Protecting the cold store with sprinkler systems: which type is the best fit?

Fire, Sprinkler, Cold Store, Risks, Property Author: Aramayis Galichyan

Sprinkler systems use water, and water freezes below 0 °C. The temperature in a cold store is usually below 0 °C. Moreover, considerably lower temperatures are required for the storage of food. There is a risk of microbiological growth if food is stored at temperatures higher than - 12 °C for a significant time.

Accordingly, if pipes are filled with water within the storage, water could freeze, expand, resulting in burst pipes.

The alternative for this option is a dry pipe system.  The pipes are filled with air. When the sprinkler head opens from heat of a fire and releases the air, the pressure drops, allowing water to fill the pipes, and effectively operate as a wet pipe system. However, an ordinary dry pipe system operates when the sprinkler nozzles are heated up to a predetermined temperature, and by that time all the stock could have already been destroyed. Therefore the type of the sprinkler heads should be carefully chosen.

A pre-action sprinkler system with double interlock system could provide a better protection. This type of system would operate upon activation of both the detectors and the heads being opened. The advantage of such type of system is that the likelihood of inadvertent operation is lower, since only if both the solenoid valves and the sprinkler heads opened, water would be released. The disadvantage, though, is that the installation and maintenance costs are higher, and besides, the more complex a system is, the more time it will take for the water to flow to the pipes, and the more is the likelihood of errors.

A single interlock pre-action sprinkler system would perhaps be sufficient and more economic in maintenance and installation. This type of a system would operate with air under pressure, but generated by smoke detectors. Once the fire is detected, the electronically operated valves would allow the water into the pipes fitted with ‘open’ sprinkler heads (Briers, Watts, (2016) Commercial property and business interruption insurances M93/P93, CII).

Conclusion

It may be concluded that a dry pipe or a single interlock pre-action sprinkler system would be the most cost-efficient and effective sprinkler systems for a cold store. With these options in mind, due diligence and care has to be taken on the number of sprinkler heads, the height and other parameters of the store.