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FBS®
Fire Barrier System
ASTM
119-98 Fire Retardant Test
THE
ABSOLUTE BEST IN FIRE
PROTECTION
TECHNOLOGY ™
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ASTM E 119-98
Fire Tests of Building
Construction and Materials
Protection of Electrical Raceways
Project No. 14770-104554
FIBERGLASS CONDUIT PROTECTED BY
FLAME
SEAL'S “FBS®-
60 PROTECTIVE SYSTEM”
.
April 7, 1999
.
Prepared For:
Flame Seal Products, Inc.
4025 Willowbend Blvd., Suite 310
Houston, TX 77025
.
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page ii
ABSTRACT
A 4” fiberglass electrical conduit, filled
with a combination of
power,
control, and instrumentation cables was instrumented with
thermocouples,
covered with Flame Seal Products “FBS-60 Protective System”, and tested
in accordance with ASTM E119-98 Standard Test Methods for Fire
Tests
of Building Construction and Materials. Under the test conditions
described,
the system evaluated successfully protected the conduit test article
for
a fire resistance period of 60 minutes.
| This report is for
the exclusive use of the client named
herein. Omega
Point Laboratories, Inc. authorizes the client to reproduce this report
only if reproduced in its entirety. The test specimen
identification
is as provided by the client and Omega Point Laboratories, Inc. accepts
no responsibility for any inaccuracies therein. The description
of
the test procedure, as well as the observations and results obtained,
contained
herein are true and accurate within the limits of sound engineering
practice.
These results are valid only for the specimens tested and may not
represent
the performance of other specimens from the same or other production
lots.
This report does not imply certification of the product by Omega Point
Laboratories, Inc. Any use of the Omega Point Laboratories name,
any abbreviation thereof or any logo, mark, or symbol therefor, for
advertising
material must be approved in writing in advance by Omega Point
Laboratories,
Inc. The client must have entered into and be actively
participating
in a Listing & Follow-up Service program. Products must bear
labels with the Omega Point Laboratories Certification Mark to
demonstrate
acceptance by Omega Point Laboratories, Inc. into the Listing Program. |
Michael E . Dey
Fire Test
Technologist Date 4/5/99
Reviewed and approved"
William E .Fitch,
P.E. No.
55296
Date 4/5/99
OMEGA Point Laboratories, Inc.
16015 Shady Falls Road
Elmendorf, Texas 78112-9784
210-635-8100/Fax:
210-635-8101/ 800-966-5253
www.opl.com/ e-mail:
moreinfo@opl.com
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page iii |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
| ITEM |
PAGE
|
| Introduction |
1 |
| Test Procedure |
1 |
| Test Specimen Construction |
3 |
| Test Results and Observations |
5 |
| Conclusions |
6 |
| Appendices |
|
| Appendix A:
TC
Locations |
7 |
| Appendix B: Test
Data |
9 |
| Appendix
C:
Photographs |
32 |
| Last Page in Report: |
37 |
|
Flame
Seal
Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 1
INTRODUCTION
The protection of
vital
electrical circuits from the effects of an
external
fire exposure is of primary concern in the design and construction of
an
electrical power generating plant. Typical “fire protective envelopes”
are designed to protect the contents of an electrical raceway for fire
exposure periods of one to three hours.
The external fire
exposure selected to evaluate this protective
envelope
system is that described in the ASTM E119-98 Fire Tests of Building
Construction
and Materials (E119 Time-Temperature Curve, described later in this
document.)
Typical fire test
programs involve the selection and construction of
a specific electrical raceway system, instrumentation for thermal
measurements,
followed by the application of the fire resistive barrier system by
qualified
personnel.
This standard
should be
used to measure and describe the properties
of materials, products, or assemblies in response to heat and flame
under
controlled laboratory conditions and should not be used to describe or
appraise the fire hazard or risk of materials, products, or assemblies
under actual fire conditions. However, results of this test my be used
as elements of a fire risk assessment that takes into account all the
factors
that are pertinent to an assessment of the fire hazard of a particular
end use.
