Category: New technologies in MEP

How gas fire suppression system works best in critical areas of the building?

The conventional fire sprinkler systems are meant for typical office and residential setup. However, if your business concerned with sensitive electronic gadgets and devices, water can harm them as badly as fire or smoke. Moreover, it can lead to the further spread of fire rather than extinguishing it. Here’s when a gas fire suppression system comes into play. Critical operation rooms like data centers, server rooms, power stations, electrical rooms, museums, sensitive material storage, etc. should be safeguarded with a gas fire suppression system. This technology uses gaseous suppression agents to minimize the disruption caused by the fire.

What are gas suppression systems and how do they work?

A gas suspension system is a water-free fire suppressant that releases a mixture of gases to prevent or extinguish the fire. It works on the principle of eliminating the agents which contribute to the ignition and sustaining of fire. The elements of the fire triangle are oxygen, fuel, and heat, eliminating any one of them will extinguish the fire.

Gaseous fire suppression system attacks the following two agents:

• Oxygen: The oxygen level is reduced to 15 volume percent with the help of inert gases like argon and nitrogen. As soon as the oxygen level reduces more than 15%, fire no longer has enough agents to sustain, and hence most of the materials will cease to burn.
• Heat: As soon as the gases are discharged, they form a mixture with air. The air mixture thus formed has much more heat capacity than air aloe. Therefore it absorbs more heat causing the combustion chain reaction to break down.

Three commonly used gases in the gas fire suppression system:

1.    Novec 1230: A fluorinated ketone containing carbon, fluorine, and oxygen.

2.    Inert Gas: A mixture of argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide (CO₂).

3.    FM-200: A hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) compound containing hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon.

Benefits of a gas suppression system

When it comes to securing critical areas from fire, water can be as hazardous as fire. Therefore, it is important to analyze the facilities and operations to appoint a fire suppression system in critical areas. Some of the benefits of gas fire the suppression system is mentioned here:

• Immediate action: An effective has suppression system will not only extinguish the fire but will also reduce the disruption caused by ignition. It further minimizes the damage caused by soot and smoke.
• Stops electrical fire: It might be difficult and risky to extinguish an electrical fire with a conventional sprinkler system. Has suppression system doesn’t conduct electricity and therefore works as the best alternative to stop electrical fires.
• Maximizes clean-up: Besides fire, the residual water and smoke left by traditional fire extinguisher can cause an equal amount of damage. The gas suppression system doesn’t produce any residual and makes it much easier to clean up after fire extinction.
• Prevents risks: The system can be used without evacuation of the room. Therefore, rapid action can be taken while protecting any causality.
• Sustainable solution: Unlike the traditional fire extinguishers, the gas suspension system doesn’t consume water resourcess as the fire extinguisher agent.  Therefore, it acts as a sustainable solution for firefighting.

Gas fire suppression systems are very effective when it comes to securing critical areas of the building. It minimizes damage as well as the cleanup required so that you can continue with the business quickly. 

In case you need advice regarding the use or application of gas suppression systems, contact us at [email protected]

How BMS brings about smart automation in building services

Whether it is an industrial plant, office building, or any other building type, building services are an integral part of their functionality. Moreover, with the building performing various functions simultaneously, their MEP services are complex and difficult to be handled manually. The rigorous task of monitoring and regulating these facilities is now replaced by an innovative technique of BMS (building management systems). BMS centralizes the management of significant infrastructure equipment to ensure the safe and efficient flow of operations. The application of BMS is growing even more due to the concept of developing smart buildings.

What is a Building Management System?

Building Management System is an automated control system that aims at monitoring and managing the MEP services in a building. Heating, air-conditioning, ventilation, pumping station, safety, lights, elevators, power are amongst many other services that can be automated via BMS. 

BMS is supported by a network of servers which ensure that all the facilities are operating properly. It allows a cost-efficient building operation by enhancing the productivity of the services whilst satisfying the needs of the building occupants.

BMS applications in a building:

Mostly BMS is used to regulate the HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, and, electrical services of the building. However, it can be integrated with many other functions as well. Some of the main features of an efficient BMS are mentioned here:

• HVAC –regulates constant airflow to maintain specific temperature and humidity levels, control dampers, and fan speed monitors fan coil units, and AHU (Air Handling Unit).
• Light control – control lights as per the schedule and the time of the day
• Electric power control –ensures the proper working of core electrical and mechanical equipment
• Boilers – maintains a constant temperature as per the requirement, regulate on/off switch of the boiler
• Ventilation – adjust window panes or louvers according to the climatic conditions
• Heating – maintains a specific temperature and switches the system on and off accordingly 
• Security – ensures proper surveillance and warns against forced intrusion
• Fire alarm – smoke detection and control system activates an alarm in times of hazards
• Elevators – displays elevator videos and updates its status
• Plumbing – monitors hydraulic flow, regulating valves and monitor water temperature

BMS is a flexible solution that allows the integration of other specifically designed facilities as well.  

