midwest healthcare conference & trade show....midwest healthcare engineering conference &...

#ULis125

Latest Information from UL on New

Technology Systems and Fire Safety

Bob JamesGlobal Building Sciences Business Director

Midwest Healthcare

Engineering Conference & Trade

Show.

UL’s Founder William Henry Merrill

William Henry Merrill

1866-1923

He was a skilled and highly trained

Boston electrical inspector hired by the

Chicago Underwriters Bureau to

resolve problems with automatic fire

alarms in the city of Chicago in 1893.

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2018

1893 Chicago World’s Fair

Palace of Electricity

Underwriters Electrical Bureau - 1894

The location was a

small one room

laboratory above Fire

Patrol Station #1 on

Monroe St. in

downtown Chicago,

IL.

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Underwriters Laboratories

To promote safe living and working environments through the

application of safety science and hazard-based safety

engineering.

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

GENERAL UL NUMBERS

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Enhanced Standards – Effective May 2020

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Timeline of Smoke Alarms

1995 1999 2020

1977 2016

1976

5,865

deaths due to

home structure

fires in the US

2,735

Li-ion

10 yr

lifespan

UL

“smoke test”

Enhanced

standard

required

Smoke

alarm safety

standard

published

Long-life

smoke

alarms

introduced

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Common Nuisance Sources

Marty Ahrens March 2014 Report, titled Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires

• Steam Nuisance alarms account for no more than 2% of nuisance alarms (down from 5% in 2004)

• Cooking Nuisance alarms account for 73% of nuisance alarms (up from 69% in 2004)

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Higher Fuel Load

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Increased Fuel Loads - Experiment

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Changing Fire Dynamics

approx

17 min

approx

3 min

Natural materials

and furnishing

Synthetic materials

and open floor plans

20181978Escape times in a home

fire have decreased from

approximately 17 minutes to

approximately 3 minutes over

the last 40 years, due to changes

in materials and floorplans in

modern homes.

Comparison of modern and legacy home furnishings

https://ulfirefightersafety.org/research-projects/comparison-of-modern-and-legacy-home-furnishings.html

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

Certification Mark

Indicates Certification.

Minimum requirements and perquisites.

14

What is the Mark?

is not a mark that satisfies the

requirements for “Listing” nor is it accepted

by AHJs in most of the United States

only means the product was “self

certified” to specific European

Directives for ease of movement into

and within European Union

UL’s Latin motto:

“Ignis Servus Non Dominus”

Fire should be our servant

and never our Master!

Building Inspections

• Building Codes

• Fire Codes

• Life Safety Code

• Referenced Standards

Steiner Tunnel

Steiner Tunnel

Steiner Tunnel

Ignition Burners

Steiner Tunnel

The Station

The Station nightclub fire

on February 20, 2003 was

the fourth deadliest nightclub

fire in U.S. history, killing 100

people and injuring nearly

200.

Most perished on the night of

the fire, and 4 died later from

their injuries at local

hospitals.

The Station Nightclub

Ignition

Indoor pyrotechnics

Contributing Factors

Combustible interior finish

Crowd

movement/management

Be Aware of Misapplication of Tests

27

The Problem!

“We are proud to offer 4.5 ft.. X 8 ft.. X 1 1/8 inches thick (36 sqft) sheets of soundproof egg crate foam. Our sound proof foam is

convoluted on one side producing greater sound absorbing capabilities. The acoustical studio foam is a 1.5 lb. density Ester. Our egg crate studio foam is UL94 HF-1 rated which makes the foam

virtually self-extinguishing when it comes in contact with a flame. This allows greater comfort knowing your foam is non-flammable. The

egg crate acoustical foam has an NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) rating of .9 out of a possible 1. The egg crate foam virtually

eliminates outside noise and absorbs all sound waves.”From Acoustical Foam Panel

A Division of American Micro Industries, Inc. ®440-C RAMSEY AVENUE

CHAMBERSBURG, PA 17201 website: http://www.acousticalfoampanel.com Resourced 4-21-03

From the UL 94 Standard –

Tests for Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in

Devices and Appliances

UL 94 test is not applicable for building materials:

“These requirements do not cover plastics

when used as materials for building construction

or finishing.”

