Analysis of Pressure Losses and Flow Rate in Two Types of Fire Sprinkler Systems in an Office Building (#1917)

Authors

Jeri, Eduardo

Palomino, Joel

Abstract

Real estate growth has transformed cities with high-rise buildings that require robust fire sprinkler systems (FRS). These systems must maintain adequate pressure and flow to ensure fire protection (FP). Global and local fires have evidenced the importance of SRCIs, highlighting their crucial role in fire protection. The study analyzes the hydraulic performance of SRCIs through a simulation using SprinkCALC software comparing two pipe configurations (grill and tree type) in two types of materials (Schedule 40 and CPVC), evaluating pressure, pressure and flow losses. The study was based on a 140 m office building with 44 floors, the SRCI was designed ensuring compliance with NFPA 13 and the two types of piping configurations were modeled in SprinkCALC software, alternating the type of material for each case. The simulations showed that CPVC significantly reduces the pressure loss versus Schedule 40 in grid type systems. In grillage, CPVC operates at 18.68 bar and 980.76 l/min, while Schedule 40 requires 20.11 bar. In tree-type systems, CPVC delivered 987.08 l/min versus 1001.33 l/min for Schedule 40. The design allowed to accurately simulate the piping networks of the tree-type and grill-type systems, complying with NFPA 13. The simulations showed that CPVC had lower hydraulic demand compared to Schedule 40, highlighting how material properties influence hydraulic performance depending on the network configuration.