Life Safety is utmost priority for ADCDA and raises the level of safety in smoke Management systems, due to its importance in evacuating process for individuals and firefighting operations. Therefore, ADCDA recommends the industry to keep following the UAE life and Safety code seriously and below practices:
Smoke Management Ducts
1. According to UAE life and Safety code accepted test standards for smoke duct (Make-up or Exhaust Duct) with mandatory rating for 120min for each criteria (Stability, Integrity and Insulation) are:
British-standards:
BS 476 part 24, Duct A and B and cross-sectional retention of 75% for both conditions.
European-standards:
Requires all the below tests for EN13501-4 classification. EN 1366- 8 for Duct C for Multi compartments. Duct cross-sectional retention of 90%. EN 1366- 9 for single compartment -low temperature exposure (600°C) and must comply leakage.
2. All fire-resistant duct systems (Duct + insulation + Support systems etc.), either used in sprinklered or non- sprinklered buildings, requires testing, certification and to be listed based on specific end use applications which are mentioned below:
• Smoke Extract Duct – ref point 3.
• Dual ventilation Duct (Ventilation and Smoke)- point 4.
Third party certificate shall have a listing of the end use application result in detail (stability, Integrity and Insulation)
3. Smoke Extract Duct:
Smoke extract duct definition and purpose: Smoke extraction is the evacuation from a building of by- products of combustion, such as smoke and toxic gases, which could otherwise reduce visibility and impair human functions. Smoke extract duct test standards requires the testing of these ducts for the standard conditions of ventilation ducts (Duct A and Duct B) but also imposes an additional requirement that the ducts must maintain at least 75% of their original cross-sectional area for the duration of the fire test.
Mandatory test conditions:
Duct A condition (External Fire).
Duct B condition (External and Internal Fire)
Mandatory rating for Smoke duct are below:
• 120min-Stability
• 120min-Integrity
• 120min-Insulation
For Both Ducts Exhaust & Make-up air.
4. Dual ventilation and smoke extract duct definition and purpose:
Dual systems serve as a conventional ventilation system under normal conditions, but are converted to a smoke extraction system in the event of fire, thus providing an economical dual system. The system shall be as per the requirements of smoke extract duct ref Note 3.
Mandatory test conditions:
Duct A condition (External Fire).
Duct B condition (External and Internal Fire)
Mandatory rating for Smoke duct are below:
• 120min-Stability
• 120min-Integrity
• 120min-Insulation
For Both Exhaust & Make-up air.
5. Where a fire-resistant smoke extract duct passes through any other fire compartment which has a higher fire resistance rating, the duct must be constructed to have at least the same level of fire resistance rating as the compartment. (As previously detailed, where it is mandatory that all the smoke duct systems are installed with a minimum 120 Minute fire resistance, it is therefore a requirement that any smoke extract duct passing through compartments must be 120 minutes rated even where a compartment may have a lower rating. The system shall be as per the requirements of smoke extract duct (See Ref No. 4)
6. For underground car park area (Either for sprinkler or non-sprinkler building), Smoke Duct System shall be tested and approved for all criteria
(See point No. 3)
• 120min-Stability
• 120min-Integrity
• 120min-Insulation
7. It is a requirement that all such installed fire resisting duct systems are clearly labelled by the installer’s / contractor’s so that the risk of their fire resistance being compromised by modification by other parties is lessened. All instructions on modification shall be in contractor’s handover manual and any modification in such cases shall be undertaken with the prior approval of the fire engineer.
Kitchen Extraction Duct
1. According to the UAE life and Safety code, NFPA 96 is the only accepted practice to construct Kitchen Grease duct. NFPA 96 provides preventive and operative fire safety requirements intended to reduce the potential fire hazard of both public and private commercial cooking operations.
2 Kitchen Duct System:
Kitchen duct definition and purpose: Extract of cooking fumes from commercial kitchens. Combustible Materials inside the duct are potentially a source of fire and therefore the duct must be proven to contain the fire.
3 The accepted test standards for Kitchen ducts with mandatory rating for 120 minutes are:
• ASTM E2336-20 Standard Test Methods for Fire Resistive Grease Duct Enclosure Systems.
• UL 2221-20 Standard for Tests of Fire Resistive Grease Duct Enclosure Assemblies
4 Mandatory rating for Smoke duct are:
• 120minutes-Duct
• 120minutes-Insulation
5 BS 476-24 does not comply with NFPA 96 requirements. NFPA 96 asks for the insulation criteria to meet ASTM E
