extinguishing basic

1April 18, 2023 Siemens Switzerland Ltd. Building Technologies

Extinguishing Systems Basics and System Overview

Siemens Fire Safety

Product Line Fire ProtectionStefan Langenegger

Head Training, Certification and Quality College


Detecting Alarming Extinguishing

Siemens protection concept


Protection concept for high valued assets

Automatic detection Alarming Automatic

extinguishing

time

Siemens protection concept

Gas extinguishing systems are specified to extinguish a fire at an early stage to avoid damage or shut down costs!

early activation of the gas extinguishing system is a must !


Extinguishing basics

Flash over


Triangle of fire

Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat

Fire all three elements must be present !


The basic extinguishing principles

Eliminating the HEAT WATER

Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat

Eliminating the OXYGEN GAS

Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat

Eliminating the COMBUSTIBLE

Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat


Basic fire protection objectives - Overview

enclosureprotection

cabinet and objectprotection

buildingprotection



Eliminating the COMBUSTIBLE

Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat


Advanced fire protection

Professional active fire protection calls for professional passive and organisational fire protection.

Passive fire protection• realisation of sealed fire compartments• minimisation of fire loads• reduction of protected area sizes and concentration of risks• autonomous ventilation and air conditioning systems and use of fire

dampers• elimination of overpressure if created during discharge

Organisational fire protection• limitation of access to critical risk areas• internal and external alarm organisation


Fire detection and extinguishing sectors

High concentration of valuables / risks

Special applications forpoint-type detectors

Switch off power

Unit extinguishing

Room extinguishing

Unit extinguishing

Protection of key components by means of equipment monitoring

Protection of people, facilities andbuilding according to standards

Detection Extinguishing

Earliest possible detectionby means of room monitoring

1 Formation of fire compartments2 Organizational measures

IT

Printer Paper Archive


Basic fire protection objectives: Overview

Basic fire protection concept

buildingprotection

enclosureprotection

cabinet & objectprotection


Building protection

• Sprinkler• Pre-action sprinkler• Foam• Gas extinguishing

Protection of high valued assets andagainst shut down costs

• Gas extinguishing• Water spray / fog• Foam• Pre-action sprinkler• Sprinkler

Cabinet or object protection

• CO2

• Water spray / fog

Basic fire protection objectives - Segmentation


Definitions

Fire extinguishing

= cooling of the flame until the fire is outBelow 500°C a flame is not stable anymore. Fire extinguishing also means avoiding re-ignition.

Fire control

= limiting the fire spread / growthLimited production of toxic fire gases and smoke.

Inerting

= to avoid ignitionReduction of the oxygen concentration to a low level or use of high concentrationsof extinguishing agent.


Determining the right extinguishing concept

Extinguishing concept mainly depends on:

• risk situation given by the hazard scenario and the fire load(personal safety / availability of fire brigades / etc.)

• customers protection objective(why does the customer want to have a fire protection system)

• national regulations(usually do not meet all customer demands but assure basic protection)

• fire class


Water

Foam

CO2, N2, Ar

HFC 227

Novec 1230

Powder

Fire classes and extinguishing effects

Ember-forming fires(wood, textiles,papers etc) A

Flaming fires(liquids or fusible materials) B

Fires of combustiblegases C

Fires of com-bustible metals(magnesium etc) D

Fires in electrical installations

E

Fire classes

Cooling effect

Evaporation of water absorbs

considerable heat from the fire.

The smaller the water drops,

the faster the cooling effect.

Suffocating effect

If the oxygen in the air drops

below 2/3 of the normal

content, the fire is suffocated.

Chemical / Physical effectDestruction of the HFC 227 /

Novec 1230 / Powder

molecules reduce the

oxygen in the flame.