Benefits of the BMS system

Besides simplifying the management of facilities in the building, BMS has many benefits that would assist in enhancing the building performance

• Efficient monitoring of energy consumption
• Saves time and money required for the maintenance of systems
• Saves electricity by maximizing natural light and adjusting artificial lighting via sensors
• Maintains comfortable indoor temperature by synchronization of HVAC and other services
• Minimize energy consumption by turning off the services of unoccupied areas
• Provide easy access and control to building operations 

Conclusion:

With the increasing demand for smart buildings and cities, it is can said that Building Management Systems are the future of the construction industry. While saving a considerable amount of energy, BMS is also a cost-efficient system that can be customized as per the requirement. Indeed it is a smart solution for the management of significant infrastructure services.

For more updates on the latest trends in MEP, go to our website (pillarplus.com). At Pillarplus, we offer cost-efficient MEP services through AI software. Contact us at [email protected] in case of any query.

Water mist system – an innovative solution for fire fighting

Water-based firefighting systems have been a part of the industry for centuries. However, when it comes to rethinking the sustainable use of water resources in the fire protection industry, experts have evolved with time and technology to bring about new reforms. Water mist systems have laid the foundation as an eco-friendly solution producing seven times higher cooling effects than conventional water-based extinguishers. The ability of mist to penetrate everywhere to cool and extinguish the fire brings about an edge over the water-based systems.

Water mist system and its working principle:

The water mist system is a fire protection system that converts water into steam to restrict, suppress, or extinguish the fire by using evaporation to cool down the flame and surrounding gases. The effectiveness of the system is determined by its flux density, droplet size distribution, and spray dynamics.

The fire triangle depicts that the extent of fire depends on the amount of heat, oxygen, and combustible material it gets. Elimination of any one of these will extinguish a fire. Thus, a water mist system attacks oxygen and heat. 

Fire Triangle

• Extraction of heat – Small water droplets create a large surface area allowing the optimal exchange of energy between mist and the immediate areas. As soon as the water droplets come in contact with the fire, they extract heat and evaporate.
• Inerting effect – As soon as the water droplets evaporate, their volume increases. It consequently displaces the oxygen at the source of fire and the fire extinguishers.

How does the water mist system work?

The turbines inbuilt in the system convert water into fine water droplets, i.e. mist. The droplets are then distributed by propellers. Turbines enable the water mist to be distributed to reach larger distances. The benefit of mist is that it can develop a broader water surface and consequently a larger surface area for transporting the heat. Fine water droplets envelop the burning object because of low sedimentation speed. Even the hidden sources of fire are reachable with the help of mist due to its small size.

How is the water mist system better than conventional systems?

One of its major advantages over water-based firefighting systems is the significantly less consumption of water whilst covering a larger area. Water mist is competent to extract more heat from the fire source and create cooling effects in the immediate surroundings. It also binds and precipitates soot and smoke to bring them to the ground. Uses of this innovative technology have led to several advantages such as:

·       Sustainable and eco-friendly solution 

·       Reduced use of water resource

·       Enhanced cooling effects

·       Improved protection against radiant heat

·       Instant activation

·       Efficient in extinguishing a wide variety of fires

·       No corrosive material as by-products

·       Covers larger surface area

·       Minimal space requirement for set-up

Application in buildings:

With the increasing need for sustainable fire safety measures, water mist systems can act as an excellent alternative. It is energy-efficient, uses less space, and contributes to water conservation up to a great extent. 

The modern urban environment needs an active fire fighting system that is competent enough to subdue all kinds of fire. Occupant’s safety is of top priority for any architect or builder and hence the quality of the firefighting system cannot be compromised.  Especially in the case of high-rise buildings with huge occupancy, it is a top priority to install active fire fighting systems that can detect the fault automatically and eliminate the fire source instantly. Water mist systems have been successfully proving their efficiency in all building types, be it residential, museums, hotels, offices, etc.

Case study: Marriott hotel

Marriott is among the top 5 leading hotel management companies in the world. It is a well-established company renowned for its luxurious hotels and services throughout the world for which occupant safety is a top priority. They follow strict life safety measures and conduct regular inspection programs to ensure the safety of the occupants. Owing to its efficient performance, the water mist fire fighting system has opted as an alternative to the traditional sprinkler system by many properties of Marriott. 

In Marriott’s project in London, it was identified that the installation of a traditional sprinkler system would be problematic. In order to overcome the infrastructure challenge whilst ensuring a reliable fire fighting system, a water mist system was installed. Not only did it save space and water resources but also satisfied the performance requirement of Marriott’s fire safety standards.

Conclusion:

Over a period of time, the water mist system has been proven to serve as a better alternative to the traditional water sprinkler system. It covers more surface area while consuming much less water as a resource. It is efficient in fighting fire, heat as well as smoke. While serving as an eco-friendly solution, it also complies with all fire safety standards. 

To know more about such modern and innovative systems in the MEP domain, stay tuned to our posts at (pillarplus.com). We assist you in incorporating the latest technologies in MEP in your buildings. Contact us at [email protected] to know more.