Since the water is for a cooling tower is it treated (chlorinated)? That would take care of the MIC. Particulates too small to strain should not be a concern. I presume the cooling tower pumps are PD. If the filters work for them then that water also supplying a centrifugal should be no problem. Settling could be mitigated by filling from after the tower filters. This didn't sound like a tri-water system(s), but merely stand alone sprinkler systems that were either filled once and left stagnant or were flowing.
On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 9:50 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Got a project in South America, poor to no municipal infrastructure for water > to serve the fire pump. Owner has issues with spending money for a tank and > wants to use the cooling tower basin as the fire pump water source. The > total capacity required is 675,000 gallons and the big issue is airborne > contaminants that will find their way in the open basin. The cooling water > systems will use filtration units to separate the contaminants but I've got > issue with this water being used for fire protection systems. Strainers will > not work, not fine enough to capture the particulate. The water coming in to > the basin isn't considered potable by our standards. > > My major concerns are MIC and clogging of sprinkler heads when this stuff > settles. We have a mix of Office wet pipe systems as well as outdoor exposed > dry pipe systems up to 100 ft in height. > > The problem with filtration may be the 3,750 gpm flow rate and the pressure > drop through the system on the suction side of the pump. > > Any thoughts, suggestions? > > My initial inclination is to reject the concept. The cost of the filtration > system would probably be close or more than an above ground storage tank. > > Craig L. Prahl, CET > Fire Protection > CH2MHILL > Lockwood Greene > 1500 International Drive > Spartanburg, SC 29304-0491 > Direct - 864.599.4102 > Fax - 864.599.8439 > CH2MHILL Extension 74102 > [email protected] > > > _______________________________________________ > Sprinklerforum mailing list > [email protected] > http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum > > For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] > > To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] > (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) > -- Ron Greenman Instructor Fire Protection Engineering Technology Bates Technical College 1101 So. Yakima Ave. Tacoma, WA 98405 [email protected] http://www.bates.ctc.edu/fireprotection/ 253.680.7346 253.576.9700 (cell) Member: AFSA, SFPE, ASCET, NFPA, NFSA, AFAA, ASEE, NIBS, WSAFM, WFC They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://fireball.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum For Technical Assistance, send an email to: [email protected] To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[email protected] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
