ENFP 310 - Water-based Fire Protection Systems Design (3 credits)
 Photo courtesy of Andrew Neviackas ('06) & Danielle Leikach ('06) |
Prerequisites:
- Fluid Mechanics (ENFP 300, ENCE 330 or ENME 331)
- Permission from the Department.
Corequisite:
- Heat and Mass Transfer (ENFP 312).
Textbooks:
- None. NFPA design standards distributed.
Course Description:
- Students are required to individually complete the design of an automatic sprinkler system for a building of specified construction and use. Students are required to classify the hazard associated with the building use, identify appropriate sprinkler design criteria in accordance with nationally recognized standards, specify the types, locations and positions of sprinklers throughout the building, specify pipe types, sizes and layout, perform hydraulic calculations to determine system demand based on the design criteria and system layout, and evaluate whether the specified water supply is adequate to meet the system demand. If not, students are required to recommend alternatives that would allow the water supply to meet the system demand (i.e., increase the water supply or decrease the system demand).
Course Objectives:
- To provide a physical understanding of conduction, convection and radiation, phase change heat transfer and mass transfer phenomena.
- To develop a sound methodology enabling the formulation and solution of a broad variety of related engineering problems.
Topics Covered:
- Introduction: Extinguishing mechanisms of water, Types of water-based fire suppression systems, Performance objectives, Code requirements, Design framework.
- Types of systems: Standpipe and hose systems (NFPA 14), Automatic sprinkler systems (NFPA 13), Residential sprinkler systems (NFPA 13, 13D, & 13R), Water spray systems (NFPA 15), Water mist systems (NFPA 750).
- System components: Discharge devices, Distribution system, Water supply system, Auxiliary devices.
- Design documentation: Contract documents (drawings & specifications), Shop drawings and as-built drawings, Symbols, Riser diagrams.
- Water supplies: Testing & water supply information, Public systems, Private systems.
- Basic automatic sprinkler system design: Basic requirements and protection area limitations, Occupancy classification / hazard analysis, Design criteria, Sprinkler spacing and location, Piping and system attachments, Pipe schedules, Water supply requirements, Hydraulic calculation procedures, Working plans and hydraulic calculation forms.
- Special hazards and applications: High-rise buildings, Storage occupancies, Flammable and combustible liquids, High-piled and rack storage, ESFR and large-drop systems, Refrigerated warehouses and other cold storage facilities, Aircraft hangars.
- Residential systems: NFPA 13D requirements, NFPA 13R requirements.
- Water spray systems: Transformer protection, Protection of vessels containing flammable & combustible liquids.
- Water mist systems: Applications, Technologies, Design considerations.
- Standpipe and hose systems: Types of systems, Design considerations.
- Modeling water-based fire suppression: Sprinkler activation, Sprinkler droplet size and trajectory distribution, Droplet evaporation.
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