TEST
PROCEDURE
Horizontal Test Furnace
The test furnace
used
consists of a large horizontal exposure
chamber,
with internal dimensions of 12 ft (length) by aft (width). The furnace
is equipped with diffuse-flame propane gas burners symmetrically
located
across the floor of the furnace and controlled by individual gas flow
valves,
with the overall gas flow to valves, with the overall gas flow to the
furnace
being controlled by a single gas control valve. Capable of a maximum
heat
output of 5 million Btu/hour, these burners are arranged well below the
exposed face of the specimen to ensure an even temperature at the
surface
of the specimen. Windows are located on two sides of the furnace to
allow
observation of the specimen during fire exposure. The depth of the
furnace
is variable, being increased to the desired amount by the addition of
concrete
blocks around the perimeter ledge. These blocks are lined with ceramic
fiber blanket to minimize the heat loss from the furnace and to
decrease
the time required for the furnace walls to heat up.
Flame
Seal
Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 2
The temperature
within
the furnace is determined to be the
mathematical
average of thermocouples located symmetrically within the furnace and
positioned
twelve inches away from the exposed face of the test specimen. The
materials
used in the construction of these thermocouples are those suggested in
the test standard. During the performance of a fire exposure test, the
furnace temperatures are monitored at least every 15 seconds and
displayed
for the furnace operator to allow control along the specified
temperature
curve.
The fire
exposure is
controlled to conform with the standard
time-temperature
curve shown in the table below:
Time
(min)
|
Temperature
(°F)
|
|
0
|
68
|
|
5
|
1000
|
|
10
|
1300
|
|
20
|
1462
|
|
30
|
1550
|
|
45
|
1638
|
|
60
|
1700
|
|
90
|
1792
|
|
120
|
1850
|
|
180
|
1925
|
The fire test is
controlled according to the standard
time-temperature
curves as indicated by average temperature obtained from the readings
of
the furnace interior thermocouples symmetrically located across the
specimen,
12 in. away. The thermocouples are enclosed in protection tubes of such
material and dimensions that the time constant of the thermocouple
assembly
lies between 5.0 and 7.2 minutes, as required by the E 119
standard.
The furnace temperature during a test is controlled such that the area
under the time-temperature curve is within 5% of the corresponding area
under the standard time-temperature curve for the three-hour test
period.
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 3
The furnace pressure is controlled to be as
nearly
neutral with
respect
to the surrounding laboratory atmosphere as possible, measured at the
vertical
mid-height of the test specimen.
Conditions of Acceptance
The fire endurance rating of a
fire-resistive
barrier system for a
specific
electrical system component is the maximum time before which one of the
following conditions occurs:
The average temperature of any set of thermocouples for the
electrical
system component
is raised more than 250° F (139° C) above its initial
temperature.
The temperature of any one thermocouple of the set for each electrical
system component
is raised more than 325°F (181°C) above its initial
temperature.
Systems reaching either of these criteria, or
which are terminated,
at times other than even-hour time periods shall be rated to the 15-min
increment immediately preceding the time at which the criteria
condition
or termination occurred.
TEST SPECIMEN CONSTRUCTION
Test Assembly
A 4” fiberglass
electrical conduit (10 ft. long with 1/6 “ wall
thickness)
was purchased by Flame Seal Products and delivered to the Laboratory.
Prior
to the installation of the fire protective system, the conduit was
filled
to an actual cross-sectional fill of 40. 0% with the following mix of
cables.
All cables were XHHW copper conductors.
|
CABLE TYPE
|
DIAMETER
(inches)
|
AREA
(in²)
|
NUMBER OF
CABLES
|
TOTAL AREA
(in²)
|
Instrumentation
(4/C # 16 AWG)
|
0.40
|
0.126
|
14
|
1.76
|
Control
(7/C #12 AWG)
|
0.63
|
0.31
|
5
|
1.55
|
Power
(3/C # 6 AWG)
|
0.74
|
0.43
|
4
|
1.72
|
Flame
Seal
Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 4
Barrier Installation
The protective
envelope
system was supplied and installed by
representatives
of Flame Seal Products, Inc., and the following description of
that
system was supplied by the client. While complete verification of the
system
was not possible, since the components were pre-assembled, no obvious
deviation
from these details was noticed.
