Gaseous fire suppression
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| Fire Protection |
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General Active fire protection Fire suppression Fire extinguishers Fire detection/alarm Fire alarm control panel Practices |
Gaseous fire suppression is a term to describe the use of inert and chemical agents or gases to suppress a fire. These agents include;
Argonite, Argotec, Carbon Dioxide, CEA-410, CEA-614, CEA-308, Envirogel, FE-13, FE-227, FE-241, FE-25, FE-36, FM-200, Halon, Inergen™, NAF P-IV, NAF S-III, NN100, Triodide, Novec 1230, and Solid Propellant Gas Generators that exhaust either inert or chemically active gas.
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[edit] Theory behind gaseous fire suppression
There are four means used by the agents to extinguish a fire. These include;
- Chemical effects
- Chemical/Physical effects - dilution
- Physical effects - thermal
- Physical effects - straining the fire
Broadly speaking there are two methods for applying an extinguishing agent including Total Flooding and Local Application.
[edit] Fire suppression systems using total flooding
Systems working on a total flooding principle apply an extinguishing agent to an enclosed space in order to achieve a concentration of the agent (volume percent of the agent in air) adequate to extinguish the fire. These types of systems may be operated automatically by detection and related controls or manually by the operation of a system actuator.
[edit] Fire suppression systems using local application
In local application, the agent is applied directly onto a fire or into the region of a fire. There are some systems employing this technique but the most common method of local application is by manually operated wheeled or portable fire extinguishers.
[edit] Safety Precuations
Systems using certain agents, such as Carbon Dioxide, in enclosed spaces presents a risk of suffocation. Numerous incidents have occurred where individuals in these spaces have been killed by cabon dioxide agent release. To prevent such occurrences, additional life safety systems are typically installed with a warning alarm that precedes the agent release. The warning, usually an aural and visible alert, advises the immediate evacuation of the enclosed space. After a preset time, the agent starts to discharge. Accidents have also occurred during maintenance of these systems, so proper safe precuations must be taken beforehand.[1]
