Fire - and Smoke-Damper Control

12/14/2015
FireandSmokeDamperControl
Subscribe
IdeaXchange
ContactUs
Newsletters
AdvertiseWithUs
Welcome,abco
AboutUs
InfoDex RSS!
MyAccount|SignOut
HPACEngineering
AirConditioning
BuildingControls
Fire/Smoke
Heating
HumidityControl
IAQ&Ventilation
Motors/Drives
Piping/Pumping
Resources
HOME > FIRE / SMOKE > FIRE- AND SMOKE-DAMPER CONTROL
Theinnerworkingsofcontrolsandactuatorsinthreetypesoffireandsmoke
dampersareexplained
ByLARRYFELKER,BelimoAmericas,Sparks,Nev.
SHARE
Tweet
Recommend
Jan1,2008
1
COMMENTS 1
TheNo.1questionaboutfireandsmokedampersthatmechanicalengineersand
contractorsaskis,Howdothecontrolsworkwiththeactuators?Thisarticleexplains
that.
DAMPERTYPES
Wemustclearlydistinguishamongthreetypesofdampers.
http://hpac.com/firesmoke/fire_smokedamper_control
1/12
12/14/2015
Firedampers
Firedampers,whichrarelyareactuated,closewhenariseintemperatureoccursandstay
shuttostopfirefrompassingthroughabarrier.About90percentoffiredampersare
curtaintypedampersthatclosewhenamechanicalfusiblelinkmelts,releasingaclosing
mechanism.Adampermustbeintheplaneofafirewall,althoughsomejurisdictions
makeexceptionsifductsareheavyduty.Outofpartitiondampersareavailablefrom
mostmanufacturers.
LatestWhitePapers
WHITE
OCT30,2015
PAPER
DiamondControls
SolutionsEmpowering
InnovativeBuilding
Management
WHITE
MAR19,2014
PAPER
EvolvingEnergy
Efficiency
Regulationsfor
HVACR
PHOTOA.Curtainfiredampers.
Inafewcases,auxiliarycontactsareneededtoproveopeningandclosinginperiodic
testing.Damperswithbladeswitchesoractuatorswithinternalauxiliaryswitchesprovide
proofofclosure.
Firedampersnormallyclosewhenthetemperatureofthefusiblelinkreaches165F,
althoughsomelocalvariationsexist.Forexample,ifsteamcoilsarepresentinducts,use
ofa212Fhighlimitmaybeused.Thefiredampertemperaturethenmayriseacouple
thousanddegrees,butthedamperwillholdforthetimeratingforwhichitwasdesigned.
Eachyear,severalmillionfiredampersareinstalledinbarriersdesignedtoslowthe
spreadoffire(PhotoA).
Webinars
Smokedampers
SEP15,2015
2/12
12/14/2015
Smokedampers,whichareactuated,mustopenandclosewhenrequiredtoprovidefresh
airortostopsmokepassage.Theydonothavetohavehighlimitsensorsorfusiblelinks
tocloseautomatically.Smokedampersoftenprovidesignalingforindicatorlights,as
discussedlaterinthisarticle.
WEBINAR
ANewEraof
Efficiency:Advances
inWaterSourceVRF
Technology
AUG11,2015
WEBINAR
ImprovingHVAC
EnergyEfficiency
ThroughAccurate
Humidity
Measurement
JUL22,2015
WEBINAR
HowtoGettheMost
OutofYourBuilding
AutomationSystem
withService
PHOTOB.Asmokedamper.
Practicesvarybygeographicalregionandbytypeofsmokecontrolmandatedbycodes.
Mostcommonly,asmokedetector(ortwo)insideofductswillshutdownfansandclose
dampersifsmokeisdetected.Areasmokedetectorssometimesarewiredtoacentralfire
alarmpanel,whileapanelcontactorremoterelayinitiatesclosing.
Smokedampersdonotneedtobewithinawallprovidingasmokebarriertheymerely
needtobewithin24in.ofthewall.Asaresult,theactuatorsmaybeaxleshaftmounted.
However,mostarejackshaftmountedwithlinkagetothedamperblades(PhotoB).
Combinationfireandsmokedampers
Becausecombinationfireandsmokedampers,whicharemorecommonthansimple
smokedampers,arefirerated,theirbladesmustbeinabarrierwall.Theactuatorcannot
beinthewall,soajackshaftandlinkageareemployedwiththeactuatorconnectedtothe
jackshaftextensionoutsideofthedampersleeve.(Thereareothermethods.However,this
ViewAll
Blogs&Opinions
Blogs
Columns
FundingHVACREnergyEfficiency
ResearchandDevelopment
byLawrence(Larry)Clark,
QCxP,GGP,LEEDAP+
Posted6daysago
inClark'sRemarks
GivingThanks
3/12
12/14/2015
isstandardintheUnitedStates.)Almostallcurrentactuatorsaredirectcoupled.
QCxP,GGP,LEEDAP+
Page2of3
Posted2weeksago
inClark'sRemarks
AcceleratingEnergyProductivity
QCxP,GGP,LEEDAP+
Posted4weeksago
inClark'sRemarks
FIGURE1.Acombinationfireandsmokedamperopen.
BASICCONTROL