(temperature reduction)

Extinguishingeffects




Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat


Sprinkler system


Alternative water extinguishing technologies

The optimum droplet spectrum must be provided to achievemaximum cooling effect needed for successful fire extinguishing!

key difference to sprinklers

• water aerosolsaverage droplet size: < 10 µm

• water mistaverage droplet size: 10 µm – 100 µm

• water sprayaverage droplet size: 100 µm – 400 µm


Deluge water spray system (operated through automatic detection system)


Foam systems - Basic segmentation

Light foam

foam expansion: 200 - 1000

Middles foam


Heavy foam


Excellent behaviour with extinguishing fires of flammable liquids (often seen in industrial applications).


heavyfoam

lightfoam

Foam systems - Application examples

mediumfoam


High expansion foam systemHigh expansion foam system

Protection in aircraft hangar


High expansions foam system

• fix installed foam system

• 1000 time foam expansion

• Room filling time 3-6 minutes

• Fire class A and B

Storage area


High expansions foam system

• Extinguishing effect

• Prevetion of fire spread

• Reduction of oxygen

( suffocating effect)

• Reduction of Energy

(cooling effect)


Toxicity of extinguishing agent

LOAEL (Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level):

(Lowest concentration at which an adverse toxicological or physiological effect has been observed)

NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level):

(Highest concentration at which no adverse toxicological or

physiological effect has been observed)


Door fan test


Co2 discharge


Overpressure in the room


Suffocating extinguishing effect


Combustible

Oxy

gen Heat


Carbon Dioxide CO2

Characteristic of CO2

Agent: clean

Extinguishing principle: displacement of Oxygen

Extinguishing concentration: min 34%

< 13.8% O2

Storage stage: as liquid

Effect on people: dangerous

(due to medical effect

on blood supply)

Room ambient After discharge

Oxygen

21%

Nitrogen

79%

CO2 50%

O2 10.5%

Nitrogen 39.5%

Oxygen

21%

Nitrogen

79%


Liquid gas

Inertgas Chemical gas

Liquid gas Not liquified gas (Vapor)

CO2Stickstoff

Argon

Inergen

Argonite

HFC 227

Novec 1230

Extinguishing Agent


CO2 System Pressures

High Pressure Systems

Low Pressure Systems


Total-flooding Application


Local Application with CO2

Fog-nozzle


Total flooding system


Local application

Air sampling system

Small cylinder


Deciding Factors

• Cylinder space and location.

• Number of risk areas, size and proximity to one another.

• Pressure relief issues (building owner, BWIC, security, etc).

• Fires - frequency, size and severity.

• AHU and PDU shutdown issues.

• Fire brigade response times.

• Environmental attitude / image of the user.

• Room size, construction, integrity and the height of asset within the protected area.


Extinguishing sector

Room Integrity

• The extinguishing sector must be air tight in order to obtain the extinguishing concentration for min. 10 min.

Ceiling void

Room

Floor void


Room Integrity


Room Integrity

• Ventilation dampers (controled by the alarm organisation)


Characteristic of nitrogen (N2)

Agent: clean

Extinguishing principle: displacement of Oxygen

Extinguishing concentration: min 34%

< 12.5% O2

Storage stage: as expended gas

Effect on people: harmless

(due to not having medical

effect on blood supply)

Room ambient After extinguishing

Oxygen

21%

Nitrogen

79 %

Nitrogen

89%

Oxygen 10-12%

Nitrogen (N2) extinguishing agent


Inert Gas ExtinguishingInert Gas Extinguishing

• Inert gas systems aim to drop the O2 to between 10% and 14%.

Ideally inert gas systems aim for ca. 12.5% O2


Gas extinguishing system: Cerexen application


Chemical / Physical extinguishing effect


Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat


Combustible

Oxy

gen H

eat


Sinorix™ High pressure technology:

average extinguishing time with high pressure: 15 s after end of discharge

• reduced damage to highly valued equipment

• less risk of expensive shut down costs due to operational loss.

• no risk of critical concentrations of by-products after fire extinguishing

• Provide fast and total evaporation of the extinguishing agent already during discharge which leads to a perfect homogenisation in

the extinguishing sector


Even if the Vapour Pressure is Very Low:


Sinorix™ High Nozzle pressure

• is reducing the effective extinguishing time compared to conventional low pressure systems by up to 50% by only using basic physical effects given at a minimum nozzle pressure of 10 bar.

10 bar 4 barair air

Better evaporation


The molecule decomposes into its atoms in the flame zone.

1 molecule decomposes into max. 10 free parts, as H finds always directly a binding partner.

the volume is expands by max. the factor 10

the oxygen concentration is strongly reduced

extinguishing effect

Extinguishing principle with Chemical Agent

This decomposition leads to a volume expansionand supports the extinguishing process!

