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déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture

English translation: explanation

11:27 Dec 8, 2004
French to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Engineering (general) / Health & Safety
French term or phrase: déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture
IMHO, the above does not make sense. Here's the full sentence:
"Ce bunker est-il équipé de moyens d'évacuation de fumées à ouverture automatique et manuelle (déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture)?"
The "bunker" is a completely segregated area of a warehouse for storing aerosols.

Now, as I understand the above, the means of evacuating smoke begin to open automatically at a temperature X which is 30°C above the temperature at which the sprinklers are activated, which seems illogical to me.
Should the > symbol be a
David Goward
France
Local time: 07:39
English translation:explanation
Explanation:
Does it not just mean that the sprinklers are activated first at a certain temperature, then if the temperature rises another 30 degrees, the smoke evacuation system cuts in - a sort of belt and braces thing?
Selected response from:

Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:39
Grading comment
You're right of course. I couldn't see why the sprinklers would come on first though until "Bourth" chipped in below. You get the points though - he's got enough (only kidding ;-))
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2triggered (or set off) at a temperature 30°C above that of the sprinklers in the roof
Amanda Bracken
3 +2explanation
Claire Cox
3 +1chemical reactions??
Bourth (X)


  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture
explanation


Explanation:
Does it not just mean that the sprinklers are activated first at a certain temperature, then if the temperature rises another 30 degrees, the smoke evacuation system cuts in - a sort of belt and braces thing?

Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:39
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 55
Grading comment
You're right of course. I couldn't see why the sprinklers would come on first though until "Bourth" chipped in below. You get the points though - he's got enough (only kidding ;-))

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bourth (X): Much conciser than me!
3 mins
agree  Víctor Nine
1 hr
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture
chemical reactions??


Explanation:
If the heat rises to X, the sprinklers come on. Theoretically the temperature should drop. If the temp. continues to rise though, presumably something is amiss. Maybe some sort of chemical reaction is occurring that the sprinkler system cannot control. If it goes unchecked maybe the bunker will explode due to the increasing pressure, so when the temp. reaches 30°C above the sprinkler trigger temp. they open the vents to reduce the pressure?

I think this interpretation hangs by a hair since, were pressure the problem, they'd have pressure sensors operating the vents, not temperature sensors.

Otherwise, are these "sprinklers de toiture" those on the CEILING of the bunker or on the ROOF (of the bunker or, who knows, some other building)? If they are not actually in the same confined space, that might play a role: let the smoke out first when it gets very hot inside the bunker, but is still relatively cool outside, then have the EXTERNAL sprinklers cut in (to retain the integrity of the bunker walls by keeping them cool???) when the external temperature (or the wall/roof temperature) reaches a higher level.

Or maybe there's some differential system to allow for seasonal temperature variations (so the sprinkler system doesn't come on just because it's a hot day), and the "température des sprinkers de toiture" is the ambient temperature (of the water in the sprinkler system?) at that point?

Though I can't say I understand the thermodynamics of it, I see no reason to question what they say.

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Note added at 22 mins (2004-12-08 11:49:49 GMT)
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Amongst other things, you don\'t necessarily want to open the fire vents because that lets air in, and the fire flares up. Basically fire venting is only so firefighters have a chance to see where they are going. So it would not be illogical to not open the vents before or at the same time as the sprinkler comes on: give the sprinklers a chance to douse the flames; if the fire keeps raging and the temperature increases, obvious the sprinklers are not sufficient and you\'re going to have to send in the firefighters, so make life easy for them - better to increase the intensity of the fire by letting air in than to send them into thick smoke where they can\'t see.

Bourth (X)
Local time: 07:39
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 1054

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tony M: It may be the sprinklers are intended to go off even before there's a fire, just to keep the aerosols cool; a temperature differences as big as 30° suggests there really IS a fire...
6 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
déclenchement à une température > 30°C à celle des sprinklers de toiture
triggered (or set off) at a temperature 30°C above that of the sprinklers in the roof


Explanation:
According to my FR-EN dictionary, déclencher means to set off or start up an apparatus; déclenchement means starting or setting something in motion - so déclenchement de la sonnerie means the setting off of the alarm.
It seems that the vents are to be opened at temperatures above those that set off the roof sprinkler system.

Amanda Bracken
France
Local time: 07:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DocteurPC: that's how I understand it also
10 hrs
agree  Terry Gwenn
1 day 17 mins
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