REVISION TO AS 1668 PART 1 – DON’T BE CAUGHT OUT

AS 1668 PART 1 - 2015

PROPOSED CHANGES AND FEEDBACK OPPORTUNITY

Speakers: Simon Hill, Brett Fairweather & Ross Warner

Tonight’s Program

• Introduction to Presenters

• Revising a Standard – The Process

• Why revise AS1668.1?

• What are the Key Changes?

• Section by Section Overview

• Q&A Session

TH

EP

AN

EL

•Chairman Main Committee ME-062

•Member AS 1668.1 sub-committee

•30 Years Experience in the Mechanical Building Services Industry

•Director Engineered Environments

•Connoisseur of classic cars

•Member AS 1668.1 sub-committee (CIBSE Representative)

•17 Years Experience in the Mechanical Building Services Industry

•Associate with WSP | Parsons Brinkerhoff’s mechanical building services team

Ross Warner

•Chairman AS 1668.1 sub-committee

•Over 40 Years Experience in the Mechanical Building Services Industry

•Life Member of the Australian Institute of Air-Conditioning Refrigeration & Heating (AIRAH)

•Member AIRAH NSW Division Committee

•Principal of Professional Engineering Solutions

Simon Hill

Brett Fairweather

3

REVISING A STANDARD – THE PROCESS

BUT, WHY DO WE NEED STANDARDS?

• To add red tape to building regulations?

• To protect an already over-protected society?

• So I can make an income training the HVAC industry?

• Ours is a multi-disciplinary industry needing varied

engineering skills, applied to vastly different projects

• These skills are often only used once or twice a year

• Re-inventing the wheel on every job is not efficient

PERHAPS BECAUSE

THE IDEAL STANDARD

Standards provide knowledge distilled from the whole

industry, to guide, not stifle, individual practitioner’s

ideas, so the community’s expectations are met in the

most time & cost-efficient manner

USE PUBLIC COMMENT TO ADD YOUR EXPERTISE

During a building fire, use dedicated HVAC equipment

or, where possible, existing equipment to protect

building occupants and fire fighters, by preventing the

spread of smoke and keeping escape paths smoke-free

RELIABLY

THE IDEAL AS 1668.1

WHY REVISE THE STANDARD?

Black holes between NCC & 1998 edition:

• Non-sprinklered car park. What activates car park

ventilation in fire mode?

• Do car park exhausts need fire dampers?

• Is essential services power supply required for car

park fans?

• How do you test stair pressurisation in buildings

without Smoke Control systems?

• How many stair doors must be open in a car park?

WHY REVISE THE STANDARD?

Many different (legal?) interpretations:

• The NCC requires “Zone Smoke Control” but the

Standard only specifies Zone Pressurization?

• Do zone pressure differentials apply between all

parts of a multi-classification building, or only the

Class 5 parts?

• In buildings under 25 metres, does NCC require

compliance with AS 1668.1 Sections 2 & 3?

• Electrical authorities (sometimes) require fire rated

enclosures for essential switchboards, wiring &

vari-drives in fire-rated plantrooms?

WHY REVISE THE STANDARD?

General updating of a 17 year old Standard:

• To remove arguments between fire & mechanical

designers/contractors

• Why not put ALL the HVAC-based fire & smoke

control methods into one Standard?

• To allow for the soon-to-be-updated FD standard

• Specify “baseline data” requirements for AS 1851

• Can we use the BMS for fire & smoke control?

• To eliminate questionable alternative solutions by

explaining what sub-ducts are for

• To remove typographical errors

KEY CHANGES TO THE STANDARD

• Detection, Control & Indication now removed from

AS 1668.1 and put in AS 1670.1

• Included relevant parts of AS 1668.3 in AS 1668.1

• Includes reference to earthquake resistance

• Added “baseline data” requirements for AS 1851

• After liaison with EL 001, clarifies requirements for

fire rated wiring & switchboards in plantrooms

• Car park ventilation not a smoke control system,

but MUST run on fire alarm

• No fire dampers in fire pump ventilation systems

• Kitchen exhausts MUST run in fire alarm

SECTION 1

GENERAL

• Revised Scope & Objectives. Now includes multi-

compartment & large, single-compartment buildings

• Broader Objectives includes protection of openings

• Many new definitions:

• Air Damper – Neither a fire nor smoke damper

• Baseline data – For ongoing building management

• Fire detection, control & indicating equipment

(FDCIE) What we used to call the FIP & FFCP

• Smoke control zone – Defined to suit single

compartment & multi-compartment buildings

• Zone Smoke Control means Zone Pressurization

SECTION 2

AIR HANDLING SYSTEMS

• Reinforces Clause B1.2 of NCC by requiring smoke

control supports & mounts to resist earthquakes.

