Picatinny Arsenal Pyrotechnics Research Lab

Arora provided fire protection engineering services for this fast-tracked, sophisticated project.

The scope involved design and construction of a Pyrotechnics Research Laboratory on the campus of Picatinny Arsenal, home to many of the lethal mechanisms used in military weapon systems.

The major design challenge was identifying the appropriate detection and suppression methods, interfacing all of the building fire protection systems, designing within the parameters of the given water supply and designing for explosion-proof areas while conforming to the UFC/NFPA guidelines.

A sophisticated releasing system was designed for system discharge in the XP rooms within 100 milliseconds. Discharge of the system is accomplished through UV/IR flame detectors. The system is backed up with a building automatic sprinkler system designed at Extra Hazard, Group II and is accompanied by a building fire alarm system.