Uh, no. If there is a problem with freezing they can use a single interlock preaction foam-water system. You don't mix P.G. in it, that won't work.
The preaction conforms to NFPA 30, dry systems are not permitted. Now before anyone starts anything, there needs to be an analysis of the chemicals being stored to determine the appropriate design criteria for protection of the area. Just because he's storing flammables doesn't mean you automatically go to AFFF, you may need AR-AFFF or some other means of suppression may be acceptable. I've found that most people don't know the difference between flammable and combustibles and there is a difference when determining protection schemes. Plus the density depends on the chemicals being stored. There's no magic number you can just plug in. Get ALL the MSDS info on everything in the storage area. Don't just ask for or get the "flammables". Get everything. There are code issues at hand concerning how much of certain chemicals can be stored inside Once you've determined what the chemicals are, their classifications, quantities, etc. then you can check codes to determine whether he can actually store them inside or not, if anything needs to be done to the building or if they can store without any changes. Then contact your favorite foam vendor and have their chemist look at the chemicals you're dealing with and give you a recommendation on protection. MSDS info is invaluable but don't rely on just one mfgr. Get a copy of the chemicals from a couple of different suppliers since information on MSDS can vary in it's completeness. These things will also give you recommendations for fire fighting measures and warn if something is reactive or if something special is needed. Someone has a lot of homework to do. Craig L. Prahl, CET Fire Protection Specialist Mechanical Department CH2MHILL Lockwood Greene 1500 International Drive PO Box 491, Spartanburg, SC 29304-0491 Direct - 864.599.4102 Fax - 864.599.8439 [email protected] http://www.ch2m.com -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mark Sornsin Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2009 4:11 PM To: '[email protected]' Subject: NFPA 30 - and Propylene Glycol Forum: I have a client who wants to store flammable liquids in a cold-storage warehouse. They would like to use an AFFF sprinkler system with propylene glycol to prevent freezing. I am not a fan of this idea and won't support it for a number of reasons. Do any of you have any views you'd like to share on this matter? Mark A. Sornsin, PE Fire Protection Engineer Ulteig Engineers, Inc. Fargo, ND Direct: 701. 280.8591 [email protected] _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
