Expected Changes in Minimum Design Concentrations in NFPA 2001 for Clean Agents
The motion to modify the NFPA 2001 ROC with respect to minimum design concentrations for Class A fires failed the floor vote at the June 15 TRS.
A motion to reverse the ROC language with respect to minimum design concentrations for Class C fires was successful and a follow up motion resulted in acceptance of ROC comment 2001 - 17 (log 10) - the results of the floor action were accepted by a 2/3 majority of the NFPA GFE Technical Committee, thus recommending the floor action to the Standards Council.
As a result of the aforementioned actions, it is anticipated that the Standards Council will release a revised NFPA 2001 having the following requirements for minimum design concentration for Class A and Class C fires:
For Class A hazards, the minimum design concentration will be the greater of
· 1.2 X the minimum extinguishing concentration for Class A fires determined by the UL/FM listing tests or
· the extinguishing concentration for normal heptane determined from the cup burner test.
The effect of this expected change would be to increase the Class A MDC for systems using halocarbons. The Class A MDC for systems using inert gases would be unchanged since all of the current Class A MDC for inert gases are greater than or equal to the MEC for n-heptane. Shown below are the MEC for n-heptane taken from Table A.5.4.2(b) of NFPA 2001 Standard Edition 2008 for some of the more common halocarbon agents:
|
Agent |
MEC for n-heptane |
|
FK 5-1-12 |
4.5% |
|
HFC-227ea |
6.7% |
|
HFC-125 |
8.7% |
|
HFC-23 |
12.9% |
For Class C fire hazards, the minimum design concentration will be as follows:
The minimum design concentration for Class C hazards will be 1.35 times the minimum Class A extinguishing concentration for Class C hazards determined by paragraph 5.4.2.2 of NFPA 2001 where the supply voltage to equipment is 480 Volts or less. The new Class C minimum design concentration requirements are to read as follows:
5.4.2.5 The minimum design concentration for a Class C hazards shall be the extinguishing concentration, as determined by 5.4.2.2, times a safety factor of 1.35.
5.4.2.5.1 The minimum design concentration for spaces containing energized electrical hazards supplied at greater than 480 volts which remains powered during and after agent discharge, shall be determined by testing, as necessary, and a hazard analysis.
Assuming the Standards Council issues the revised standard in August as expected, designers and installers of clean agent systems should contact the system manufacturer for advice on how to apply the new concentration requirements as well as other new requirements contained in NFPA 2001.
Results of Motions Debate Posted on NFPA website
Results of debate on NFPA 2001 motions at the June 15, 2011 NFPA Technical Report Session have been posted on the NFPA website. An analysis of what these results mean will be published here on the GSI website in the near future. Check back for details. Click here for complete information on the proceedings of the TRS (links to the NFPA website)
NFPA 2001 Motions Debate June 15 2011 in Boston
The
NFPA motions committee certified Notices of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAM)
for three fire codes in the Fall 2010 revision
cycle. NITMAMs on two revised
paragraphs in NFPA 2001 Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems
submitted on behalf of the FSSA by John Spalding, FSSA representative on the
NFPA 2001 Technical Committee, were certified by the motions committee. As a result, the fall 2010 revision of
NFPA 2001 has been delayed until at least summer of 2011.
The
proposed revisions to NFPA 2001 which are scheduled to be challenged are:
1.
Proposed change to Class A minimum
design concentration. Currently the
minimum design concentration (MDC) for Class A hazards is 1.2 times the minimum
extinguishing concentration (MEC) determined in the listing and approval
tests. The proposed change would
make the MDC the greater of 1.2 times the MEC or the extinguishing
concentration for n-heptane. The
effect of this proposed change would be to increase the Class A MDC for systems using halocarbons. The Class A MDC
for systems using inert gases would be unchanged since all of the current Class
A MDC for inert gases are greater than or equal to the MEC for n-heptane. Shown below are the MEC for n-heptane
taken from Table A.5.4.2(b) of NFPA 2001 Standard Edition 2008 for some of the
more common halocarbon agents:
|
Agent |
MEC for n-heptane |
|
FK 5-1-12 |
4.5% |
|
HFC-227ea |
6.7% |
|
HFC-125 |
8.7% |
|
HFC-23 |
12.9% |
In
submitting the NITMAM Mr. Spalding noted “The 1.2 safety factor has
proven effective in thousands of existing system installations without the
report of failure.” The motion
to be debated at the 2011 NFPA Annual Meeting (June 2011) will propose to leave
the Class A MDC at 1.2 times the Class A MEC.