FireStop Systems

What is a “Firestop System”?

A

B

C

DE

UL 1479 – Conditions of Acceptance

F Rating

No Passage of Flame

Withstand Hose Stream

FIRE RESISTANCE TEST STANDARDS

What happens when you compromise the fire rated wall?

How does it maintain it’s fire rating?

UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2017. Proprietary & Confidential.

32

Pipe

Window

Door Damper

RELATIVE FIRE CONTAINMENT TEST STANDARDS

UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2017. Proprietary & Confidential.

33

UL 263

Fire Containment

UL 1479

Firestops

UL 2079

Joints

UL 555

Dampers

UL 1978

Grease Ducts

UL 2431

Environmental

UL 10

Doors

ISO 6944

Ventilation Ducts

Firestop Systems

NO FIRESTOPS

Firestop Systems

NO FIRESTOPS

Fire Stop Systems

FIRESTOPS ?

What is a Fire Door?

37

WHAT IS IT & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

What is it?

Fire-resistive Door Assembly:

Is capable of providing a

specified degree of fire

protection when closed and

includes:

I. Door Blank,

II. Door Frame

III. Door hardware

Why is it important?

Door Assembly is designed to:

• Close off openings in walls

• Slow the spread of fire from

one side of the opening to

the other protected side

Normally is means to:

• Burn through (wood doors) or

• Mechanical failure due to

deflection or expansion (steel

doors).

After the Fire

The Hot Side

What happened to the Building

Half of the Building that did not burn

Fire-Protection-Rated Glazing Materials (KCMZ)

Introduction: Tame the Flame….

Education / Testing / Regulation / Certification

CURTAIN WALL

STOREFRONT

External Wall Types

Wall types can include:

- Masonry

- Curtain walls

- Window Walls

- Fenestration

- Storefront

- EIFS

- Combination

- etc.

Metal Composite Materials (MCM)

Exterior Insulation & Finish System (EIFS)

COMPREHENSIVE FIRE PROTECTION APPROACH

Detection & Alarm

Active Suppression

Passive Resistance

Fire Service

Education & Prevention

Content Flammability

& Interior Finish

Ignition

Flashover

•BBQ grill fires

•Trash can fires

•Welding activities

•Fire works

•Cigarette butts disposal

•Electrical fires

•Arson

FIRES HAPPEN

Exterior Wall Systems – Exterior Cladding

52

Metal Composite Materials

Benefits

•Aesthetically attractive

•Economical

•Low maintenance

•Sustainable

•Climate Control

•Versatile

•Retrofit

•Diverse Choices

Photo and information according to Metal

Construction Association (MCA)

UL – ISMA – NFPA 285

Intermediate Scale Multi-story Apparatus

NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

APPARATUS

NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

Inside wall

assembly,

thermocouple

s shall not

exceed 1000ºF

• No flames in the second floor room

• Temperature rise < 278ºC (500ºF)

NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

Inside wall

assembly,

thermocouples

shall not exceed

1000ºF

• Inside wall cavity air space temperatures shall not

exceed 538ºC (1000ºF)

• Temperatures on wall cavity & stud cavity insulation

shall not exceed a temperature rise of 417ºC (750ºF)

NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

Window DetailFire Spread Through Cavities

Image courtesy of BRE

NFPA 285 – FIRE PROPAGATION

Inside wall

assembly,

thermocouples

shall not exceed

1000ºF

• Temperatures at exterior of wall must not exceed 538ºC (1000ºF) at

a height of 10 ft. above the window opening

• Exterior flames must not extend vertically more than 3 m above the

window opening

• Exterior flames must not extend horizontally more than 1.5 m

from the centerline of the window opening

BUILDING ENVELOPE PERFORMANCE

• Thermal

• Air Leakage

• Water Infiltration

06 Deter or alleviate water leakage

05 Conserve energy

04 Maintain indoor comfort

03 Control air leakage

02Control humidity – lead to mold and sick buildings

01 Control moisture accumulation

THANK YOU.