• Specifies Fire Dampers, Smoke Dampers & Air

Dampers must comply with AS 1682 Parts 1 & 2

• Permits delayed fan starts to avoid excessive loads

on damper motors (Might be extended to Smoke

Curtains & Proscenium Curtains?)

• Specifies safe & convenient access for filter

maintenance

• Notes that metal-faced sandwich construction does

not include foil faced insulation (Sisalation)

SECTION 3

FIRE PROTECTION OF OPENINGS

• Clarifies requirements for FRL insulation, when

protecting openings (Fire Dampers) in floors & walls

• Grille-to-grille fire dampers (FDs) in walls MUST

have FRL insulation

• Allows omission of FDs at some duct penetrations,

but shafts can’t be part of multiple compartments

• FDs must NOT be used at some duct penetrations:

• Diesel fire pump room ventilation

• Some fume cupboard exhaust systems

• Guidelines given for Alternative Solutions using

motorised dampers in lieu of subducts

SECTION 4

SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

• Automatic Smoke Detection � AS1670.1

• Activation via sprinklers & MCP’s � AS1670.1

SECTION 4

SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

SECTION 4

SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

+ Fire-isolated exits

+ Smoke exhaust fans

+ Supply air fans

+ Minor exhausts

+ Major exhausts

+ Minor supply

+ Major supply

+ Carparks

+ Kitchen hood exhausts

+ Lift shaft pressurisation

+ Air control dampers

+ Smoke control dampers

SECTION 4

SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

Documentation

• Design documentation requirements

• Baseline Data requirements

• As-built requirements

• Concise operating instructions

• Clear & concise schematic

• To be readily available at the site

SECTION 4

SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

• “Smoke Spill” � “Smoke Exhaust”

• FFCP in (or adjacent to) FDCIE (formerly “FIP”)

• Wiring protection exemptions

• when enclosed entirely in fire-isolated plantroom

• where loss of voltage has no adverse effects

• Wiring clarifications – protection of isolation switches

• Performance validation – repeatable throughout life

• BMS clarification – AS1670.1 says no.

SECTION 5

MISCELLANEOUS SYSTEMS

• “Small systems” � “Single enclosures”

• Clarifications for multiple minor system openings

• Carparks:

• Dedicated main switch

• Jet fan requirements (not in series & shutdown)

• Fire isolation (use of fire dampers)

• Operation in fire mode clarified

• Fire separated exit pressurisation relief

SECTION 6

KITCHEN EXHAUST HOOD SYSTEMS

• Clarification for common systems

• Operation in fire mode – “shall not be shut down”

• Fan switch labelling

• Flame & spark arrestance

SECTION 7

SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS

• Generally only minor tweaks & clarifications

SECTION 8

ZONE PRESSURIZATION SYSTEMS

• Largely unchanged

• Upper limit reduced to 80 Pa

• Single fan permitted for multiple compartments

SECTION 9

HOT LAYER SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEMS

• The hot layer exhaust concept is new to AS1668.1

• These new requirements are a merge between

AS1668.3, NCC Specifications E2.2b and G3.8

(Atrium provisions)

• Removed the “Fire Engineering” from AS1668.3

• “Less helpful” parts of Spec. E2.2b have been made

more helpful and clarified. (“Plug-holing” is no longer

a hidden requirement, it is a detailed requirement with

a method of compliance included – Appendix A)

• Common items with rest of AS1668.1 (such as wiring,

fan construction, etc) now all in same document

SECTION 10

PROTECTION OF FIRE-ISOLATED EXITS

• Most significant change “s” is now “z”. Yes stair

pressurisation is now stair pressurization.

(presumably pronounced with an American accent?)

• A “black hole” in the 1998 edition has disappeared

over the event horizon. Air velocity test criteria for

doorways is now defined for all types of smoke control

• Mechanical relief from carparks must be designed as

a “Smoke Exhaust” system ONLY when the carpark

ventilation system serves multiple fire compartments

(by installation of fire dampers in fire resistant

walls/floors) and there is a likelihood that there will be

no relief for the stair pressurization system

• Otherwise mostly editorial changes.

SECTION 11

AIR PURGE SYSTEMS

• This is the easy one!

• There is essentially no change to the requirements

of this section from those in the 1998 edition.

• Why is it still there?

• Not currently referenced by the NCC.

• Could be useful as a reference for an alternative

solution for Fire Engineers or other users.

SECTION 12

LIFT SHAFT PRESSURIZATION

• This is another easy one!

• There is essentially no change to the requirements

of this section from those in the 1998 edition.

• Why is it still there?

• Not currently referenced by the NCC.

• Could be useful as a reference for an alternative

solution for Fire Engineers or other users.

Specifically, Lift Pressurization is being considered

by regulators as an aid to providing disabled egress

using the fireman’s lift.

Q & A

SAVE THE DATE:

TUESDAY 2ND JUNE

2015

‘SHEDDING SOME

LIGHT ON

ILLUMINATION

CHALLENGES’