FM Global

Fire Protection to
FM Global Standards
FG-Sprinklerkonferansen 2016

Steve Plummer, Group Manager Field Engineering

Nordic Region

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 FM Global

Overview
 FM Global
 Fire protection
– Today’s challenges
– Project handling
– Nonstorage and storage applications
 New protection options

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 Speciality focus  Business risk consulting
 Mutuality  Global delivery
 Engineering  FM Approvals

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Today's Challenges
 Business is global
 Supply chain risks are growing
 Business is changing
– Building design, larger and higher
– New storage solutions
– Increasing amounts of plastics
– Integration of operations
 Understanding the client’s
operations and innovation in
insurance coverage and
engineering solutions are critical
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The Full Impact of Fires – Iceberg

 Property & Business Interruption
 Supply Chain
 Community  Customers
 Environment  Market
 Life Safety Share
 Macro Economic  Reputation

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Project Handling
 What design and installation standard does the client (or
other stakeholders) want to work to?
 Nonstorage or Storage application?
– Storage >20m2 or >1.5m high plastics or >3m ordinary
combustibles, protect according to Data Sheet 8-9
 Occupancy specific data sheets; hydraulic or cutting oil,
paper mills, woodworking, chemical plants, ignitable liquids
etc

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Nonstorage Protection
 FM Global Data Sheet 3-26 & 2-0
 K80 sprinklers or water-mist is acceptable for HC-1
occupancy
 Minimum K115 sprinklers in manufacturing areas (HC-2)
– HC-3 occuancy, minimum K160 sprinklers
– Ceiling heights >18 m, use K360 sprinklers
 Extended coverage (EC) heads allow sprinkler spacings
up to 36 m2, but beware:
– Ceiling slopes >10°and
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– Obstructed ceiling construction
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Obstructions - Nonstorage
 Obstructions to sprinkler discharge
 “Individual obstructions” ≥1.2m wide
 Obstructions can only be considered
an “individual obstruction” if less
than 3 diameters apart
 Spacing of sprinklers under non-flat
obstructions should be 1.2m or
install a flat barrier

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Storage Protection
 Ceiling only or ceiling and in-rack sprinklers?
 Ceiling Only
– FM Global Data Sheets 8-9 & 2-0
– Storage sprinklers (“ESFR” or “large-drop”), large
orifice quick response storage heads
– Flexible and economic
– FM Global standards require minimum K160
sprinklers for storage applications
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Storage Protection
 Constraints of ceiling only
protection
– Limited to 12 – 13.5m buildings
– Obstructions
– Lack of flue spaces
– Solid shelves
– Open top containers
 Must not stop water getting
to seat of fire
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Storage Protection
 Ceiling and in-rack automatic sprinklers (IRAS)
– Can be used for any storage height
– Very effective protection – suppression usually achieved
– New options can keep water supply to the same size as
for ceiling only

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Storage Protection
 In-rack sprinkler protection
– Minimum K115 orifice heads, quick-response
– Constraints
• Heads need to be located in the correct position in the
racks
• Face sprinklers needed for some solutions
• Need to be removed and reinstalled if racks are
moved
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New storage protection options

 Factory Mutual began testing sprinklers in 1884
 In the past 30 years, the focus has been on developing
ceiling sprinkler protection
– FM Global began research into “large drop” sprinklers in
the 1970s and “ESFR” sprinklers in the 1980s

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New storage protection options

 Most testing of in-rack sprinkler designs was done in the
1960s and 1970s using K80 and K115 heads
 Research into “ESFR” in-racks began in the late 2000s
 New protection options published in FM Global Data Sheet
8-9 in May 2015
 Alternative in-rack sprinkler designs can be used for all
commodities covered by Data Sheet 8-9 but must be open
frame racks with adequate flue spaces (no solid shelves
and no open top containers)
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K200 to K320 pendent sprinklers in the flue and face in

every transverse flue (at uprights only for face sprinklers if
no more than 2.6m apart)

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New storage protection options

 Vertical intervals of 9 m or 12 m
 5 to 10 heads (5 in two adjacent rack) at 250 to 455
LPM/head
 Treat top level of in-racks as the “floor” for the purposes of
designing the ceiling system
 Do not need to balance in-rack sprinklers with ceiling, nor
account for them flowing simultaneously
 150 mm clearance needed from top of storage to sprinkler
deflector
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Typical Layout for Uncartoned Plastics and Cartoned

Expanded Plastics

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Typical Layout for Cartoned Unexpanded Plastics and

Lower Hazard Commodities

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New storage protection options

 Protection for unlimited building heights
 Lower cost with far fewer levels of in-rack sprinklers
(every 9m or 12m)
 Reduced vulnerability to damage
 Efficient fire control
 Lower water demands
 Reduced water usage and environmental impact
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Summary
 FM Global
 Fire protection
– Today’s challenges
– Project handling
– Nonstorage and storage applications
 New protection options

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Resources
 www.fmglobaldatasheets.com
 www.approvalguide.com
 www.fmglobal.com

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FM Global Seminar
 Teknologisk Institutt Haugesund
 1st – 2nd June – Ensuring Effective Sprinkler
Installations: Designing and Installing Automatic
Sprinkler Systems to FM Global Standards

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Questions?

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