Sprinklers are water discharge systems designed to control or suppress fires when firefighters’ ability to provide adequate water flow for extinguishing is limited. These systems are engineered to reduce heat build-up from a fire and achieve full suppression before manual firefighting intervention becomes necessary.
You may have wondered how sprinklers work. A sprinkler is a water-discharging device connected to a building’s water piping network, typically supplied by the municipal water system. Each sprinkler head is sealed by either a heat-sensitive glass bulb or a fusible metal link with a low-melting-point alloy, controlling the water flow. The glass bulb or heat sensor serves as a plug that holds back the water pressure within the pipe until the ambient temperature reaches the sprinkler’s design activation temperature.
In a standard sprinkler system, each head operates independently when the preset activation temperature is reached. This localized operation ensures that only sprinklers near the fire activate, concentrating water flow where needed, reducing water damage to unaffected areas, and maintaining adequate pressure for effective fire suppression.
Liquid Inside a Sprinkler :
Inside the sprinkler’s glass bulb is both liquid and vapor phases—commonly, alcohol-based liquids are used. The operation relies on the expansion of the liquid inside the bulb as it heats. This expansion reduces the relative volume of the vapor phase compared to the liquid phase, causing the bulb to shatter and activate the sprinkler.
