SprinkFDT

Welcome to SprinkFDT.

The first dramatic advancement in Fire Protection Technology since the introduction of hydraulically calculated gridded systems over 30 years ago.

SprinkFDT (Fluid Delivery Time) now empowers a sprinkler designer to accurately predict the time it takes to trip a dry valve and deliver water to the remote area without the requirement of a physical trip test (see NFPA 13 2002, chapters 7 and 11).

Simple input and summary screens allow the user to quickly define a sprinkler system and evaluate the need for an accelerator or design modification.

SprinkFDT uses the same SprinkSTUDIO interface and file as our powerful SprinkCALC program making hydraulic calculation and delivery time calculation input even quicker. Simply calculate the hydraulic design area then select the open Headset for SprinkFDT and evaluate the dry system performance.

Many systems that are over the 750 gallon limit can now be installed without the need for a physical trip test saving thousands of dollars in testing alone. During the development and testing of SprinkFDT we evaluated properties that could have reduced the number of dry systems installed had this program been available at design time. We have found that on the evaluated properties and controlled tests that our calculated results have been within seconds of actual time, usually within a 2 seconds difference.

It is as simple as a few keystrokes to evaluate the need for an accelerator on the dry system. Any manufacturer's equipment can be evaluated by inputting the trip ratio of the dry valve and/or the activation parameters for an accelerator.

Throw out the old thinking of dry system performance being based strictly upon the volume of the sprinkler system piping. Traditional wisdom has been to consider the dry system volume only. This tradition has been proven to be flawed. Till now many other factors have been ignored that greatly impact the delivery time of water to a fire. The water supply was never a consideration as long as the system was kept small enough to not require a 60 second trip test. We have found that the water supply is indeed one of the most critical components of a dry system just as it is in hydraulic calculations. The path that the water travels to the fire is also critical. A center fed system of 2000 gallons will deliver water after a valve trip in about the same amount of time as an end fed system of 1000 gallons. SprinkFDT includes a real time viewer of the filling of the system. This feature can help explain to an AHJ how the delivery time can be affected by volume, shape, pressure and temperature.

Other neglected elements are air pressure and temperature. Many feel that a system with lower air pressure will always deliver water faster than a system with higher pressure. Tests have shown that this often proves to be inaccurate. Delivery of water to a remote sprinkler at -20 degrees F. takes longer than at a temperature of 80 degrees F. which is an average temperature at the time of a physical 60 second trip test. The 2002 NFPA 13 code allows multiple open heads to be calculated reducing the trip time and delivery time to a remote area as opposed to a single head 60 second test. Send files electronically and let the AHJ review the calculation using the free SprinkSTUDIO Viewer. The SprinkSTUDIO Viewer can be downloaded from the Downloads Page. Read our summary of the new NFPA 2002 Code pertaining to SprinkFDT

For more information about dry systems based on our development research, read the Dry Systems white paper.

Ask for a live demonstation to see SprinkFDT in action. Call our office at 800-495-5541 and request a session today. We can also answer any questions that you may have about this or any of our other software offerings.

SprinkFDT Videos

SprinkFDT Overview

Reviewers and AHJ's... Download the CALC/FDT file Viewer here