CUT-OFF FIRE VALVES MCR ZIPP

A weekly dose of online knowledge this week will be dedicated to fire stop valves. Our expert has prepared for you a short industry material from which you will learn how to use fire stop valves using the example of mcr ZIPP.

Cut-off fire valves mcr ZIPP – when and how can they be used?

Requirements for fire dampers and cut-off valves for comfort ventilation systems installed in fire separating partitions have been collected in the EN 15650: 2010 standard. It can be found out in this standard that fire dampers and cut-off fire valves should be tested in accordance with PN-EN 1366-2. It specifies a number of requirements that a product must meet to confirm its integrity, insulation and smoke leakage characteristics. At the same time, according to point 6.2.7 of PN-EN 1366-2, we can find out that an example of a cut-off fire damper that can be mounted with a connection duct, on one side only, is a conical fire control damper. The damper mentioned in the cited standard is more often translated into Polish from an English edition as a valve. Such a valve requires additional fire tests to confirm fulfilment of the requirements with thermoelements mounted on the inlet cone side. From the text of point 6.2.7 of PN-EN 1366-2, we can also learn that sets of products containing a fire damper and diffuser connected by a short ventilation duct should undergo fire tests as a set. Until such a set of products passes the fire tests in accordance with the standard in question, it cannot be determined that its requirements for tightness and fire insulation as for the fire damper are fulfilled. The use of such sets of products, without confirmation by appropriate tests, should raise doubts at every stage of designing fire protection or acceptance of construction investment.

NOTE: "An example of a cut-off fire damper, which can only be mounted with a ventilation duct on one side, is a conical fire control damper, which requires testing with thermoelements on the cone side only. However, if the fire damper is used in applications for air without ventilation ducts on one side, it would require testing with thermoelements from all directions or could simply be tested as a ventilation grille in accordance with the relevant standard, but the implementation of the latter does not mean that such a product is a cut-off fire damper, unless it undergoes full testing in accordance with this standard. " [Quote: PN-EN 1366-2: 2015: "Fire resistance tests for utility installations - Part 2: Cut-off fire dampers".]
In Figure 9, "Detail of the use of a cut- off fire damper without a duct on one or both sides, when additional proof of insulation is required", of the cited standard, you can also find details of the assembly of fire valves in the support structure. These guidelines for the mcr ZIPP cut-off fire valve are presented below.

Figure I, II, III - test guidelines for the mcr ZIPP cut-off fire valve [own study].

Tests no. I and no. II confirm fulfillment of the requirements with connected ventilation ducts. During the test, fire occurrence in an adjacent fire zone is simulated. Thermoelements are located on the connected ventilation systems. Test no. III allows confirming the fulfillment of the requirements for products not connected to ventilation systems. In this case, thermoelements are mounted directly on the product. Testing the product in all configurations allows the manufacturer to declare the possibility of its use at the end of the ventilation duct.

All types of tests were carried out for the mcr ZIPP fire valve from Mercor's offer. The valve has been classified according to PN-EN 13501-3 also as suitable for use with or without connected ventilation ducts. Thanks to the abovementioned test, classification and certification cycle, Mercor as the responsible manufacturer was able to provide in its Declaration of Performance a parameter concerning the installation of the mcr ZIPP cut-off fire damper at the end of the ventilation system.