Safety - Fire suppression system
Fire Suppression system
Automatic fire suppression systems control and extinguish fires without human
intervention. Examples of automatic systems include fire sprinkler system, gaseous fire suppression, and condensed aerosol fire suppression.
When fires are extinguished in the early stages loss of life is minimal since
93% of all fire-related deaths occur once the fire has progressed beyond the
early stages
Types of automatic systems
Today there are numerous types of Automatic Fire Suppression Systems and standards for each one. Systems are as diverse as the many applications. In general, however, Automatic Fire Suppression Systems fall into two categories: engineered and pre-engineered systems.- Engineered Fire Suppression Systems are design specific and most commonly used for larger installations where the system is designed for a particular application. Examples include large marine and land vehicle applications, server rooms, public and private buildings, industrial paint lines, dip tanks and electrical switch rooms. Engineered systems use a number of gaseous or solid agents with many of them being specifically formulated. Some are even stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas.
- Pre-Engineered Fire Suppression Systems use pre-designed elements to eliminate the need for engineering work beyond the original product design. Typical industrial solutions use a wet or dry chemical agent, such as potassium carbonate or monoammonium phosphate (MAP), to protect relatively smaller spaces such as distribution boards, battery rooms, engine bays, wind turbines, hazardous goods and other storage areas. A number of residential designs have also emerged that typically employ water mist and target retrofit applications.
Extinguishing agents
In the early days, water was the exclusive fire suppression agent. Although still used today, water has limitations. Most notably, its liquid and conductive properties can cause as much property damage as fire itself.
Agent
|
Primary Ingredient
|
Applications
|
HFC 227ea
(e.g.FM-200)
|
Heptafluoropropane
|
Electronics,
medical equipment, production equipment, libraries, data centers, medical
record rooms, server rooms, oil pumping stations, engine
compartments, telecommunications rooms, switch rooms, engine and machinery
spaces, pump rooms, control rooms
|
FK-5-1-12 (3M Novec
1230 Fire Protection Fluid)
|
Fluorinated
Ketone
|
Electronics,
medical equipment, production equipment, libraries, data centers, medical
record rooms, server rooms, oil pumping stations, engine compartments,
telecommunications rooms, switch rooms, engine and machinery spaces, pump
rooms, control rooms
|
IG-01
|
Argon
|
Same
applications as FM-200 and Novec 1230 fluid; less Class B style hazards
|
IG-55
|
Argon (50%)
and Nitrogen
(50%)
|
See IG-01
|
IG-100
|
Nitrogen
|
See IG-01
|
IG-541
|
Argon (40%),
Nitrogen (52%) and Carbon Dioxide (8%)
|
See IG-01
|
Carbon
Dioxide
|
Carbon
Dioxide
|
Non-occupied
control rooms, coating operations, paint lines, dust collectors, transformer
vaults, live electrical equipment, flammable liquids, commercial fryers
|
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