The system was a
two-layered version of Flame Seals FBS
System.
It consisted of the following components:
1) Standard
FBS with
a 2 mil stainless steel foil outer surface.
Dimensions
per piece = 11” x 24” (two pieces per section). Weight = 6.5 lbs.
each
(3.55 lbs./sq.ft.).
2) ½ inch thick ceramic wool blanket glued to 2-mil aluminum
foil with Flame Seals FX-FBS adhesive. Dimensions per piece=17” by 21
“(one
piece per section). Weight=0.35 lbs./sq. ft.
3) 4” wide strips of thin FBS flat stock used at joints, for all butt
joints.
4) 3” wide strips of stainless steel foil and fiberglass laminated
with FX-FBS adhesive.
5) Stainless steel hog rings, every ½” to ¾” at all
joints.
6) Aluminum
Tape.Installation was as follows:
A) 4” strips were “coil” wrapped and taped
3
layers thick on 24”
centers
located under the joints between sections.
B) Foil faced ½” ceramic wool pieces (#2 above) were wrapped
around the conduit between these joint strips and taped in place
with aluminum tape
C)FBS- 60 was located with the ends centered on the joint strips (“A”
above), wrapped tightly over the ceramic wool layer and hog ringed in
place
along all seams formed by junctions between pieces.
D)Butt joints were covered with a 3” wide stainless steel foil and
fiberglass laminated and hog-ringed in place.
E) Aluminum tape was installed over the hog-ringed seams.
The completed ten foot long test article
was
sealed on both ends of
the conduit, to stop any heat from escaping, placed on the ledges of a
fire resistance furnace which exposed a minimum of 84 inches to the
heat.
The ledges of the furnace were then built up with concrete block to a
minimum
of 18 inches above the top of the test article, and an insulated lid
was
placed on top to complete the furnace assembly.
Flame
Seal
Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 5
TEST RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS
The test item was placed across the
Laboratory's intermediate-scale
horizontal furnace (as described earlier) and all thermocouples
connected
to the data acquisition system and their outputs verified. Photographs
were taken, the furnace thermocouple positions checked, and the furnace
was fired at approximately 2:25 p.m. on March 19, 1999. The ambient
temperature
was 69 F and the relative humidity was 60%. The furnace pressure was
maintained
so that the neutral pressure plane was at the vertical mid-height of
the
specimen. The test procedure was witnessed by Michael Kiser of Flame
Seal
Products, Inc.
Observations made during the
test
are
as follows:
| Time
( min:
sec) |
Observation |
| 0:00 |
Furnace Fired |
| 0:56 |
Char forming at joints. |
| 2:26 |
Stainless steel foil is entirely
black. |
| 8:45 |
Full expansion of system between
joints
with some
constriction at the
joints. |
| 29:00 |
No change. |
| 43:00 |
Conduit slightly bowed in middle. |
| 60:00 |
Furnace extinguished. |
THERMOCOUPLES
All temperatures
monitored within the test specimen were measured
using
24 ga., electrically-welded thermojunctions, Type K Chromel-Alumel,
Fiberglass
Insulated (Special Limits of Error: +1.1° C) thermocouples,
purchased
with calibration certifications and lot traceability.
The thermocouple
locations can be found in Appendix A.
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
Page 6
A summary of the thermocouple data is given in
the table below:
INDIVIDUAL
TCs
AVERAGE TCs
|
LOCATION
|
MAX
TEMP
(°F)
|
MAX
ALLOWED
(°F)
|
MAX
TEMP
(°F)
|
MAX
ALLOWED
(°F)
|
RATING
(min)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conduit surface
|
209
|
392
|
155
|
315
|
60
|
|
Power Cables
|
158
|
391
|
151
|
315
|
60
|
|
Control Cables
|
142
|
391
|
134
|
315
|
60
|
Instrumentation
Cables
|
138
|
392
|
132
|
315
|
60
|
Listing and
plots of
the furnace control temperatures and specimen
temperatures
may be found in Appendix B. A photographic documentation of the test
has
been included in Appendix C.