Thereareseveralacceptedmethodsoftemperaturesensingandactuatorcontrol.A
fusiblelinkthatrestrainsashaftspringcanperformthefiredamperfunctionwhilean
actuatorprovidesthesmokecontrolfunction.Thefusiblelinkdisconnectsthedamper
bladesfromtheactuatorandensuresitsclosure.Theactuatorcanopenandclosefor
smokemanagementonlyuntilthefusiblelinkmelts.Alternately,anelectricbimetalsensor
witharesetbuttoncanbeusedforthesingleprimarysensor.
4/12
12/14/2015
ThesysteminFigure1isfoundinabout80percentofthecombinationfireandsmoke
dampersonthemarkettoday.Asmokedetectorwithalocalthermalsensorisusedas
showninFigure1,whichisacontainmentdamperapplication.
REOPENABLEDAMPERS
Anengineeredsmokecontrolsystemwithreopenabledampersislesscommon.These
haveprovisionsforafirefightertocontrolthedampersmoreprecisely.
Combinationfireandsmokedampersinsmokecontrolsystemshavetwosensors
primaryandsecondary.Theprimarycanbeoverriddenbyfirefighters'controlthe
secondaryismanuallyresetatthedamperonly.
Whenadualsensorisused,thefirstsensoralwaysiselectric.Itopens,removespower,
andletstheactuatorspringthedamperclosed.Thesecondsensormaybeafusiblelinkor
ahighertemperatureelectricsensor.Typically,aprimarysensorwillregister165Fbefore
closingadamper,whilethesecondarysensorwillregister250F.Inabout15percentof
cases,thesecondarysensorwillregister350F.
Signuptoreceiveourfreenewsletters
HPACEngineeringFastrack
(BiWeekly)ViewSample
HPACEngineeringGreenBuildings
(Monthly)ViewSample
FireProtectionEngineeringEmerging
Trends(Monthly)ViewSample
ProductSpotlight(Monthly)View
Sample
EMAIL*
COUNTRY*
UnitedStates
Enteryouremailabovetoreceivemessagesabout
offeringsbyPenton,itsbrands,affiliatesand/orthird
partypartners,consistentwithPentonsPrivacyPolicy.
ConnectWithUs
FIGURE2.dualsensorreopenabledamperwiring.
TwitterFacebook
LinkedIn
RSS
5/12
12/14/2015
ThewiringofadualsensorcombinationfireandsmokedampercanbeseeninFigure2.
Ifafireweretobreakoutandducttemperatureweretoincreaseto165F,thedamper
wouldspringclosedtokeepthefirefromspreading.However,firefighterscouldchooseto
reopenthedamperforsmokecontrolpurposes.Ifthetemperaturereachedthe250F
(sometimes350F)limit,poweragainwouldbecutoffandtheactuatorwouldspring
closed.Itcouldnotbeopenedagainuntilaresetbuttonwerepressed.Firefightersalso
couldcloseanopendampertopreventoxygenfromfeedingafireorairpressurefrom
pushingsmokeintootherareas.
Originaldampershadreleasemechanismsthatonlyincludedexternalsprings.Actuators
didnothaveaninternalspring.Later,afusiblelinkanddualspringswerestandard.One
firespringwasusedtoclosethedamperuntilthefusiblelinkcouldbereplaced,whilea
separateactuatorspringwasusedtoclosethedamperiftheactuatorlostpower,
althoughtheactuatorcouldreopenagainstthespring.Now,mostmanufacturersuse
electronicmethodsofsensingandcontrol.Theactuatorspringistheonlyspringinmost
recentdesigns.
Page3of3
INDICATORLIGHTS
Afirefighters'smokecontrolsystem(FSCS)hasstatusindicationlightsinadditionto
manualhandoffautoswitches.Thelightsallowforverificationofdamperpositionand
overridestatus.Theycanbeinitiatedfromauxiliaryswitchesonanactuator,damper
bladeswitches,orproximityswitches.
Actuatorswitchesoftenarepreferred,astheyareasreliableasbladeswitchindication.
Thelinkagebetweenactuatorjackshaftanddamperismorerobustthanthetypicalcoat
hangerconnectionfromdamperbladetoswitchpackage.
Fullyengineeredsmokecontrolsystemsexistinaboutonly10percentofapplications.
Firefightershavecontrolofdampersinthesesystems.Indicatorlightsshowthesystems'
6/12
12/14/2015
status.
Figure3showsasimplemethodofindicatorlightwiring.Thelightscouldbeinapanel
orlocaljunctionbox,whichcouldbelocatedintheceiling.AnFSCSpanelalsowould
haveanamberlightindicatingfault.Ifthedamperwereclosed,theredlightwouldbe
on.Ifthedamperwereopen,thegreenlightwouldbeon.Avarietyofwiringmethodsare
possible.
FIGURE3.Indicationlightwiringforasingledamper.
Insomejurisdictions,theredlightmeansfireorproblem,whilethegreenlightmeans
