7th International Fire Sprinkler Conference

1
7th International Fire Sprinkler Conference
Exhibition, Copenhagen, 24-25 June 2008

• Protection of Cultural Resources
• Sprinkler Protection for Historic Wood churches
• Magnus Arvidson
• Department of Fire Technology
• SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden

2
The objective of the project

• Gather relevant fire statistics and examples of
  illustrative fires or attempts to start fires.
• Summarize lessons learned and practical
  experience from recent fire sprinkler
  installations.
• Identify issues where additional research,
  testing or development work is needed.
• The full report, An overview of fire protection
  of Swedish wooden churches, SP Report 200642
  may be downloaded from www.sp.se.

3
Fire is historically the main reason for damage

• During almost 800 years, 1193 1984, a total of
  524 churches and chapels in Sweden were damaged
  by fire, war, plundering, collapse, storm, snow,
  etc.
• In total, 447 (85) were damaged or destroyed by
  fire.
• A total of 106 of these fires
• occurred due to lightning.

4
Examples from recent years

• Katarina church (1990)
• Rörbäcksnsäs (1992)
• Salabacke (1993)
• Lundby (1993)
• Trönö (1998)
• Sura old church (1998)
• Skaga chapel (2000)
• Bäckaby old church (2000)
• Södra Råda (2001)
• Ryssby (2001)
• Ledsjö (2004)
• Ramnäs (2006)
• Älvestad (2007)
• Öjebyns kyrkstad, Piteå (2007)

Photo Johnny Gustavsson
Älvestads church March 29, 2007
5
Example The Södra Råda church (erected c. 1310)
Photos The Swedish National Heritage Board
6
Unique and invaluable wall- and ceiling paintings
7
Highest artistic quality (paintings from 1323 and
1494)
8
Destroyed in a fire in November 2001
The fire was deliberately started.
9
System installation case studies in nine churches

• Hedareds stave church
• Frödinge church
• Älgarås church
• Habo church
• Fröskog
• Skållerud
• three additional churches
• Objective Summarise lessons learned and
  practical experience.

10
Six of the studied churches (year of
installation)
Hedareds Stave Church (2004)
Frödinge (2007)
Älgarås (2005)
Habo (2006)
Fröskog (2006)
Skållerud (2006)
11
The typical system installation

• Water supply Pump unit and water reservoir
  positioned in a separate building adjacent to the
  church.
• Complete protection of the interior.
• Complete protection inside attics, bell towers
  and other concealed spaces.
• Protection of the exterior. Primarily facades, in
  some cases also the roof.

12
Separate buildings house the water supply
Hedareds stave church
Habo church
Älgarås church
Fröskog church
13
Water supply equipment
Fröskog church
Fröskog church
Habo church
Habo church
14
Älgarås church (interior)
15
Habo church (interior)
16
Frödinge church (attic)
17
Fire detection systems for facades and roofs
Fröskog church
Fröskog church
Habo church
Hedared stave church
18
Sprinkler protection of facades and roofs
Älgarås church
19
Sprinkler protection of facades and roofs
Habo church
20
Sprinkler protection of facades and roofs
Skållerud church
21
Sprinkler protection of facades and roofs
Älgarås church
Photo Jan G Andersson
22
Sprinkler protection of facades and roofs
Habo church
23
Experiences from the installations

• Aesthetical aspects important. All installations
  are impressively discreet.
• The level of system complexity is in some cases
  high.
• The use of antifreeze solutions may be
  questioned.
• Functional tests are essential to discover
  troubles.
• Unintentional activations are quite common.
• Unintentional fire alarms are quite common.
• Inspection, tests and maintenance are expensive.

24
Discreet installations
Älgarås church
Habo church
Habo church
Hedareds stave church
25
The level of system complexity in some cases high

• Different systems for interior vs. exterior.
• Different system types wet-pipe with antifreeze,
  dry-pipe, deluge, etc for different parts of the
  churches.
• Different fire detection techniques aspirating
  systems, linear heat detection wires, etc.
• New technical solutions, previously not used gas
  driven pump units, flushing of piping with
  compressed air, new nozzle designs, etc.

26
The level of system complexity in some cases high
The attic of Habo church
27
Drainage of the system - special solutions.
Fröskog church
Frödinge church

Y-connections instead of T-connections for
pendent nozzles. Compressed air is used to flush
the system piping.
28
The use of antifreeze solutions may be questioned
Careless use of antifreeze in Habo church.
29
Functional tests essential to discover troubles

• Several cases documented where systems have
  failed to operate during functional tests
• Pressure drop inside pneumatic pilot line not
  high enough to open a deluge valve.
• Component failure in alarm panel solenoid valve
  of a pre-action system never opened.
• Electrical motor protector activated and stopped
  a pump during fill-up of the system piping.
• Mechanical problems with the deluge valves.

30
Unintentional activations quite common

• Six cases (totally four churches) of
  unintentional activations were documented. All
  cases involved facade protection
• Rain water got inside a junction box of the
  detection system.
• Unknown reason (same church)
• Too low temperature rating of heat detection wire
  on facade.
• As case 3.
• As case 3.
• Manufacturing defect of a component in the fire
  alarm panel.

31
Unintentional fire alarms quite common

• Several cases of unintentional activations of
  fire detection systems have been documented
• Water leaking during a hydrostatic test found its
  way in to a smoke detector. False alarm some
  weeks later.
• Leaves were burnt outdoors activated detection
  system inside attic space.
• Too low temperature rating of linear heat
  detection system installed on facades.

32
Inspection, tests and maintenance are expensive

• Example from Habo church, cost per year
• Own personnel 5,000 (3 hours / week).
• Service agreement (the system) 8,250.
• Service agreement (the power generator)
  1,500.
• Annual, third party inspection 3,800.
• Totally 18,550 VAT 23,200 per year.
• Important Statistics shows that regular
  inspection, tests and maintenance is the key to
  high reliability.

33
Issues where additional research, testing or
development work is desired

• Water discharge densities and design areas
  relevant for heritage buildings.
• The protection of facades and roofs.
• Fire detection for facades and roofs.
• Flashover prevention systems.
• Water exposure to vulnerable paintings and décor.
• The use of antifreeze.
• System reliability.
• Streaming of water in cold sprinkler piping the
  risk for clogging.

34
Thank you!