Integrity Testing of Enclosures Protected by Gaseous Fire

Extinguishing Systems (DFT - Door Fan Testing)

Objective

The purpose of the test itself is to determine the time that an extinguishant / air mixture will remain active in an enclosure at
the designated protected height (i. e. how long the extinguishing agent will remain, (in an “effective manner”), within an
enclosure). This is achieved by equating it to measured leakage occurring from an enclosure, this leakage being that capable
of permitting the extinguishing agent to escape from the confines of an area and allowing the concentration to diminish.

As part of the ISO 14520, NFPA and BFPSA Codes of Practice for Gaseous Fire Fighting Systems, Integrity Testing should
be undertaken to a protected area, to determine whether leakage could impact upon the extinguishant performance. Ideally
this is done at the onset (when it is first installed) and then regularly as part of the routine maintenance, once a year.

Leakage and smoke ingress are detrimental to an installations firefighting capability and can impact upon the ability to operate
as intended, prevent fire or provide effective extinguishant.

Principle

Fan equipment is installed in a suitable opening (door) and used to create a small dynamic air pressure differential between
the enclosure and its adjacent surroundings, this pressure is equivalent to that created by the weight of the extinguishant
adopted when it is discharged (its column pressure). Basically, fresh air from an external source is drawn into the enclosure
via a fan which is set up in an access doorway (to pressurise the zone), this is then repeated but this time air is drawn out of
the enclosure (to de-pressurize the zone). This is done at very low pressures (typically 20 Pascal’s) so as to reduce the
disturbance of any dust etc, thus preventing the possibility of any disruption to equipment and system operation.

A test report is produced on-site detailing the findings, if the room has failed the test a sketch showing the leakage paths is
produced, a site assessment is made so that remedial work can be undertaken and the room retested at a future date with the
intention of providing effective containment.

Completion

Once the tests have been successfully completed it is important that all systems are re-instated to their normal operating
conditions, they are put into manual at the time of the test to prevent inadvertent discharge of the extinguishing agent.

The test incorporates a door fan which is utilised to draw fresh air in and out of the enclosure; the quantity required is
dependant on the size of the enclosure & leakage factor. The test kit is positioned within a standard doorway, the door isn’t
removed, it is just opened fully and the kit sits in the door frame.

As the test uses a fresh air supply the equipment should have no effect on operational Computer / Comms equipment. For the
purpose of the test such equipment may remain fully operational at all times; the test can be performed before the build up of
any detrimental temperatures and therefore should not impact on this aspect either.

If there is any particular equipment which needs special attention this should be brought to the testing engineers’ notice at the
onset.
To avoid the interruption of power an external power source is recommended if possible.

A standard survey is conducted on the enclosure before the test is undertaken, this involves enclosure measurement and
identification of the tallest risk to be protected, and this is usually confirmed by the interested parties. If the extinguishing
system is present this is inspected to determine the type of agent, its quantity and therefore allows us to calculate the
concentration effectively achieved and thus allows us to establish if any safety procedures need to be implemented.

The survey itself should pose no risks as this is inspection and measurement only, if there is any equipment, hazardous
materials or precarious locations within the risk area these must be brought to the engineers’ attention at the onset. Any
health hazards need to be treated in the same manner (presence of Asbestos etc). The survey will involve the inspection of
floor and ceiling voids (if present) this will involve the lifting of floor tiles and access to the ceiling void (lifting of suspended
ceiling tiles) if there are any risks within these sections their presence and location MUST be brought to the engineers
attention.

This usually involves the use of ladders and a torch. In some cases site may require the use of full PPE.

The test equipment consists of a fan, a set of door panels (to allow the fitting of the fan into a standard type door) and a
combined pressure / flow gauge. The gauge is battery powered and the fan is driven by a standard electrical supply (either
240 Volt – Usual or 110 Volt – new buildings or specialised compartments etc)

The biggest risk in the section of the test is getting the test kit from the vehicle to the proposed doorway and its subsequent
installation.

All items of equipment are subject to the correct manual handling techniques and these must be put in force until the
equipment is present at the proposed location.

The path from the vehicle to the access door must be clear and free from obstructions, the door itself will need to be wedged
open whilst the kit is assembled and the test run, whilst running the test all other access points need to be shut (this doesn’t
need to be the case whilst kit assembly takes place)

The door frame needs to be suitable for kit retention; this would be part of the initial survey.

