There is no limit in the standard, however the laws of physics, as you might expect, do in fact still apply..
The amount of water that actually reaches the seat of the fire from a tall height depends on numerous factors like the size of the falling water droplet, and the characteristics of the fire's rising smoke and entrained air plume.
Also, the plume from a small fire in a tall space may not even reach the sprinklers to activate them. The plume cools as it rises, because it entrains cool ambient air on the way up, and reaches an maximum height where it is neutrally bouyant and spreads out horizontally.
All those factors mean that there is no "rule of thumb" for a maximum height, however a qualified fire protection PE could certainly assist you if there is a concern.
Real world knowledge doesn't fall out of the sky on a parachute, but rather is gained in small increments during moments of panic or curiosity.
Pipesnpumps, you addressed some of the same things I think about every time I see the sprinklers in the atrium of a high rise. I cant help but wonder how big the fire will have to get to operate sprinklers at over 100'.
Does anyone know if there has been any fire testing in this area??
This is a Factory of wood which have a ceiling height of (8 m min. and sloping up to 10 meters), I provide on my design a sprinkler which has a k factor of 8.0, ordinary hazard, standard coverage upright. I selected this because of the pressure needed(compared to k=5.6) before it goes thru the fire. But as cdafd said that there must be a certain height before the fire gets into the activation of sprinkler. so what should I do for this kind of situation.thanks
actually there is no storage, considering only a factory of wood products. So the question is, is it possible to install a standard coverage, k=8.0 or using ESFR sprinkler because of high ceiling.thanks.