CONCLUSIONS
At the end of the
60-minute fire exposure, the highest temperature
on
the entire test article was 290F. All temperatures remained well below
the maximum allowable limits for the entire test duration. The 4”
fiberglass
electrical raceway protected by Flame Seal Products’ FBS-60 Protective
Systems” and evaluated by this Laboratory achieved a rating of 60
minutes.
Page 7
Flame
Seal
Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
APPENDICES
Appendix A
THERMOCOUPLE LOCATIONS
| Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999 Project No.
14770-104554
Page 8 |
|
Note:
The 4” fiberglass electrical conduit was instrumented with 13
thermocouples
along the bottom surface, as indicated. The TCs were mounted on the
outside
of each rail by covering with a single layer of fiberglass electrical
tape.
The conduit was loaded with a mixture of power (3/C#6 AWG, 4
pieces), control (7/C#12 AWG, 5 pieces)
and instrumentation (4/C#16AWG, 14 pieces)
cables to an actual cross-sectional fill of 40%. One cable of each type
was instrumented with thermocouples every 6” o/c., attached with a
single
layer of electrical tape. All cables were then randomly placed into a
bundle
and pulled through the conduit. All cables were types XHHW with copper
conductors. |
|
|
OMEGA POINT
LABORATORIES, INC.
Project No. 14770-104554 |
| FLAME SEAL PRODUCTS, INC. |
| Thermocouple Locations |
| Drawn by : D.N.
Priest
Date: 2/24/99 |
Scale:
1/2" = 1"
|
|
Page 9
|
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
APPENDICES |
|
Appendix B
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TEST DATA
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Page 10
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Flame
Seal
Products, Inc.
Project No.
14770-104554
Conduit
Surface Temperatures
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Page 11
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Flame
Seal
Products, Inc.
Project No.
14770-104554
Power Cable Temperatures
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Page 12
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Flame
Seal
Products, Inc.
Project No.
14770-104554
Control Cable Temperatures
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Page
13
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Flame
Seal
Products, Inc.
Project No.
14770-104554
Instrumentation Cable Temperatures
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Page 14 -
Page
31 are Temperature
Measurement Charts at all thermocouple readings shown on graphs
illustrated
on Pages 10 - 13 - Available on Request
|
Page 32
|
Flame
Seal Products,
Inc.
April 7, 1999
Project No.
14770-104554
APPENDICES |
Appendix C
PHOTOGRAPHS
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Page 33
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Flame Seal Products, Inc.
Project No. 14770-104554 |
April 7, 1999
APPENDICES
|
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| 4" Strips taped three layers
thick
located under joints
between
sections |
Installation of FBS - 60
|
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Page 34
|
Flame Seal Products, Inc.
Project No. 14770-104554 |
APRIL 7, 1999
APPENDICES
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Aluminum tape installed over
scam
|
4" wide thin FBS flat stock
used
over all butt joints
|
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Page 35
|
Flame Seal Products, Inc.
Project No. 14770-104554
|
April 7, 1999
APPENDICES
|
 |
 |
| Installation complete except for sealing
the ends |
Installation complete (The system
evaluated in this
report is
on the right) |
|
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Page 36
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Flame Seal Products, Inc.
Project No. 14770-104554 |
April 7, 1999
APPENDICES
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|
Test item loaded onto furnace
(The system evaluated in this report
is at
the top)
|
Start of fire exposure
|
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APPENDICES
Page 37
|
Flame Seal Products, Inc.
Project No. 14770-104554
|
 |
Lid removed after the end of the
fire
exposure.
(The System Evaluated in this report
is at
the top) |
|
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END
OF REPORT
ASTM E119-98
FIRE TESTS OF
BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION AND
MATERIALS
PROTECTION OF
ELECTRICAL RACEWAYS.
|
|
FLAME SEAL
PRODUCTS, INC. 4025 Willowbend Blvd. # 310, Houston,
Texas, 77025 USA, (713) 668
4291 office, (713) 668 1724 fax, www.flameseal.com
© Copyright of Flame Seal Products, Inc. All rights
reserved, ® Registered Trademark of Flame Seal Products,
Inc., TM
Trademark of Flame Seal Products, Inc. |
|