Contact Information:

Bob James,

Global Building

Inspection/ Security

Director

Robert.j.james@ul.com

813 956 8669

Energy Storage Systems

INTRODUCTION

Li-ion Battery Designs and Challenges

High Voltage/High Capacity

Thermal Gradient and Safety are major Challenges

Low Voltage/ Low Capacity

Battery Installation Scenarios

FIRE SAFETY APPROACH

NEC: National Electric Code (NFPA 70)

NFPA 855: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems

ICC: The International Fire Code, International Residential Code

UL 1642: Lithium Batteries

UL 1973: Batteries for Use in Stationary, Vehicle Auxiliary Power and Light Electric Rail (LER) Applications

UL 9540: Energy Storage Systems and Equipment

UL 9540A: Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems

Installation Codes

Battery Safety Certification

Testing for Performance

UL 9540A TEST STANDARD

Scope

Evaluate fire characteristics of a battery energy storage system that undergoes thermal runaway. Data generated will be used to determine the fire and explosion protection required for an installation of a battery energy storage system.

Match Fire Protection of Installation

to Performance of BESS

• Whether cell can exhibit thermal runaway

• Thermal runaway characteristics

• Gas composition (flammability)

• Propensity for propagation of thermal runaway

• Heat and gas release rates (severity/duration)

• Flaming/deflagration hazards

• Evaluation of fire spread

• Heat and gas release rates (severity/duration)

• Deflagration hazards

• Re-ignition hazards

• Effectiveness of fire protection system(s)

• Heat and gas release rates (severity/duration)

• Deflagration hazards

• Re-ignition hazards

UL 9540A

Cell Level Test

Module Level Test

Unit Level Test

Installation Level Test

• 30 commercially available 18650 cells with a LiNiCoAlO2 cathode and graphite anode (extensively used for UL research).

• Approximately 1.7 kg.

• Each cell has a capacity of 3.3 Ah and nominal voltage of 3.6 V.

• Verified 100% state of charge (SOC)

• Externally applied heat to initiate (flexible film)

CELL LEVEL MOCKUP TEST

• UL Fire R&D Model #1M module constructed from nine UL Fire R&D Model #1C cells.

• The fully assembled module weighs approximately 27.2 kg (60 lbs.).

• 1.5 mm (16 gauge) thick powder-coated steel enclosure.

• Verified 100% SOC.

MODULE LEVEL MOCKUP TEST

Test may include overhead cabling is used in installation of units

• Type of sprinkler (make/model, activation temperature, Response Time Index)

• Design water density for sprinklers

TEST METHOD 1 - EFFECTIVENESS OF CEILING MOUNTED AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM

IFC CODE CONSTRAINTS

Testing is required when one of the following requirements from the IFC Code is not met:

Max. 50 kWh each

Max. 250 kWh each for Listed systems

Min. 3 feet spacing from other arrays and from

walls

Other arrangements/quantities as approved by

AHJ based on large scale fire testing (UL 9540A)

UL 9540A Performance Data

(1,2) Observations of flaming outside the initiating BESS unit (if flaming observed, proceed with installation level test);

(2) Report whether maximum temperatures in target BESS units are less than the vent temperature measured in the cell level test;

(1,3) With regard to combustible wall construction, report whether surface wall temperature rise above ambient is more than 97 C (175 F); (UL 103, UL 1978, UL 8782)

(3, 4, 5) Observations with regard to explosion hazard(s);

(6) Gas generation and composition data;

(1) Observation of fire spread in the flame indicator; (Installation Level);

(3, 7) Observation of flaming outside the test room (Installation Level)

UNIT/INSTALLATION LEVEL PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

IFC and NFPA 855 Large Scale Test

Requirements

1. No fire spread to surrounding

equipment

2. No array to array propagation

3. No fire spread through fire resistance

rated barrier

4. Explosions are contained

5. Explosions cannot injure

occupants/first responders

6. Toxic gases shall not exceed IDLH

7. Gas released will not exceed 25% of

LFL in installation

Key Messages for the Public and

Actions You Can Take

UL and UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019

www.closeyourdoor.org

UL and the UL logo are trademarks of UL LLC © 2019.