Construction Informer

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Welcome to the Construction Informer. The Podcast for September 26, 2010

Full Podcast Transcript (for those of you who still read)

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released some interim guidance on using anti-freeze in residential fire sprinkler systems. Apparently, research has shown that glycerin and propylene glycol solutions might ignite when the sprinkler systems go off to put out a fire.

A report prepared by Code Consultants Inc., and published by The Fire Protection Research Foundation, outlined how two different test were performed and gave the results. One test type (Scope A) used six models of sprinklers at elevations of 8 feet and 20 feet “to investigate the potential for large-scale ignition of antifreeze sprays at pressures ranging from 10 psi to 150 psi. Scope B consisted of room fire tests, similar to UL 1626, that were designed to investigate the effective(ness) of sprinklers discharging antifreeze solutions, and their ability to maintain tenable conditions,” according to the report.

Scope A showed that solutions with more than 40 percent propylene glycol, and those with more than 50 percent glycerin can ignite when they are released from sprinklers. Apparently the deciding factors include the ignition source, sprinkler model, sprinkler elevation and the discharge pressure. Scope B tests showed concentrations of propylene glycol lower than 40 percent, and glycerin lower than 50 percent, performed like water. The report also suggested that solutions of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol should be “limited unless testing is conducted to establish that they are appropriate for use in home fire sprinkler systems.”

For existing systems the NFPA advised “owners and contractors to take immediate steps to review the status of their existing residential sprinkler systems and take appropriate action.” Actions include investigating alternatives to antifreeze to keep pipes from freezing, like using pipe insulation. If there is no alternative then factory-mixed propylene glycol or glycerin solutions of less than 40 and 50 percent respectively should be considered, and in all cases the lowest concentration that will protect from freezing should be used. There is much more at the links in the transcript on the blog.

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Well, T. Boone Pickens has jumped back into the oil debates by issuing a call for the U.S. to switch large portions of its transportation sector to natural gas to help get the country off the foreign oil spigot. Keep in mind that Pickens was bullish on alternative energy until last winter when the wind went out of the wind power sails, (that’s sails as in sails on boats), at least that’s according to Jeff Carter, a market commenter for several media outlets. And, Pickens admittedly has a large investment in natural gas through a company called Clean Energy Fuels, claimed to be the largest provider of vehicular natural gas in North America, according to text on a BP Capital Inc. Website. Pickens is CEO of BP Capital. So his rhetoric may well be slanted just a bit, and some have called him on that. But it’s most interesting what appears on the Website, because it evokes the fear of the looming oil crunch that many have been predicting, in order to advance a concept that is near and dear to the oilman’s heart. Here’s an excerpt:

“I’ve been an oilman my whole life, but this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of.” His scribbling white board presentations, in which he outlined the impact of Peak Oil and the U.S. dependence on imports, became water cooler talk throughout the nation.

And so, only talk continues in the face of this looming reality, making it even more clear it is very hard to get people to accept change that requires them putting their own self interest a few steps behind that of the self-interest of the whole. Pickens’ outcry mirrors 48 percent of the American mindset that is so enamored with money that it has never found a way to view the world within a context that doesn’t include profits. Perhaps it’s time for some inspiration that doesn’t depend on money?

So the global economy continues to beat and we are seeing places where construction melds with agriculture. They are very dissimilar activities but if you follow the money you can see how they easily become bedfellows. Ethiopia has vast amounts of fertile land for growing crops, and agriculture accounts for about 84 percent of its GDP and 80 percent of its total employment, according to a reasonably well-sourced article at Wikipedia. The European Union and major food retailers are very interested in sourcing food from the area. China and India have been on a land-acquisition-spree across the globe because they realize their own land will not support their growing populations. Ethiopia needs cheap transportation for all the agricultural products. So, it is building a 3,100 mile railroad that will go from the capital of Addis Ababa to the outlying regions. At its peak 305,000 people will be laboring to build it but it will only cost $336 million per year. This gets into calculations with more than six zeros which my readily-accessible calculator doesn’t handle well, but it looks like each worker might make about $1800. That doesn’t take any other project expenses into account, so I think we must be looking at really cheap pick and shovel labor here. In May the project got a loan of more than $100 million from China. From my reading there are no U.S. companies involved. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Ethiopia is also on track to boost its power output by 10,000 MW. That’s more than a few billion dollars worth of construction. I can see the estimating pencils getting sharpened already.

And, that’s it for this edition of the Construction Informer podcast. Until the next time…build it well.