[Nhcoll-l] Sprinklers in wet collections

[Paul Callomon]

As Andy points out, there's a major difference between a fire involving ethanol and one fueled by, say, gasoline - ethanol is diluted by water, not carried by it. You won't spread an alcohol fire by spraying large amounts of water on it, you'll put it out.

PC.


Paul Callomon
Collections Manager in Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General Invertebrates
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA  19103
callomon at ansp.org
Tel. 215-405-5096
ansp.org
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From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 9:45 AM
To: Gali Beiner; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Sprinklers in wet collections

Hi Gali

I think the issue with water sprinklers spreading a fire are a little overblown personally.  Her at the University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute we had a new facility for our wet collections built in the mid 90's and we went with a three pronged solution:


1.      Lowered temperature - 65°F - below the flash point of 70% ethanol which is 70°F

2.      HVAC system that replaces air every two hours in the facility to prevent vapor buildup, and

3.      A sprinkler system and smoke detectors.

Personally I think the potential hazard to people of any gas replacement system (CO2 or otherwise) and the additional cost (very expensive initially and to maintain) far outweighs any potential issue with a sprinkler system.  70% ethanol would be diluted so quickly that it would have very little chance to spread dramatically within a facility in the event of a fire.

Hope that helps

Andy

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 Andy Bentley
 Ichthyology Collection Manager
 University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
 Dyche Hall
 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
 Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
 USA

Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
 Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu
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From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Gali Beiner
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:06 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Sprinklers in wet collections

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently dealing with a proposal to install water sprinklers in our wet collection storage facilities as part of the general fire hazard measures. It will be very helpful to know what kind of fire-extinguishing measures have been installed in other facilities holding jars and containers with alcohol / formalin / other preservative fluids. Were there any particular considerations your institute took into accound, given that preservation fluids tend to be so flammable?

Many thanks for your thoughts on this subject,

Gali Beiner (ACR)
Conservator, Palaeontology Lab
National Natural History Collections
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram
Jerusalem 91904, Israel
Fax. 972-2-6584741
galib at savion.huji.ac.il<mailto:galib at savion.huji.ac.il>

Look into our National Natural History Collections <http://nnhc.huji.ac.il/default.asp?PageID=8> Website!
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