2.
Proposed change to the Class C
minimum design concentration.
Currently the minimum design concentration for Class C hazards is equal to the Class A design concentration. The proposed revision would provide the
following table of MDC for Class C hazards to be used only if the hazard met a
given set of criteria:
|
Agent |
PROPOSED NEW Class C MEC |
|
FK 5-1-12 |
4.7% |
|
HFC-227ea |
7% |
|
HFC-125 |
9% |
|
HFC-23 |
17% |
|
IG-01 |
40.8% |
|
IG-100 |
40.5% |
|
IG-541 |
38.5% |
|
IG-55 |
42.7% |
The
above proposed values would only apply to hazards where the following
conditions are met:
1. Cable bundles less than four
inches (100 mm) in diameter, which include power distribution cables other than
power-over-Ethernet (nominal 48 VDC, maximum 25 W) cables
2. Cable trays with a fill
density less than sixty-percent (60%) of the tray cross-section
3. Cable trays spaced further
than 10 inches (250 mm) from each other
4. Individual equipment units
in which the power consumption or production is less than or equal to 5 kW
5. Equipment
supplied with voltage less than or equal to 480 V.
The
table values and the list of criteria are extracted from the NFPA 2001 Fall 2010 ROC.
If
the above criteria are not met, design concentrations must be determined by
testing, as necessary and a hazard analysis.
NOTE
that the above extracts from the NFPA 2001 Fall 2010
ROC are NOT currently effective and may become effective only by future action
of the NFPA Standards Council.
Recognized by NFPA
August 5, 2009
The
National Fire Protection Standards Council recognized Guardian Services' Tom
Wysocki for his "dedicated service and leadership as Chair of the
Technical Committee on Electronic Computer Systems." Tom has served
on the NFPA 75 Technical Committee for over two decades and recently completed
his tenure as Chair of that Technical Committee. Wysocki will continue to
serve as a Principal member of NFPA 75.
Tom said, "The
members of the NFPA 75 committee have truly been a pleasure to work with.
They are dedicated to safety and bring common sense as well as vast experience.
I am very pleased that the Standards Council has appointed Ralph Transue,
former Chair of NFPA 76, to serve as the new 75 committee Chair. Ralph is
a dedicated and very knowledgable leader - I look
forward to continuing on the committee under Ralph's leadership."
Other National Fire
Protection Association Activities
NFPA
12 and NFPA 2001 2008 Editions Released by Standards Council
NFPA
12 and NFPA 2001, 2008 editions, were issued by the NFPA Standards Council with
an effective date of August 15, 2007.
NFPA Special
Achievement Award to Sam McTier and Tom Wysocki
At
the opening session of the NFPA Fall Meeting (Reno Nevada, November 17, 2003),
Phillip DiNenno, chair of the NFPA
Standards Council, presented Sam McTier
and Tom Wysocki, two dedicated volunteers, with the Awards at the Opening
Session. NFPAs Special Achievement Award recognizes the significant
contribution of a committee member to a single project that has enhanced the
NFPA codes-and standards-making process.
Pictured
at the right are NFPAs Phillip DiNenno and Corinne
Broderick congratulating Tom and Sam.
In
presenting GSI's Tom Wysocki this award, Phil DiNenno
noted that Tom has been active in NFPA codes and standards developments since
the 1970s. As chairman of the NFPA 12A Technical Committee on Halon 1301
system, he guided the standard as the world scientific community determined
that the Freons, including Halons,
were contributing to depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer. To
protect the ozone from further depletion, the NFPA 12A standard was modified to
minimize emissions of Halon 1301 and provide an orderly transition to non-ozone
depleting extinguishing agents.
Tom
has presided over the NFPA 75 Technical Committee on protection of computers
during an era when the nature of computer facilities underwent dramatic
change. The NFPA 75 Standard has recognized and kept current with the changing
nature of technology information systems.
And
Tom is a long tenured member of NFPA 12 Technical Committee on Carbon Dioxide
systems. His expertise in the safe and effective use of these systems is
well respected.
Fire Protection
Handbook
The
19th Edition of the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook is now in print. Tom served
as editor for the chapter covering Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishing Systems.
National Fire Protection
Association homepage