Ceiling-only dry sprinkler systems and methods for addressing a storage occupancy fire

A dry ceiling-only storage occupancy fire protection system comprising:

• a grid of control mode sprinklers defining a sprinkler-to-sprinkler spacing ranging from eighty feet to twelve feet (8 ft.-12 ft.) so as to define a coverage area per sprinkler ranging from about eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.) to about one hundred square feet (100 sq. ft.), each sprinkler including a sprinkler body having an inlet and an outlet with a passageway disposed therebetween defining a K-factor of at least one of about 17, 19, 22 and 25, a closure assembly, a thermally rated trigger assembly to support the closure assembly adjacent the outlet of the sprinkler body, the trigger assembly having a temperature rating of about 286° F., and a deflector spaced adjacent the outlet to define an upright configuration of the sprinkler;
• and
• a network of pipes including at least one main pipe and a plurality of spaced apart branch lines interconnecting the grid of control mode sprinklers, the network of pipes being filled with a gas of pressurized air or nitrogen and locating the grid of sprinklers relative to a fluid source in which about eighteen to twenty-six (18-26) hydraulically remote sprinklers in the grid of sprinklers define a hydraulic design area of the system, the network of pipes that delivers upon activation of a first hydraulically remote sprinkler a minimum operating pressure ranging from about fifteen to about forty-five pounds per square inch (15 psi. to 45 psi.) of fluid from the fluid source to each of the hydraulically remote sprinklers within twenty-five to thirty seconds (25-30 sec.) to protect a commodity of Class III stored beneath a ceiling having a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.), the commodity having a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage.

A method of dry ceiling-only fire protection for a storage occupancy the method comprising:

• identifying a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.) of a ceiling of the storage occupancy in which to store a commodity of any one of Class I, II and III beneath the ceiling in a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage;
• and
• verifying that a network of pipes in a dry ceiling-only fire protection system that includes at least one main pipe coupled to a fluid source and a plurality of spaced apart branch lines delivers a minimum operating pressure ranging from about fifteen to about forty-five pounds per square inch (15 psi. to 45 psi.) of fluid from a fluid source to at least one hydraulically remote sprinkler defining a hydraulic design area of the system within 25 seconds upon activation of a first hydraulically remote sprinkler, the hydraulic design area being defined by about eighteen to twenty-six (18-26) hydraulically remote sprinklers in a grid of control mode sprinklers coupled to the branch lines, the grid of sprinklers having a maximum sprinkler-to-sprinkler spacing ranging from eight feet to twelve feet (8 ft.-12 ft.) with each sprinkler having a coverage area per sprinkler ranging from about eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.) to about one hundred square feet (100 sq. ft.) and including a sprinkler body having an inlet and an outlet with a passageway disposed therebetween defining a K-factor of at least one of about 17, 19, 22 and 25, a closure assembly, a thermally rated trigger assembly to support the closure assembly adjacent the outlet of the sprinkler body, the trigger assembly having a temperature rating of about 286° F., and a deflector spaced adjacent the outlet to define an upright configuration of the sprinkler relative to the ceiling.

A method of protecting a commodity of at least Class I and Class II stored beneath a ceiling having a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.), the commodity having a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of control mode sprinklers, each of the sprinklers including a sprinkler body having an inlet and an outlet with a passageway disposed therebetween defining a K-factor of at least one of about 17, 19, 22 and 25, a closure assembly, a thermally rated trigger assembly to support the closure assembly adjacent the outlet of the sprinkler body, the trigger assembly having a temperature rating of about 286° F., and a deflector spaced adjacent the outlet to define an upright configuration of the sprinkler;
• and
• interconnecting the plurality of sprinklers with a network of pipes to define a grid of sprinklers having a sprinkler-to-sprinkler spacing ranging from eight feet to twelve feet (8 ft.-12 ft.) so as to define a coverage area per sprinkler ranging from about eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.) to about one hundred square feet (100 sq. ft.) for a commodity of at least Class I and Class II stored beneath a ceiling having a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.), the commodity having a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage, the interconnecting includes interconnecting the plurality of sprinklers with at least one main pipe and a plurality of spaced apart branch lines filled with a gas of pressurized air or nitrogen so as locate the grid of sprinklers relative to a fluid source such that about eighteen to twenty-six (18-26) hydraulically remote sprinklers in the grid of control mode sprinklers define a hydraulic design area of the system where upon activation of a first hydraulically remote sprinkler a minimum operating pressure ranging from about fifteen to about forty-five pounds per square inch (15 psi. to 45 psi.) of fluid from the fluid source is delivered to each of the hydraulically remote sprinklers within twenty-five to thirty seconds (25-30 sec.).

A method of protecting a commodity of Class III stored beneath a ceiling having a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.), the commodity having a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of control mode sprinklers, each of the sprinklers including a sprinkler body having an inlet and an outlet with a passageway disposed therebetween defining a K-factor of at least one of about 17, 19, 22 and 25, a closure assembly, a thermally rated trigger assembly to support the closure assembly adjacent the outlet of the sprinkler body, the trigger assembly having a temperature rating of about 286° F., and a deflector spaced adjacent the outlet to define an upright configuration of the sprinkler;
• and
• interconnecting the plurality of sprinklers with a network of pipes to define a grid of sprinklers having a sprinkler-to-sprinkler spacing ranging from eight feet to twelve feet (8 ft.-12 ft.) so as to define a coverage area per sprinkler ranging from about eighty square feet (80 sq. ft.) to about one hundred square feet (100 sq. ft.) for a commodity of Class III stored beneath a ceiling having a maximum ceiling height ranging from thirty feet to forty-five feet (30 ft.-45 ft.), the commodity having a storage configuration of any one of rack, palletized, bin box, and shelf storage, the rack storage being any one of single-row, double-row and multi-row rack storage, the interconnecting includes interconnecting the plurality of sprinklers with at least one main pipe and a plurality of spaced apart branch lines filled with a gas of pressurized air or nitrogen so as locate the grid of sprinklers relative to a fluid source such that about eighteen to twenty-six (18-26) hydraulically remote sprinklers in the grid of control mode sprinklers define a hydraulic design area of the system where upon activation of a first hydraulically remote sprinkler a minimum operating pressure ranging from about fifteen to about forty-five pounds per square inch (15 psi. to 45 psi.) of fluid from the fluid source is delivered to each of the hydraulically remote sprinklers within twenty-five to thirty seconds (25-30 sec.).