Sloped Ceiling Sprinkler Spacing and K-Factor Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Residential fire protection systems for sloped ceilings face challenges due to increased response time and fluid demand, leading to higher water requirements and increased costs, as existing solutions struggle to efficiently manage fire suppression without substantial upgrades to piping and pressure systems.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing fire protection sprinklers with a nominal K-factor of at least 2.8, spaced at least 8 feet apart, and connected to a fluid supply providing a source pressure, which reduces fluid flow requirements while meeting fire control standards for ceilings with pitches up to 12/12, using a grid configuration with various sprinkler types such as pendent, upright, and horizontal sidewall sprinklers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fire protection sprinklers are used in sloped ceilings, then fire protection coverage is provided, but fluid flow demand increases requiring larger piping and higher pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of the sprinkler from conventional downward discharge to upward discharge toward the sloped ceiling. This parameter change allows the sprinkler to effectively cover sloped ceiling areas while reducing the fluid flow demand by optimizing the discharge direction to match the ceiling geometry, thereby eliminating the need for larger piping and higher pressure systems
2Reliability
If sprinklers are spaced closer together to improve coverage, then fire protection reliability increases, but system complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional sprinkler spacing on flat ceilings to a three-dimensional arrangement where sprinklers are oriented upward at specific angles to match the sloped ceiling pitch. This dimensional change allows for optimized coverage patterns that reduce the number of sprinklers needed while maintaining fire protection reliability, thereby reducing system complexity
3Reliability
If fluid supply pressure is increased to meet higher water requirements, then fire suppression effectiveness improves, but system cost and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The upward-discharge sprinkler design allows the system to utilize the natural geometry of the sloped ceiling and the kinetic energy of the discharged fluid to achieve effective fire suppression without requiring additional energy input from booster pumps. The sprinkler orientation optimizes fluid distribution patterns to maintain suppression effectiveness while eliminating the need for energy-consuming pressure boosting equipment
Data Source
AI summary
A method of using a residential fire protection sprinkler. The method includes providing a fluid supply conduit extending along a ceiling, having a pitch up to 12/12, at a predetermined distance relative to the ceiling and connected to a source of fluid having a predetermined source pressure. The method also includes connecting at least two residential fire protection sprinklers to the fluid supply conduit such that the sprinklers are spaced at least eight feet (8′) apart from one another, wherein the sprinklers have a K-factor of at least 2.8. A residential fire protection sprinkler system is also provided. The system includes a fluid supply conduit extending along a ceiling, having a pitch of up to 12/12, at a predetermined distance relative to the ceiling and connected to a source of fluid having a predetermined source pressure. The system also includes at least two residential fire protection sprinklers connected to the fluid supply conduit such that the sprinklers are at least eight feet apart from one another, wherein the sprinklers have a K-factor of at least 2.8.