Ceiling-Only Fire Protection for High-Piled Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fire protection systems for storage, particularly for exposed expanded plastics in rack storage, lack effective solutions for heights beyond industry standards and do not provide adequate protection without additional accommodations like in-rack sprinklers or barriers.
Innovation Solution
A ceiling-only fire protection system that uses a network of fluid distribution devices connected to detectors and a controller to deliver a controlled, fixed volumetric flow of firefighting fluid directly above and around a fire, effectively quenching it without the need for thermal activation or additional structural barriers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard fire protection systems are installed according to NFPA 13, then fire control and suppression is achieved for storage up to certain heights, but additional structural accommodations like in-rack sprinklers and barriers are required, increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the requirement for additional structural accommodations (in-rack sprinklers, barriers) by implementing a ceiling-only system with controlled fluid distribution. The system achieves fire protection for high-piled storage by directing fluid from ceiling-mounted devices through the plume to the fire, eliminating the need for complex rack-mounted components while maintaining or improving fire suppression effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a multi-dimensional approach (requiring both ceiling and in-rack sprinklers, plus barriers) to a simplified ceiling-only approach. By changing the dimensional configuration to rely solely on ceiling-mounted fluid distribution devices with controlled discharge patterns, the system achieves fire protection without the complexity of multiple structural accommodations.
2Ease of operation
If thermal automatic sprinklers are used, then fire response is provided through thermal activation, but the system cannot provide controlled fluid distribution to effectively quench fires in high-piled storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the purely thermal-mechanical automatic sprinkler system with a controlled fluid distribution system that uses detectors and controllers to manage fluid discharge. This substitution allows for more precise and reliable fire quenching by controlling the timing, location, and pattern of fluid distribution rather than relying solely on thermal activation of individual sprinklers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback-controlled system where detectors monitor fire conditions and communicate with controllers that adjust fluid distribution accordingly. This feedback mechanism enables the system to respond dynamically to fire development, optimizing fluid delivery to effectively quench fires in high-piled storage configurations where standard thermal sprinklers would be insufficient.
Data Source
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AI summary
Fire protection systems and methods for ceiling-only high-piled storage protection. The systems include a plurality of fluid distribution devices disposed beneath a ceiling and above a high-piled storage commodity having a nominal storage height ranging from a nominal 20 ft. to a maximum nominal storage height of 55 ft. and means for quenching a fire in the storage commodity. The stored commodity to be protected may include exposed expanded plastics. The fluid distribution devices include a frame body having an inlet, an outlet, a sealing assembly, and an electronically operated releasing mechanism supporting the sealing assembly in the outlet.