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Highlights
- Fire can burn hot in the cold: pallets, plastics, and insulated panels create high fuel loads even at sub zero temps
- Height accelerates risk: ultra-high storage racks store more commodities but also enable rapid vertical fire spread – early, dependable suppression is critical
- Cold complicates sprinkler systems: accidental discharge means frozen water in pipes that must be disassembled and thawed to return to service, meaning significant disruption and potentially ruined commodities
- In-rack sprinkler damage = downtime: forklift impacts and false trips can ruin inventory and halt operations
- Ceiling only solutions: Tyco Quell systems can protect up to 50–55 ft, as proven by full-scale tests and global deployments
Cold storage warehouses are among the most demanding environments for fire protection systems. Despite operating at freezing or sub‑freezing temperatures, these facilities can contain high‑risk fuel loads that can sustain fast‑moving fires. Modern cold‑chain logistics depend on uninterrupted operations, and a single incident can jeopardize millions of dollars in inventory and critical supply‑chain timelines.
This article is based on an article by Melisa Rodriguez of Johnson Controls that was originally published in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods.
Why cold storage is a unique fire challenge
1. High combustibility despite low temperatures
The chemical equation for fire is fuel + oxygen + heat = ignition. Although the environment is cold, the stored commodities are highly combustible. The pallets, corrugated cartons, plastic shrink wrap, and even the insulated metal panels (IMPs) that line many freezer buildings can contribute significant fuel once ignition occurs. With plentiful oxygen and fuel present, all it takes is an electrical spark or failure for a fire to spread even in cold storage. When these materials burn, they generate intense heat and toxic smoke that can be difficult to control.
2. Tall rack heights amplify fire severity
Cold storage facilities often use 40‑foot or higher rack systems to maximize cubic volume. Fire can spread vertically through these arrays faster than responders can reach it, especially when visibility drops and ambient temperatures complicate operations. This is why dependable, early‑acting fire suppression is essential.
3. Freezing conditions complicate sprinkler performance
Traditional wet sprinkler systems (water at the ready in the pipes) cannot be used in freezing environments because the water would freeze in the pipes. Dry and double‑interlock pre‑action systems are common (no water in the pipes until a sprinkler activates), but they come with challenges that include:
- Ice formation or dropping air pressure can unintentionally introduce water into pipes
- Mechanical damage to in-rack piping can cause accidental sprinkler discharge
- Empty pipes at sprinkler activation can mean a delay in water reaching the fire source
4. In-rack sprinklers can be damaged by rack operations
In‑rack sprinklers, installed into the tall racks to provide protection from fire spreading vertically, are often used in tall and dense warehouses. Being so close to the “action,” they’re susceptible to damage from forklifts, pallets and falling product. When ceiling-only protection can be achieved without compromising performance, it avoids this potential failure point.
A conversation on cold storage with the Consulting-Specifying Engineer podcast
Performance‑based design (PBD): a smarter path forward
Analytical tools allow engineers to take a performance‑based approach to cold storage suppression. The tools optimize system design by modeling how fires grow given specific commodities, rack configurations and storage heights. This enables fire protection systems to be engineered for efficiency, precision and cost‑effectiveness rather than relying solely on prescriptive code requirements.
How Johnson Controls helps you protect the cold chain
1. Ceiling-only, PBD engineered and approved for cold storage
Tyco Quell cold storage fire solutions provide ceiling‑only protection up to 50–55 feet, which is the highest level of protection in the cold storage industry . This eliminates in‑rack sprinklers and the operational and maintenance risks associated with them.
Ceiling-only benefits:
- Maximizes usable storage volume
- Reduces impact risk and accidental activations
- Supports future reconfiguration without redesign
- Backed by extensive full‑scale fire testing across commodity types and heights
2. Designed for freezers without antifreeze
Quell systems are pre‑action systems that keep water out of the pipes and do not rely on antifreeze. This eliminates the risk of discharging antifreeze into a space containing food or other regulated commodities.
3. Proven performance and global expertise
With industry‑leading engineering support, FM Approved design methodologies and systems operating across cold storage facilities worldwide, Johnson Controls helps customers meet both code requirements and operational goals without compromising on safety.
Protecting the cold chain without compromise
Cold storage facilities may be frigid, but the fire risks are real – escalating as warehouses grow taller, denser and more automated. Reliable suppression requires systems that are engineered to overcome freezing temperatures, difficult access and high‑challenge fuel loads. Johnson Controls delivers validated, ceiling‑only solutions backed by full‑scale fire testing, performance‑based design and decades of cold‑chain fire protection expertise.
A conversation on cold storage with the Consulting-Specifying Engineer podcast
FAQs: Tyco Quell PBD Methodology
1) How does Quell deliver ceiling-only protection without in-rack sprinklers?
Through a performance-based design approach that uses two-event pre-action logic, early pump start, Tyco electronic accelerator and defined water delivery windows, a Quell system can provide a predictable “surround-and-drown” pattern. The “surround-and-drown” method is designed to activate a group of sprinklers around the source of the fire. Targeted wetting and cooling are utilized to suppress the fire and limit fire spread.
2) How does Quell improve business performance over traditional cold storage protection solutions?
- Higher roof/storage heights to maximize cubic volume
- Broader commodity classifications, allowing more flexibility for evolving commodities over the lifetime of the space
- Elimination of in-rack piping damage risk yields lower lifetime costs and the ability to move/rearrange racks easily
- Faster reinstatement after events:
- Compared to a false discharge of a dry system, Quell would avoid water in the piping and the significant cleanup that follows
- Following a fire event – since the fire is contained at an earlier stage – there would be potentially less fire damage outside the area of fire origin. This means less damage and less time spent pulling out and replacing product and racking
3) What makes the surround-and-drown approach unique?
Defined delivery times and large-droplet control mode specific application (CMSA) sprinklers are designed to activate the correct heads at the right moment to surround and suppress the fire at the source.
4) What is required to demonstrate equivalency to prescriptive standards?
Engineers can leverage full-scale fire tests, modeling, fluid delivery calculations and documented design methodology to show equal or superior performance.
5) How does Quell compare to traditional dry or anti-freeze solutions?
Quell reduces ice risk, removes anti-freeze hazards, improves predictability and simplifies reinstatement vs. traditional systems.