THE OVERVIEW OF WATER MIST FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

Author’s name: Yadu Menon, UPES, Dehradun

ABSTRACT

The advance in the Research and use of Water Mist frameworks in Fire concealment have been
considerable in the course of the past couple of decades. Water Mist Fire Suppression System
(WMFSS) is considered to be a significant competitors on substituting Water sprinkler
Firefighting frameworks. The framework with solid splash force gives a palatable execution in
dousing strong fires, fluid fires and also kitchen fires under absence of ventilation. The spout
with high release force and low operational pressure is the goal. The Water Mist released is
assumed to get evaporated totally when they reach up to the fire. Likewise, a WMFSS can be
utilized to quench electrical flames brings about negligible harms to the electrical hardware and
furniture (damages caused because of water) contrasted with the contemporary water sprinkler
frameworks.

In any case, it is noticed that fine water drops are effectively influenced by indoor optimal
design. The mist may not reach up to the fire if there is a solid upward air development instigated
by the crest, and ventilation if there are any. This paper is for reviewing the general attributes of
the WMFSS like nozzle designs, quenching time and enclosure effects alongside the downsides
and commonsense utilizations of such frameworks.
INTRODUCTION

The word 'Water Mist' alludes to micro Water droplets on which 99 percentage of Volume are
droplets with dia. under 1000 μ. Utilization of Water Mist in the Fire concealment, contrasted
with utilization of vaporous operators & traditional Sprinkler frameworks, have shown focal
points Including the accompanying:

Not dangerous & No suffocation issues, No Environmental issues, Low framework expense,
restricted / No Water harm, & more effectiveness in quenching particular kinds of flames.

Investigation & depiction of basic standards for extinguishing Fluid and Solid Fuel Fires by
Water Mist is followed back to Mid 1950’s. The research kept on being done amid the 1970s at
colleges, industry and government investigation offices[1].

These early investigations concentrated on quenching mechanism of Water Mist & ideal bead
parameter for proficient Fire concealment. It is demonstrated that the Water Mist with Fine
shower is exceptionally proficient on quenching fluid & Solid Fuel Fires & quenching hydro-
carbon mist explosion. In the meantime, be that as it may, Halon-1301 & 12ll, the best
concoction Fire Suppressants at any point created, were presented. The use of water mist for
flame concealment was, in this way not considered useful until the current prerequisite to
eliminate Halon Based Agents, because of their negative ecological impacts. As a dynamic fire
stifling framework, it is considered as a hopeful medium to substitute the prohibited Halogen-
based aggregate flooding framework after 1987[2].

The WMFSS framework is almost perfect and eco-friendly. There is no ozone depletion impact
and Global Warming impact as the framework makes utilization of water as the quenching
medium. The WMFSS uses stage cooling, oxygen uprooting and radiation lessening as the
significant strategies to douse a fire. The aggregate Heat Extraction comprised of two sections,
which are, Heat Transferred and Heat Evaporated [3]

It is realized that with enough releasing energy, the Heat Transfer Coefficient could get increased
for the most part. At the point when the water drop’s size is diminished, the Total Surface Area
of water beads increases. The time for the mist to assimilate heat and dissipate to steam will then
get decreased. In this way, the quenching capacity could be expanded and the damages due to
water were limited. The oxygen uprooting additionally assumes a noteworthy part in dousing
fire[4]

In the course of the most recent decade, examines on water mist innovation have altogether
expanded. An overview completed by “Mawhinney & Richardson” in 1996 showed about 50
authorities in the globe are engaged with the R&D of Water Mist Fire concealment frameworks,
going from hypothetical examinations concerning extinguishing mechanism & PC Modeling to
advancement, protecting & assembling of Mist creating hardware. Those current examinations
have demonstrated that the Water Mist advances has potential, either to supplant Fire security
methods which are not any more naturally adequate, or to give new responses to issues where
conventional advances have not been as powerful as wanted. Keeping in mind the end goal to
recognize future advancements and potential adequacy enhancements for Water Mist Fire
concealment frameworks, There is need for auditing advance which have been made on Water
Mist innovation in course of the most recent couple of years[5]. This paper, as an initial step,
gives an overview of the basic research in WMFSS, including components of extinguishment,
shower attributes, strategies for producing the mist and a few factors that impact execution of the
system, for example, the fenced in area impact and dynamic blending. Advanced researches in
utilization of PC modeling for advancement of the Water Mist framework is additionally
Reviewed & talked about.[6]

Water Mist Nozzle Design

The framework comprises of Pressure Source, Water Source, and Pipe net and in addition the
'water mist nozzle'. Each part in the framework is critical to guarantee the steady quenching
functioning of the framework. Above all, the Nozzle appear to be the most important part on the
grounds that an all around planned and fitted nozzle will guarantee sufficiently fine water drops
and keep up the releasing mist distribution legitimately. In this way, the design of the nozzle
ought to be contemplated unmistakably. There are three kinds of Nozzles in the significant
surges of the market in view of the water mist production standards. They are; Impingement
Nozzle, Pressure Jet Nozzle and Twin-Fluid Nozzle. Moreover, there are a few advancements on
producing fine/Ultra-fine water mists[7].

These nozzles operate under various working pressure and can create distinctive Spray
characteristic. The NFPA-750 characterizes 3 Pressure ranges for Water Mist producing
frameworks: Low-Pressure system which operates @ Pressures around 12-bar or less,
Intermediate-Pressure system which operates in 12 to 34 bar range, and High Pressure system
which works at pressures more than 34 bar[8].

