Sprinkler

Volume XXXII No. 3 May/June 2009 Kenneth E. Isman, P.E., Editor

Technicians Notebook: Mixed Hazard Occupancies

Question: When dealing with a mixed hazard occupancy where the diIIerent hazard classiIications
occur in the remote area, how do you handle the hydraulic calculations?

Answer: It depends on whether you are going to use the Room Design Method oI calculations or
the Density/Area method. To explore this concept in detail, consider the Iollowing example where
the rooms are ordinary hazard, but the corridor is light hazard (as shown in Figure 1).

























Figure 1 Mixed Use Building Example

Mixed Hazard Occupancies: Density/Area Method of Calculations

II the example in Figure 1 is calculated using the density/area method oI calculations, the most
demanding, most remote situation, which in this case is the Ordinary Hazard Group 2 portion
starting in Room F, needs to be examined Iirst (selected instead oI Room C because 3 sprinklers
are on this side oI the main). A point oI 0.2 gpm per sq It over 1500 sq It can be selected Irom the
density/area curves and reduced to 900 sq It as long as quick response sprinklers are used
(assuming that the ceiling height is not more than 10 It).

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InIormation contained in this newsletter is derived Irom sources believed to be reliable. NFSA cannot guarantee
accuracy oI all inIormation. Statements and conclusions are based on the best judgment oI the NFSA Engineering StaII.
2009 NFSA, Inc. Cannot be reproduced without permission oI the editor.
TechNotes
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Room A
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room B
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room C
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room D
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room E
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room F
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room G (corridor) (Light Hazard)
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Sprinkler TechNotes May/June 2009 Page 2


With a design area oI 900 sq It and with most sprinklers covering 130 sq It per sprinkler, you
would expect to Iind at least 7 sprinklers in the design area (900/130 6.9, rounded up to 7).
The length oI the design area parallel to the branch lines needs to be at least 36 It (1.2900
36). So, the design area should be sprinklers 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9 as shown in Figure 2. The
selection oI sprinklers is made ignoring walls and selecting the sprinklers on the second branch
line that are the closest to the main (these are the most demanding because they operate at a
higher pressure, discharging more water). Looking at this design area, the actual distance
parallel to the branch lines is 40 It and it actually encompasses 910 sq It, so all oI the design
area rules oI NFPA 13 have been met.

























Figure 2 Design Area for Example for Question 1 Using Density/Area Method


The design area shown on Figure 2 is calculated by ignoring the existence oI the walls.
Basically, the idea is to recognize that the worse-case situation is iI the Iire starts in Room F
and breaks out oI the room. It is more demanding on the sprinkler system iI the Iire breaks out
into the corridor rather than breaking out into Room E because this Iorces more water to Ilow
in the same branch line. Even though the corridor is light hazard, the Ilow Irom the sprinkler
in the corridor is signiIicantly more than what is needed to protect the light hazard space
because it is being driven by the pressure needed at sprinkler 5.

The Ilow and pressure demand at sprinkler 5 are 26 gpm (0.2 x 13 x 10 26) and 21.6 psi
(assuming k-5.6 sprinklers). Assuming some basic pipe sizes and locations, calculating the 7
sprinklers shown on Figure 2 yields a demand at the top oI the riser oI 198 gpm at 35 psi.




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Room A
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room B
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room C
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room D
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room E
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room F
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room G (corridor) (Light Hazard)

Sprinkler TechNotes May/June 2009 Page 3


Note that this is slightly more than iI the user had assumed that it would be worse iI the Iire had
broken into Room E rather than the corridor. II you had kept to the Ordinary Hazard area and
calculated 7 oI the sprinklers in Rooms E and F (4, 5, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15), you would have
had a demand at the top oI the riser oI 189 gpm at 30 psi. This assumption is less demanding
than the area shown on Figure 2 because the extra sprinklers on the branch lines increase
Iriction loss on those lines, driving up the pressure and the Ilow at sprinklers closer to the riser.
So, even though the remote area shown on Figure 2 has some Light Hazard space in it, it is still
the most demanding 900 sq It Iire area and this is the demand that needs to be calculated.

Mixed Hazard Occupancies: Room Design Method of Calculations

II the walls and doors have the proper Iire resistance ratings, the room design method oI
Chapter 11 oI NFPA 13 can be used. In order to determine the proper Iire resistance rating,
you need to look at Table 11.2.3.1.2. With Ordinary Hazard Group 2 as the hazard
classiIication, the room walls will need at least 60 minute ratings (90 minute iI the waterIlow
alarms are not electronically supervised at a constantly attended location) and the doors will
need to be appropriate Ior the wall (typically, 45 minute rated doors are used in 60 minute
walls). Also, in order to use the Room Design Method, the doors will need to be automatic
closing or selI closing because they are adjacent to an ordinary hazard space. II all oI the
rooms were light hazard, the doors would be permitted to be regular doors without any selI-
closing Ieature, but additional sprinklers would have needed to be calculated in rooms
adjacent to the most demanding one.

Assuming that the walls and doors are the correct Iire resistance rating, 2 diIIerent sets oI
hydraulic calculations will need to be perIormed. First, the ordinary hazard space oI Room F
(most remote and most demanding) will need to be calculated with 4 sprinklers Ilowing (4, 5,
9, and 10). Then the corridor will need to be calculated as a light hazard space (a corridor
protected by a single row oI sprinklers) using the 5 sprinkler calculation oI section 11.2.3.3.7.
See Figure 3 at the bottom oI the next page showing the two design areas.

When calculating the ordinary hazard space using the Room Design Method, you only need to
calculate the 4 sprinklers in Room F (4, 5, 9 and 10). Starting at sprinkler 5 with 26 gpm and
21.6 psi, you end up with a demand oI 106.5 gpm at 29 psi at the top oI the riser.

When calculating the light hazard space using the Room Design Method, you only need to
calculate 5 sprinklers in the corridor (3, 8, 11, 14 and 17). Each sprinkler protects 182 sq It (14
x 13 182) due to the S x L rules that require you to consider twice the distance to the wall (7
It) rather than just the width oI the corridor. With a demand density oI 0.1 gpm per sq It, the
demand at sprinkler 3 will be 18.2 gpm (182 x 0.1 18.2) at 10.6 psi. Calculating the other
sprinklers in the corridor yields a total demand at the top oI the riser oI 91.3 gpm at 11.4 psi.

In this particular case, the ordinary hazard situation is more demanding than the light hazard
situation in both pressure and Ilow, but that is not always the case. The light hazard situation
needs to be calculated because even though the pressure might not be more than the ordinary
hazard case, the Ilow might be with 5 sprinklers in the design area.

















Sprinkler TechNotes May/June 2009 Page 4


II the light hazard calculations had shown that the Ilow demand was higher than the Ilow
demand Ior the ordinary hazard calculation, the water supply would have needed to meet both
the demands Ior the light hazard and the ordinary hazard situations individually. The two
demands would not be required to be added together. But the water supply would need to be
strong enough to handle both demands separately.

























Figure 3 Design Areas for Room Design Method

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Room A
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room B
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room C
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room D
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room E
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room F
(Ordinary Hazard Group 2)
Room G (corridor) (Light Hazard)
Design Area #1
(4 Sprinklers OH2)
Design Area #2
(5 Sprinklers LH)