Reason Magazin 2014Q3 Seite 38

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THE CAUSES AND COST OF SPRINKLER CORROSION Landmark research reveals the property hazards and mitigation techniques associated with the chemical deterioration of sprinkler systems Fuller assistant vice president senior engi neering technical specialist engineering provide a comprehensive explanation of the different types of corrosion the contributing factors that can be found in fire protection systems and potential corrosion mitigation methods Additionally the paper provides insight into further studies that may yield cost effective solutions for FM Global cli ents and the fire protection industry What is corrosion Corrosion involves the reaction between a metal or alloy and its environment It is an irreversible interfacial process which causes the gradual deterioration of metal surface by water moisture or other corro sive chemicals While metal corrosion can have many different causes it is generally characterized as having different forms or types based on various physical characteristics see related story 9 Types of Corrosion on p 41 This study specifically focused on corrosion issues in fire protection systems Some fire protection systems are more susceptible to certain forms of corrosion and some types of corrosion or a combination of types are more likely to cause leaks or system mal functions Corrosion in fire protection systems Corrosion increases the lifecycle costs of fire protection systems and can become a signifi cant issue for some owners of water based systems It can cause leaks that will reduce the amount of water available if the system is activated and can affect components like sprinklers making them inoperable Corrosion can also cause tuberculation the buildup of mineral deposits in the sys tem s pipes These knoblike mounds are fre quently observed in steel and galvanized steel pipe and are capable of obstructing water flow in pipes and or plugging sprinklers The most common causes of these types of corrosion in fire protection systems are pipe weld corrosion residual water in dry pipe systems and trapped air in wet pipe Corrosion is found in all sprinkler sys tems and is one of the leading causes of maintenance and operation problems for fire protection systems Corrosion damage and mineral deposits can cause pipe leak age restrict water flow to sprinklers and impair mechanical operation of fire protec tion equipment leaving otherwise protected facilities vulnerable to uncontrolled fire loss Several organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association NFPA the Electric Power Research Insti tute EPRI FM Global and the European Fire Sprinkler Network EFSN have pub lished documents and standards attempting to address the corrosion issue Currently though there is no widely accepted strategy either within the fire protection industry or the National Association of Corrosion Engi neers NACE International to effectively mitigate these types of problems in fire pro tection systems In a recent research paper Corrosion and Corrosion Mitigation in Fire Protection Systems FM Global s Dr Paul Su senior lead research scientist research and David To view the research paper Corrosion and Corrosion Mitigation in Fire Protection Systems go to fmglobal com research and click on Research Technical Reports 38 Reason ISSUE 3 2014 theSCIENCE