fire at the beginning of combat operations. Individual detection methods and
devices are not reviewed for this analysis, but rather a general time window
available to any detection technologies has been considered.
Thethirdandfinalphaseoftheoverallprojectwastoidentifyinformationgaps
andrecommendfutureworktoaidinthedevelopmentofguidelinesandstandards
for the use of detection technologies in warehouse fire protection design.
4 LiteratureReview 3
4 Literature Review
4.1 Existing Warehouse Characteristics and Fire Protection
Strategies
Warehouse properties include a vast array offacilities intended for the storage of
various commodities. Individual warehouses may vary greatly depending upon
the type and quantities of materials stored, the intermixing of multiple stored
commodities, the level of automation used for storage and retrieval, the height
and method of stacking commodities, the existing fire protection and life safety
features, and the size, shape, and construction of the buildings themselves. With
such variation, it is not a simple task to classify a ‘‘typical’’ warehouse for the
purposesoffireprotectiondesign.Dependinguponthejurisdiction,orevenglobal
regionornationunderconsideration,mandateddesignprinciplesareenforcedand
can influence the overall implementation of storage method and building design,
fire protection devices, and firefighting tactics.
Important factors in warehouse design for fire protection implementation
include the building area and height, the storage methods, the stored commodity
types,existingfireprotectionequipment,aswellaslocalrulesandregulations.In
addition, the general fire fighting tactics used in the event of a warehouse fire
should be considered. Where information was available, the general warehouse
design characteristics, including fire protection concerns, regulations, and tactics
have been discussed.
4.1.1 United States
According to the Unites States Department of Energy—Energy Information
Administration (US DOE EIA), the United States has been estimated to contain
approximately 600,000 warehouse facilities as of 1999. The average warehouse
contains a storage area of 1,600 m2 (17,400 ft2). Among the 600,000 EIA rec-
ognized warehouse properties, many are sized well below the average floor area,
with44 %sizedbetween93–465 m2(1,001–5,000ft2)and70 %lessthan930 m2
(10,000 ft2) in storage area. The overall average floor area is elevated due to the
increasing number of extremely large warehouses, with over 50,000 warehouses
reported to be larger than 4,645 m2 (50,000 ft2) [4]. It is within these large
warehouses,wherefireloadscouldbecomeimmense,thatthegreatestpotentialfor
large, destructive fires exists.
Asthedesireforgreatereconomyisemphasized,warehousefacilitiesstressthe
needtoincreasestorageheightsandreduceopenfloorspace.Itisnotuncommonfor
awarehousespacetostorecommoditiesatheightsgreaterthan9–12 m(30–40ft)
overanareaaslargeas10footballfields,or54,000 m2(576,000ft2).Whenauto-
maticstorageandretrievalsystems(ASRS)areused,storagemayexceedheightsof
30 m(100ft)[5].