Citation

Marshall AW, di Marzo M. Process. Saf. Environ. Prot. 2004; 82(2): 97-104.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Institution of Chemical Engineers and European Federation of Chemical Engineering, Publisher Hemisphere Publishing)

DOI

10.1205/095758204322972744

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Sprinklers are used extensively in a variety of fire protection applications. These systems are required to perform effectively over a wide range of extremely harsh and complex operating conditions. The sprinkler performance depends on the initiation, formation, dispersion and surface cooling characteristics of the sprays created by these devices. The behaviour of sprinkler sprays is strongly coupled with the fire dynamics in the surrounding environment, making characterization of these sprays and their corresponding performance quite challenging. The present paper provides a discussion of the important fundamental transport process for sprinkler sprays in fires. Mathematical models are provided for these processes in order to quantitatively characterize sprinkler spray performance. These mathematical models are well suited for incorporation into CFD codes or other fire modelling tools in order to analyze and predict fire suppression performance.