New Water Curtain System Cuts Water Use by 80% to Stop Fires Spreading to Buildings Next to Factories

[Financial News]  The National Fire Research Institute of Korea said on the 27th that it would improve and develop a water curtain system to prevent fires at factories from spreading to adjacent buildings and conduct live-fire experiments to devise practical installation methods.
A water curtain system is a device that continuously sprays water through nozzles installed on the exterior walls of a factory. When a fire breaks out at a factory where buildings are close together, it creates a curtain of water along the exterior wall, reducing radiant heat and preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
The system developed by the institute can be connected directly to a fire pump truck and used without a separate pump.
Drencher nozzles have primarily been used in existing water-based systems for factory exterior walls. A drencher nozzle is an open nozzle that creates a curtain of water along a building's exterior wall to protect it from external fires. However, when connected to a fire pump truck, it uses up water quickly, making extended operation difficult.
The institute developed a hybrid nozzle designed specifically for water curtain systems after two years of research and experiments, following a request from the Incheon Fire Headquarters in 2024.
The experiments showed that the new system reduced water consumption by 82–84% compared with existing drencher nozzles and could operate for about six times as long using the same amount of water.
Through the live-fire experiments, the institute plans to determine the spacing between nozzles and the appropriate pressure for fire pump trucks. It will then develop an installation plan and conduct a pilot application at an actual factory.
Kim Yeon-sang, head of the National Fire Research Institute of Korea, said, "Because the distance between factory buildings in Korea is often narrow, we believe this system will be useful in factory fires. We will continue our research and development so that it can be applied at actual fire scenes."

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter