The Fundementals of Smoke Control
1-6 Infinity Smoke Control Guide
TOC
Creating Smoke Zones
In order to contain the smoke by using pressure, you must divide the
building into smoke control zones. A floor or several floors of the
building can be a single zone, or one floor can be broken into a number
of zones. A zone must be separated from other zones by smoke dampers,
airtight doors, and smoke-proof barriers.
When a fire breaks out, the smoke control system can then pressurize all
of the zones around the one where the fire broke out (called the fire
zone), isolating the smoke to that single zone.
If the smoke control system is nondedicated, the layout of the smoke
control zones should take into consideration the layout of the HVAC
system. You should place multiple areas served by the same VAV boxes
in the same smoke control zone. Also, the smoke control zones must
conform to any fire control zones that have been established, because
the smoke detectors are tied into the fire detection system. Also, keeping
the smoke control zones and the fire control zones the same makes
coordinating the two systems simpler.
Smoke Control vs. Fire Control Systems
The smoke control system is usually separate from the fire control
system, since they have different goals. The fire control system’s goal is
to contain and extinguish the fire as fast as possible. These systems,
which halt the fire but not the smoke, are often triggered automatically,
relying on the heat of the fire to activate the system. Although smoke
control systems are also automatic, you must have manual overrides for
the automatic controls. Another difference between smoke control and
fire control systems is that where fire control systems, such as
sprinklers, often rely on only a water supply, smoke control systems
usually rely on electricity to run fans and dampers. So, some smoke
control systems have a standby power supply. Standby power provides
the smoke control system with electricity in case the main power fails.
The smoke control system should be designed to work with the fire
control system and not interfere with its operation. For instance, if the
building has a sprinkler system, then the smoke control system does not
need to control a large quantity of smoke, since the size of any fire
should be smaller.
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