OK.Inotherareas,greenmeanson,andredmeansoff,particularlyforfans.
Althoughrare,somedampersnormallyareopenwhennotpowered,andtheredand
greenlightscouldbeswitched.Thiscanconfuseafirefighterduringthecommotionofa
fire.Indicationlightsshouldbediscussedwithalocalfiredepartmenttoensurecorrect
operation.
7/12
12/14/2015
PROPORTIONALDAMPERCONTROL
Figure4showstwoproportionalapplications.Thepressureinastairwellorductmay
needtobecontrolledatacertainsetpoint.Asmokedamperisrequiredifawallalsois
partofasmokebarrier.Giventypicalspaceconstraints,onedamperandactuatorare
technicallyandeconomicallysuperiortotwo(orthree,ifawallalsoisafirebarrier).
FIGURE4.Proportionalapplications.
Therearetwowaystoprovideproportionaldampercontrol:
NoproportionalelectricactuatormeetsUniformBuildingCode(UBC)criteriafor
15secofoperation.TheseactuatorscannotbeinstalledinUBCregions(which
currentlyareCaliforniaandafewoutsidecities).Inthesecases,twodampersare
8/12
12/14/2015
required.Atwopositionfireandsmokedampersitsintheratedwall.Astandard
proportionaldamperandactuatorareinstalledinseries.
InInternationalBuildingCoderegions,aproportionalfireandsmokedamperand
actuatorcanbeinstalledbecausethecode(basedonUnderwritersLaboratories
555S,StandardforSmokeDampers)requiresa75secmaximumforoperation.
Actuatorsthatmeetthe75secrequirement(20sectospringclosed,75sectodrive
open)areavailable.
CONCLUSION
Thetypeofdamperuseddependsontheapplication.Actuationisprovidedforsmoke
controldampersandcombinationfireandsmokedampers.Containmentsystemsarethe
mostcommon,whilereopenabledampersprovidefiredepartmentswithmoreoptions.
Byfollowingthewiringdiagramsinthisarticleandcomparingthemwiththesequenceof
operation,onecangainanunderstandingoftheoperationrequirementsforinterfaces
betweenmechanicalandcontrolsystems.
Codesandpracticesdiffergeographically.Oneshouldconsultlocalinspectors,
contractors,andrepresentativeswithspecificquestions.Themethodsshowninthisarticle
aretypical,althoughpracticesmayvary.
LarryFelkerisaproductmanagerforBelimoAmericas.Heisamemberofthe
InternationalCodeCouncil,theNationalFireProtectionAssociation,andtheAmerican
SocietyofHeating,RefrigeratingandAirConditioningEngineers(ASHRAE).Heserves
onASHRAETechnicalCommittee(TC)1.4:ControlTheoryandApplicationandisa
correspondingmemberofASHRAETC5.6:ControlofFireandSmoke.
9/12
12/14/2015
SHARE
PRINT
REPRINTS
Tweet
Recommend
FAVORITE EMAIL
DiscussthisArticle
Anonymous(notverified)
onJan20,2013
veryhelpful.thankyousomuch!
reply
POSTINGAS:
abco
(SignOut)
YOURCOMMENT:*
SUBMITCOMMENT
10/12
12/14/2015
Newsletter Signup
Signuptoreceiveourfreenewsletters
HPACEngineeringFastrack(BiWeekly)ViewSample
EMAIL*
COUNTRY*
UnitedStates
EnteryouremailabovetoreceivemessagesaboutofferingsbyPenton,itsbrands,affiliatesand/orthirdpartypartners,
consistentwithPentonsPrivacyPolicy.
Related Articles
MotorizedFireandSmokeDampers
PracticalApplicationsofSmokeControlSystems
SmokeControlinaNonductedReturnairSystem
ASHRAELaunchesOnlineDiscussionForum
ASHRAESeekingPapersfor2015WinterConferenceinChicago
HPAC.com
AirConditioning BuildingControls Fire/Smoke Heating HumidityControl IAQ&Ventilation Motors/Drives Piping/Pumping
11/12
12/14/2015
Site Features
HPAC Engineering Corporate
MediaCenter
PrivacyPolicy
RSS
TermsofService
Sitemap
Contact
SiteArchive
Follow Us
Newsletters
Search HPAC.com
ViewMobileSite
Mechanical Systems Sites

ContractingBusiness Contractor HVACTalk Comfortech2013Show HVACRDistributionBusiness RadiantLiving
FireProtectionEngineering
Copyright2015Penton
12/12

Fire - and Smoke-Damper Control

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Fire - and Smoke-Damper Control

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

12/14/2015

HOME > FIRE / SMOKE > FIRE- AND SMOKE-DAMPER CONTROL

HPAC Engineering Corporate

Mechanical Systems Sites

You might also like