If required the test is repeatable and can be performed on a regular basis, allowing (if adequate personnel and materials are
present) remedial works to be undertaken.

Timeframes (Est)

The survey itself will depend on the size of the enclosure and the complexity of its perimeter boundaries. Under normal
conditions we generally allow for up to 2 hours to conduct this in detail. The shutting of dampers is NOT something we would
undertake, this tends to be the responsibility of the client, as only they will know of any consequences.

Set up of the equipment normally takes approximately 30 minutes, running the test once the above has been completed
normally takes between 10 and 20 minutes, dismantling the equipment and conducting any necessary inspections we tend to
allow an hour for. Hence the total duration is anticipated to be four hours (excluding any form of induction etc) for a “standard”
enclosure.

The test itself with the fan running only usually takes approximately 10 minutes, during this time opening and closing of
external doors is restricted, but full operations within the compartment can proceed. If at any time emergency access to the
compartment in question is required, the equipment operation can be stopped within a two-minute period and fully removed
allowing full access and normal operations to resume, all this is via a verbal request / instruction to the engineer in control.

If the enclosure in question has been tested and inspected (by ourselves) previously, this time can be reduced.
 Check List for system requirements and Integrity Testing

1) Is there a suspended ceiling? Yes / No

2) If the void above the suspended ceiling IS protected by the system then the enclosure can be tested as a whole, if not
then the suspended ceiling becomes one of the perimeter barriers and leakage through this needs to be verified, in this
case a second fan and a flexible duct might be required – or seal off the suspended ceiling to ensure the leakage below
this is within tolerance.
3) Are all suspended ceiling tiles complete and in the correct location? Yes / No
4) Does the lack of suspended ceiling tiles have any influence on the test itself? Yes / No
5) Is there a suspended floor? (usually if there is a floor void it Must be protected Yes / No
6) Are suitable automatic dampers installed on all HVAC ducts? Yes / No
7) Can these all be closed adequately for the test? If there are time restrictions, please advise Yes / No
Time restriction _______ Minutes
8) Are suitable dampers installed on all fresh air inlets? Yes / No
9) Can these be closed for the duration of the fan test? Please advise of restrictions Yes / No
Time restriction _______ Minutes
10) Are all evident leakage paths sealed (especially where equipment / cabling is involved)? Yes / No
11) Door sizes – Height ______ Width ______?
12) Please advise of the approximate volume of the enclosure? _____ m3, this is to establish how many fans are required.
13) How many doors are on the enclosure and can access through one be restricted for the test duration?
14) Is there a pressure relief facility in place? Yes / No

Is the client able to close dampers applicable to the risk Yes / No

We do NOT / are NOT permitted to close any dampers pertaining to the risk area, these need to be done by the client, or
arranged for by the client to ensure that FULL reinstatement is obtained on completion. Dampers themselves should NOT be
taped closed as this does not give a true reflection of what could happen in a discharge of the system, (what if it doesn’t close
as required???) the dampers should be operated by the system and the test should take place with the dampers as to how
they configure in this event, this at least allows us to confirm if the damper arrangement is adequate. If cooling is an issue the
a/c units can only be turned off for a short period of time, in this case all ground work needs to be undertaken during normal
operations. For TRUE readings the a/c units need to be in the same state that would occur if a discharge were to happen. In
special conditions it is possible to obtain a snapshot result in two / three minutes, hence down time can be minimized.

Equipment specifically required enabling the testing to be conducted

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Defective areas identified, these need to be resolved before the test can take place, any such defects if present when tested
need to be highlighted during the test as these could affect the results.
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“Continual Mixing” OR “descending interface” – Please refer to the attached documentation – it is essential that the
client is familiar with how their system operates, in some cases the a/c shuts down in others the a/c needs to remain
operational to prevent “overheating” of the equipment racks / cabinets, each site is different and the test MUST be
performed in accordance with actual procedures that occur in a discharge situation, for this reason the client must
know if the air conditioning systems shut down – allowing a descending interface or if the air conditioning doesn’t
shut down creating continual mixing, this is ESSENTIAL in allowing us to determine exactly what occurs in the event
of a system discharge and to report on it correctly. This WILL have an impact on the results obtained and it is in the
clients interest to have this information to hand