Decomposition products are not avoidable but must be kept below critical concentrations!


HFC 227 ea

Novec 1230

Extinguishing principle with HFC 227ea and Novec 1230

Heat absorption

Molecule of:

(Direct cooling effect)

HF(Hydrogen fluoride) CO2

COH2Ov F2

Volume expansion(Indirect cooling effect)


• High pressure technology: Increased application flexibility

LP

HP

advantage of high to low pressureadvantage of high to low pressure• larger system• smaller pipe dimension• lower installation cost

Low pressure system

25bar / N2

High pressure system

42 bar / N2

High Pressure System technology


High Pressure Low pressure

Pressure at nozzle 10 bar 4 bar

Nozzle coverage area 30 m2 120 m2

Extinguishing concentration ISO

7.5 / 7.7%

NFPA

7%

Extinguishing time Yes < 15sec. Yes ? sec.


• total flooding and object protection - single and multi sector installations

- closed objects only if minimum holding time of 10 minutes is guaranteed

• modular & pre-engineered systems- no need of hydraulic calculation software

- cylinders are located inside protected area or close by

• engineered systems- use of VdS calculation software

- cylinders are stored in one central battery within a limited distance to theprotected area

Application of Sinorix Hardware


Modular System

1 Control panel2 Fire detector3 Gas cylinder4 Electrical actuator5 Nozzle6 Alarm horn7 Visual alarm8 Manual release

Electrical conection

Electrically controlled line

8

6

7

3

5

Immediate evacuation

No admittance

4 44

1 2


Centralised System

1 Control panel

2 Fire detectors

3 Gas cylinder

4 Electrical actuator

5 Pipe network

6 Nozzles

7 Alarm horn

8 Visual alarm

9 Manual release elect.

10 Check valve

11 Manual release mech. • Electrical conection• Electrically controlled line

9

2

4

1

7

8

6

11

Immediateevacuation

Noadmittance

3

10

5


Single Sector Protection


Multi Sector Protection

Room 1 Room 2

Sector valve

Pressure Relief


Range of Cylinders for HFC 227 and Novec 1230

Cylinder Max. filling

227 ea.

Max. filling

Novec 1230

Nitrogen

pressurisation

7.5 lt. (6.6) 7.5 kg 8.0 kg 42 bar

17.5 lt. 19 kg 20 kg 42 bar

32.0 lt. 34 kg 38 kg 42 bar

67.5 lt. (71.0) 74 kg 86 kg 42 bar

80.0 lt. 75 kg 96 kg 42 bar


Sinorix™ 227Basic Product Information

Siemens Fire SafetyProduct Line Fire Protection

Sinorix™ 227 Extinguishing System


HFC 227ea, heptafluoropropane (C3F7H)

halonfluorocarbons (HFCs)

HFC 227ea Extinguishing agent


• HFC 227ea has been used as a pharmaceutical since 1942

propellant for anti-asthmatic sprays

• no toxic effect if released into protected area

HFC 227ea is a pharmaceutical product

• no critical concentrations of by-products after fire extinguishing if used

correctly

• chemically inert and clean

- no remaining residues after discharge due to complete evaporation

- no interactions with installed equipment

Toxicology of the HFC 227ea


• best usable for most fire classes class A (solids)class B (flammable liquids) and C (flammable gases) fires with

some limitations

• very fast extinguishingdischarge time < 10sextinguishing time ~ 10s - 15s after end of discharge

• electronically non conductiveexcellent use to protect electronic risks

• low temperature reduction during discharge

Extinguishing behaviour of HFC 227ea


• thermal decomposition of HFC 227ea at temperatures above 200°C

leading to a volumetric expansion of the gas

out of 1 mole HFC 227ea up to 8-10 mole of other gases are formed

oxygen transfer to the flame is limited

• due to thermal decomposition HFC 227ea is not optimal for fires leaving hot

surfaces or remaining embers after extinguishing

Extinguishing effect of HFC 227ea


• fast and total evaporation of HFC 227ea already during discharge

• perfect homogenisation of HFC 227ea during discharge

Two criteria for fast & reliable extinguishing with HFC 227ea

a must to avoid any critical concentrations of by-products

Extinguishing performance


HFC 227ea Extinguishing agent

Halonfluorocarbons are world-wide used and accepted as substitutes to Halon 1301 for industrial and fire protection applications.

