Fire dampers

Fire dampers are an assembly of louvers that are arranged to close to prevent the passage of flame and heat. Dampers are installed in ventilation openings or shafts to provide a fire rated barrier equal to the surrounding barrier. They are activated by spring release by the melting of a fusible link, or by remote control signals. 

Acceptance testing of fusible link fire dampers should always include a random sample actual fusible link (melting) test of the installed assembly that causes the damper to close. Many times an improperly installed damper will not close correctly and the shutter louvers become hung up or twisted. An alternative sometimes available is a link assembly that can be temporary installed that is easily cut by a pair of clippers. The fusible link melting temperature can then be tested separately at a convenient location without subjecting the installation heat or flames for testing purposes. 

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Lift a ceiling tile and examine the plenum for potential problems. Walls or full-height partitions that extend to the floor above can obstruct or divert air movement in ceiling plenums unless transfer grilles have been provided. If fire dampers have been installed to allow air circulation through walls or partitions, confirm that the dampers are open. Construction debris and damaged or loose material in the plenum area may become covered with dust and can release particles and fibers. 

Cooker hood A device to collect cooking fumes from above a kitchen range and discharge them to the outside. It may incorporate a grease filter, fan, and fire damper or non-return flow damper. 

The checking and readjustment as necessary of all safety controls is an essential part of periodic maintenance - possibly annually. A time should be chosen when temporary stoppage of the plant will not cause inconvenience. Unsafe conditions can be set up by throtding valves, stopping pumps, or removing the load. In each case the relevant safety control should function at the pre-set conditions. Safety checks on specialized items such as fire dampers may be required from time to time by local authorities, and these checks, together with the expert advice available from the testing officers, should be welcomed as proof of the inherent safety of the installation. 

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), UL 555, Safety Fire Dampers. Fifth Edition, UL, Northbrook, IL, 1994. 

Any opening in a fire barrier is a potential weak point. It is advisable to minimize the number of openings. All openings in fire barriers should be provided with fire door assemblies, fire dampers, penetration seals (fire stops), or other approved means having a fire protection rating consistent with the designated fire resistance rating of the barrier. 

The detection system should sound an audible alarm in the control room and be interlocked to shutdown the air handler in the event smoke is detected. When these areas are not served by an independent HVAC system, an approved 1 -hour fire damper needs to be installed where the duct penetrates the room closure. 

Check that fire dampers are in open position. 

UL 263 Standard for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials UL 555 Standard for Fire Dampers UL 555C Standard for Ceiling Dampers... 

Is there a suppression system Yes 0 No If yes, describe type, layout, capability, etc. Buildings 6596 and 6597 have automatic fire protection, sprinkler systems throughout the high bay areas, at the ceiling level. The monorail storage holes do not have fibre suppression systems of anv kind but they do have inherent fire dampers due to their in ground location and steel liner construction. ... 

Frame pieces for such assemblies as fire dampers can be brought together from several lines and located and assembled automatically. 

HVAC Fire damper Insufficient fire protection Special surveillance Binding of damper Dirt/dust ... 

F) Where ductwork passes through a combustible roof or wall, the roof or wall shall be protected at the point of penetration by open space or fire-resistive material between the duct and the roof or wall. When ducts pass through firewalls, they shall be provided with automatic fire dampers on both sides of the wall, except that three-eighth-inch steel plates may be used in lieu of automatic fire dampers for ducts not exceeding 18 inches (45.72 cm) in diameter. 

F G field devices (arrangement of sensor and final element) shall be separate and independent from other devices, and used for the safety function only including activation of equipment such as fire dampers. ... 

Major safety issues related to offshore ESD and process shutdown (PSD) systems need to maintain set points for process values to provide process precondition alarm, to indicate that the process is going out of range and malfunctions in the system might have set in. Fire and gas systems (FGSs) are designed to be self-contained. However, process interlocks such as partial closing of the ventilation fire damper are necessary. So, FGS needs to interface with process systems. 

Ventilation and heating ducts must be fitted with fire dampers where they pass through compartment walls and floors. Firebreak walls must extend completely across a building from outside wall to outside wall. They must be stable they must be able to stand even when the part of the building on one side or the other is destroyed. 

Provide fire dampers in aU nonducted air-transfer openings that penetrate partitions if they require a fire-resistance rating. 

Fire dampers in the ventilation systems prevent the spread of smoke and hot gas between fire areas containing safety significant plant within the Nuclear Island, where spread of the fire could otherwise result in KSFs being compromised. 

Fire dampers serving certain safety-significant, smoke-sensitive areas are also closed in response to an initiation signal from the fire detection system. 

UBC 307.11.2.3 requires draft-stopping of penetrations between floors within an H-6 fabrication area. This provision recognizes the configuration of a multiple-level fib which may be up to three stories high and have air handling on several levels without the need for fire dampers at each level. 

Smoke dampers, or combination smoke/fire dampers, must be provided at all penetrations of ducts through a smoke partition. Fire dampers shall not be installed in exhaust ducts. Exhaust ducts shall not penetrate area separation walls (UFC 5104.3.2.3). 

Acceptance testing of fusible link fire dampers should always include a random sample of the actual fusible link (melting) test of the installed assembly that allows the damper to close. Many times an improperly... 

Are fire dampers and fire stopping provided at the earliest opportunity ... 

Another exampie of passive fire protection is the design of escape routes, which shouid not incorporate combustibie waii, ceiiing or floor iinings. Fire dampers shouid be instaiied in ducts where they pass through compartment walls, and holes in such walls around cables and other services should be fire stopped. 

In addition to the stopping around pipes, ducts, etc., where there is the potential for fire to spread within ducting, fire dampers should be fitted to maintain the integrity and form part of the fire resisting compartment as shown in Figure 9.18. 

Figure 9.18 Fire dampers in fire resisting compartmentation...

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