Date
12-2017
Degree Name
MS in Fire Protection Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Frederick Mowrer and Christopher Pascual
Abstract
In this report, a fire protection and fire hazard analysis has been performed on a semi- conductor facility, abbreviated as the Fab, located on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Fab is part of the MESA complex which is operated by the NTESS Corporation for the Department of Energy (DOE) at Sandia National Laboratories. The prescriptive analysis of this report addresses the various fire protection systems in the facility such as fire suppression, and fire alarm. The prescriptive analysis is based on national codes and standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and from the International Code Council (ICC). Specific and unique requirements also stem from Sandia National Laboratories specifications and from the DOE orders and standards. The performance based section of this report analyzes two fire scenarios which were selected based upon current operations in the facility and the possibility (greater than 0%) of both scenarios occurring. These two fire scenarios compare the same situation with and without sprinklers. The design fire basis is based on lab coats and other gowning items stored in the corridor. The concern is that if the lab coats were to catch on fire, the integrity of the corridor as an egress path might be compromised. Through fire modeling and widely accepted tenability criteria, it was shown that the concern is valid and that a lab coat fire presents a significant challenge for the facility. The results of this report indicate that an exit should be added to the exterior in RM 1919, the hydraulic calculations for the facility should be reconstituted and the gowning operations should be moved from the tour aisle into the fabrication area.
https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/fpe_rpt/92
Final Presentation