Genetic algorithm optimisation of a firewater deluge system

Safety systems are designed to operate when certain conditions occur and act to prevent their development into a hazardous situation. Failure of a safety system for a potentially hazardous industrial system or process may have catastrophic consequences, possibly injuring members of the work force or public and occasionally resulting in loss of life. The purpose of this paper is to describe a design optimisation scheme using genetic algorithms applied to a firewater deluge system, which uses available resources to the best possible advantage to obtain an optimal safety system design.