Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

The feasibility of using water to protect buildings from heat radiated from an adjacent fire is examined. Two means of applying the water are discussed, one as a radiation water spray, and the other as a film on those parts of the surfaces of the buildings which require protection. It is shown that for equivalent protection, the surface film theoretically requires less water than the radiation curtain. The reason for this is that the falling velocity of films are controlled by the flow of water itself, whereas the falling velocity of a spray depends on the drop diameter which cannot be reduced to a value low enough for efficient use in this application.