citation to excitation
TRANSCRIPT
May 2, 2016Inspection of Skilled Nursing
“This three story facility was determined to be of Type II construction and except for the enclosed attic space was fully sprinkled. The enclosed attic is constructed with metal studs with fire rated plywood decking containing no combustible materials and was not sprinkled being considered a concealed space.”
“The identified issue is noted that the facility attic does not have proper sprinkler coverage. Facility is seeking a 12 month temporary waiver for this citation.”
Inspection of Skilled Nursing
“Identified area will have proper sprinkling per regulation within the 12 month time frame.”
“It was determined that the facility did not maintain the fire resistant rating of the building in accordance with LSC sections 19.1.6”
How does Nitrogen work?
Earth's atmosphere—the air we breathe—is composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
While oxygen is great for people, it is unfortunately very reactive with metals. When oxygen reacts with metals, such as steel pipe, the process is called oxidation. This oxidation of metal is what leads to the orange/red
corrosion (rust) you see in fire sprinkler pipes.
Nitrogen, the inert gas
Nitrogen is a stable element. It is an inert gas, which means it does not react with metals. Thus, no oxidation or rust occurs! The trick to this is removing that 21% oxygen from the fire sprinkler piping and replacing it with pure nitrogen.
No oxygen, no problems
Knowing that oxygen is the problem, it is necessary to
remove it from the sprinkler system. Luckily, even though air
contains the issue (oxygen), it also contains the answer
(nitrogen). Nitrogen is the perfect substitute for oxygen.
It’s inert, globally available and in an inexhaustible supply.
Nitrogen Generators take the air around us and separate out the
oxygen. Up to 99% pure nitrogen is then pumped into
the sprinkler system to disperse the oxygenated air.
No water, no problemsWhile oxygen is a chief contributor
to corrosion, so is the water. The nitrogen generator offers the added benefit of injecting dry nitrogen into the system. The nitrogen delivered to the system has an amazingly low
dew point of -58 degree F! Talk about drying power. Since corrosion requires all three ingredients (water, oxygen and metal), removing both
the water and the oxygen has a two-fold effect!
Nitrogen Generator
There are 2 types of systems:1. Membrane
technology2. Pressure
Swing Absorption
Both mechanical separation. Membrane less expensive to maintain: $500-700/year
Nitrogen Generators
3 main components:-Air compressor tank-Nitrogen membrane
-Nitrogen storage tank
Steps in the nitrogen generation process:
1. Air is compressed from the atmosphere, and pressurized through a high pressure air compressor
2. Compressed air is then fed from the air storage tank to the nitrogen cabinet
3. In the nitrogen cabinet, air passes through the nitrogen membrane
Nitrogen Membrane
Using an advanced
hollow fiber
membrane separation process-
allows the nitrogen
to separate from the oxygen and any
other residual
gas
Research
Factory Mutual Insurance Co. 80 page study, one of the main recommendations was : Fill dry pipe or preaction system with nitrogen as a supervisory gas (use on-site nitrogen generator) to mitigate pipe corrosion.