Fire Load

Table 7 (BS DD240) Fire load density in different occupancies1) Occupancy Fire load density Average Fractile 2) MJ/m2 MJ/m2 80% 90% 95% Dwelling 780 870 920 970 Hospital 230 350 440 520 Hospital storage 2000 3000 3700 4400 Hotel bedroom 310 400 460 510 Offices 420 570 670 760 Shops 600 900 1100 1300 Manufacturing 300 470 590 720 Manufacturing and storage 3) 1180 1800 2240 2690 Libraries 1500 2250 2550 Schools 285 360 410 450 1) Derived from surveys: see CIB W14 Workshop Report, 1983 [11]. 2) The 80% fractile is the value that is not exceeded in 80 % of the rooms or occupancies. 3) Storage of combustible materials at less than 150 kg/m2. NOTE 1 The fire load densities given in this table assume perfect combustion, but in real fires the heat of combustion is usually considerably less. NOTE 2 The values given in this table include only the variable fire loads (i.e. building contents). If significant quantities of combustible materials are used in the building construction, this should be added to the variable fire load to give the total fire load.

Direct Calculation Of Fire Loading (BS DD240)

Where the fire loading is unlikely to change significantly over the design life of the building, the fire load density may be calculated from the mass and calorific value of the contents, by means of the following equation.
= qki m c H c Af

where
q ki

is the fire load density for the enclosure (in MJ/m 2); is the total mass of each combustible material in the enclosure (kg); MJ/kg), given by the equation below;

mc

HC is the effective calorific value of each combustible material (in Af is the total internal floor area of the enclosure (in m2).

The effective calorific value, HC, used takes account of the moisture content and should be derived from the calorific value by means of the following equation:
Hc = Hu (1 - 0.01 M) - 0.025 M

where, Hu is the calorific value of the dry material (in MJ/kg): see Table 8; M is the moisture content (in % by dry mass).

Table 8 Calorific value of typical materials 1) Material Solids Anthracite Asphalt Bitumen Cellulose Charcoal Coal, coke Cork Cotton Grease Kitchen refuse Leather Linoleum Paper, cardboard Paraffin wax Foam rubber Rubber isoprene Rubber tyre Silk Straw Wood Wool Particle board Liquids Gasoline (petrol) Diesel oil Linseed oil Methanol Paraffin (kerosene) Spirits Plastics Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) Celluloid Epoxy Melamine resin Phenol formaldehyde Polyester Polyester, glass-fibre-reinforced Polyethylene Polystyrene Polyisocyanurate foam Polycarbonate Polypropylene Polyurethane Polyurethane foam Polyvinyl chloride Urea formaldehyde Urea formaldehyde foam 1) Source: CIB W14 Workshop Report, 1983 [l1]. NOTE. These values are theoretical.

Calorific Value MJ/kg 34 41 42 17 35 31 29 18 41 18 19 20 17 47 37 45 32 19 16 18 23 18 44 41 39 20 41 29 36 28 19 34 18 29 31 21 44 10 24 29 43 23 26 17 15 14

Response Time Index (RTI) For a given detector the time constant,

mc 1 Ah V
h V

since

mc 1 [ RTI ] or = A V V

or

[RTI] = V = 0 V0

The RTI for a heat detector is a measure of its sensitivity and can be determined experimentally by either the plunge test described in BS 5445: Part 5: 1977, where the detector or sprinkler head is suddenly lowered into a flow of hot gas at a known constant temperature, or the rate-of-rise test, where the head is subjected to a flow of gas with uniform rates of rise of temperature. NOTE. The RTI measured with a gas velocity of 1 m/s has the same value as the time constant for the heat detector.

The following heat transfer equation may be used to calculate the temperature of a fixed-temperature heat detector or a sprinkler head exposed to fire gases, and hence to determine the time at which the unit reaches its operating temperature:
V dTd = dt
1/ 2

(Tg Td ) [ RTI]

where Td V Tg is the detector temperature (in K); is the instantaneous velocity of fire gases (in m/s); is the temperature of fire gases (in K); is the response time index (RTI) (in mh.s).

[RTI]

Where the velocity of fire gases, V, cannot be established, a value of 0.8 m/s (as specified in the rate-of-rise test described in BS 5445: Part 5: 1977) should be assumed.

Table 16 (DD240) Response time indices for sprinklers Sprinkler sensitivity RTI range m.s Quick response 50 Special response > 50 80 Standard response A > 80 200 Standard Response B > 200 350
Table 17 gives the response times for heat detectors of response grades A1, A2 and 3B in accordance with EN 54-55) (at a rate of temperature rise of 30 C/min)

Table 17 (DD 240) Lower response time limits for heat detectors conforming to EN 54-51) Response grade Lower limit of response time s Grade A1 20 Grade A2 40 Grade B 40 1) Revision in preparation In the absence of specific information, heat detectors should be considered to have the response time given in table 17. Detectors conforming to BS 5445: Part 8 should be considered to have a response time of 60s. Smoke Detectors As Equivalent Fixed Heat Detectors A simple approach, which will generally provide a conservative result, is to model the smoke detector as an equivalent heat detector having the following characteristics: a) an RTI of 0.5 ml/2.s1/2; b) a fixed temperature rise of 13 C.