Impingement Nozzle: The Impingement nozzle has a few similitudes to a traditional Sprinkler
nozzle on the appearance and in addition the inward structure perspectives. The Impingement
Nozzle has a 'deflector' after the small outlet. Some of the time, the diffuser is in ball-shape, plat-
shape or other exceptional spiral shapes. At the point when the water is released from the water
outlet, it strikes onto the diffuser and forms into water mist. Most Impingement kind of nozzles
has screens to filter the water and keep the outlet from hindering by a few substances in the
water. The Impingement nozzles are specifically associated with a water source, most of the time
the water pump and could be controlled either physically or can be made automatic[9]. This type
operates in the range of Low to Intermediate pressures.

Pressure Jet Nozzle: This type of nozzles doesn’t have a diffuser mechanism for generating
water mist. Here, the mists are produced by means of passing the water through very small
outlets with high pressures. As the jet of water passes through the outlet, it breaks in to very fine
water droplets because of the Physical change such as the viscosity of the fluid, speed of the jet
and the diameter of the jet stream. Hence, the operational pressure of Pressure Jet Nozzle is
greater than that of Impingement Nozzle. The higher the pressure is applied, the finer the water
mist becomes (although, after reaching up to a threshold limit the diameter of the water droplets
can’t be reduced by increasing the pressure)[10].

Twin Fluid Nozzle: Unlike the traditional Single Phase Flow type Nozzle, the Twin Fluid
Nozzle uses ‘compressed gas’ to break the water in to fine droplets. This process happens in a
specially designed framework known as the Mixing Chamber. The water mist is then discharged
through the outlets for the fire suppression purpose. The main advantage of this system is that, it
uses lower pressures to produce fine water mist, so that the pipes and valves used for the
framework can be of common type. But at the same time, by using double pipes, the system
design will become complex as well as costly as compared to other systems[11].

The Fire Quenching Performance Indicators

The viability of the WMFSS depend on few factors, for example, change in Heat Release Rate
(HRR), Rate of Change of room Temperature, change of concentration of gas inside the
compartment and in addition, the quenching time can uncover the dousing execution of the
WMFSS to some degree. Here, for getting the best results about the fire quenching performance,
the quenching time is considered, for it is not being a complex parameter and for better
understanding. Mentioned below are some key points which got unveiled during a series of
experiments and researches conducted by different authorities to check the efficiency of
WMFSS[12]:

 For Total Flooding Application, the framework took double the time for quenching ‘High
Pressure Spray Fire’ than that with ‘Low Pressure Spray Fire’. And for the Class-A fires,
the quenching time was more than ten minutes, which was considered to be not
satisfactory.
 For the Local Application, the minimum spray heat absorption ratio [SHAR] is
considered more than that in Total Flooding System.
 For the Water Mist Portable Extinguisher, the quenching time for Class B (flammable
liquids) and Class F (cooking oil) fires were very less, that is within five seconds.
  Also, the quenching time depends on many other factors like, the type of fuel, size of the
Fire, & location of fire. For example, from table below(Table-1), it can be observed that,
even for the same size of fire (HRR), the quenching time varies according to different
types of fuels;

Table-1

Fire Type Heat Release Rate (HRR) Extinguishing Time(min)

Heptane Spray Fire 1 MW 1.34
Heptane Spray Fire 2 MW 0.20
Heptane Spray Fire 6 MW 0.26
Diesel Spray Fire 1 MW 3.13
Diesel Spray Fire 2 MW 0.38
Diesel Spray Fire 6 MW 0.50

Enclosure Effects on WMFSS

As the water drops are fine to the point that they are extremely and effortlessly influenced by the
aerodynamics in an enclosed area, in this manner how the Mechanical ventilation influence the
operation of the WMFSS ought to be contemplated in more detail. The ventilation conditions
could influence the dousing time, concentrations of the gas, the water release patterns and also
different other performances of WMFSS. In a few guides, such as NFPA-750 and SFPE
Handbook, it is expected that the entire MVAC framework for 'thermal comfort' ought to be
closed downward on enactment of the WMFSS. In the event that the MVAC framework was all
the while working or there was (natural) ventilation existing, the WMFSS performance may be
influenced[13].

During a condition where a fire breaks out in Enclosed area (Compartment), that compartment
will get heated up & Concentration of oxygen there will get reduced gradually. Adding up to
this, the byproduct-gases due to the burning which are heated up will accumulate at the top of the
compartment. As the water mist gets discharged from the ceiling, the lion share will get
converted into water vapor and this will separate the oxygen & fuel vapors from the
surroundings of the fire since the very fine drops of water will soak up the heat from the
surrounding areas. The ability of Compartment in absorbing heat & to Confine the Products of
combustion & the water vapor has a critical influence on the quenching performances of Water
Mist, termed as “enclosure-effect” in extinguishing fires[14]. With “enclosure-effect”, it is
conceivable to stifle even the Shielded flames with low-momentum showers in heavily impeded
Compartments. The “flux density” needed for Extinguishment can almost be 10* less than the
required, for Unconfined & Well-Ventilated flames.

Conclusion
Smothering mechanism of Water-Mist frameworks has been distinguished as; Cooling of Fuel &
fire, displacing oxygen & Fuel Vapor, & Radiant-Heat Attenuations, with extra Kinetic-effect.
Albeit these systems are included to some degree in flame extinguishment, just one or two
components assume a prevailing part in a particular fire concealment situation.

The WMFSS is a decent alternate for the Halogen based Total Flooding Framework. It has no
harm to the environment and furthermore has a solid ability in stifling fluid flames under no
ventilation condition. The Water Mist Nozzle is a key segment for guaranteeing the framework
execution and subsequently, the research and analyst teams should focus on design of nozzles. In
spite of the fact that the WMFSS has numerous point of interests, the case-reliant and fluctuating
performance of the WMFSS under ventilation conditions makes a noteworthy issue in pragmatic
applications.

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