• HFC 227ea is not destroying the stratospheric ozone layer (ODP = 0)

• global warming potential of HFC 227ea does not contribute to the total emission basket following Kyoto protocol (GWP ~ 2900)

• no toxic effect if released into protected area

• no critical concentrations of by-products after fire extinguishing if used correctly / chemically inert and clean

• no pending ban of the product despite a rumour placed on some markets


Possible dangers of HFC 227ea

Concentration to low forming of HF and danger for persons and installations

Concentration to high exceed of NOAEL / LOAEL level NOAEL: 9.0 Vol-%

LOAEL: 10.5 Vol-%

Proper design is necessary!After installation no changes in the room can be accepted.


System characteristics of HFC 227ea System

Cylinder pressure

42 bar, approved and safe technology

Cylinder arrangement

Modular systems with nozzles for each cylinder or engineered systems (67 l and 80 l cylinders) with manifold and pipe system possible

Activation

Electromagnetic pilot vale, pneumatic slave valves

Multi-sector systems

Selector valves between 3/4” and 4”


Sinorix™ 1230 Extinguishing System

Sinorix™ 1230

Basic Product Information

Siemens Fire Safety

Product Line Fire Protection


Novec 1230 Extinguishing agent

Chemical Structure and Specifications

• molecular weight: 316,04

• boiling point at 1 bar:49,0°C

• liquid density: 1.600 kg / m3

• vapour pressure at 25°C: 0,4 bar

CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2

C6 Fluoroketone


Extinguishing Effect with Novec 1230 Agent

Extinguishing Phenomena

similar to FM200 and Halon

the large Novec 1230 agent molecule is split in 18 smaller fractions (molecules)due to thermal effects close to the fire leading to a volumetricexpansion and limitation of the oxygen transport to the fire: the fire is going to be extinguished

Note:

• the amount of produced HF during the extinguishing processis equal to HFC 227ea– during direct contact of Novec 1230 agent with the flame or hot

surfaces

• due to this fact Novec 1230 agent is not recommended for other fire classes than class A (solid material) or electronic equipment showing slow development of the fire size


Extinguishing Performance

Fully Evaporating: Even if the Vapour Pressure is Low

as HFC 227, 1230 is a gaseous extinguishing agent

by using the Siemens high pressure technology having a minimum nozzle

pressure of 10 bar the Novec 1230 fluid is discharging in fine droplets

into the extinguishing sector and fully evaporating

Novec 1230 which has been transferred from liquid into a gas will

remain stable as a gas: there is now draining-out of Novec in the

extinguishing sector leading to form liquid pools on the ground


Environmental effect

Outstanding Environmental Parameters Close to a Natural Gas

• GWP – Value = 1

– no global warming potential

• ALT – Value = 5 to 7 days

– minimum atmospheric stability

• ODP – Value = 0

– no negative impact on stratospheric ozone layer

• chemical structure: no HFC (Halonfluorocarbon)

– not affected by any laws and restrictions based upon Kyoto Protocol

– such restrictions are already in the market and or some markets under preparation


Extinguishing

Sinorix™ 1230 High Pressure Technology Assures Fast

and Reliable Fire Extinguishing

key advantages against 25 bar system technology

• out of own development already used for Halon 1301 and

still in use for HFC 227

• minimum nozzle pressure of 10 bar for fast and full evaporation

of Novec 1230 agent at the nozzle assuring minimum extinguishing times


Application of Novec 1230 System

Excellent System Solution in Addition to Natural Gases for

Environmental Sensitive Markets with Restrictions on HFC`s

customer is demanding for environmental friendly gas

• strong limitation on the available cylinder storage space

• release of overpressure is not possible– e.g. nuclear power plants or room far below ground floor

• modular system is demanded

• installation of natural gas pipe system during Halon replacement

is very cost intensive

Siemens Fire Safety does not phase out HFC 227


Selection of Extinguishing System

Preferable Use for Class A Fires and Electronic Risks

GasSpray

Cerexen a) N2: standard

b) CO2: no personal safetyrequired

c) Ar: special chemicalrisks

HFC 227

Novec 1230

RoomSize

Electronic RisksClass A

LiquidsClass B

GasesClass C

Deep seatedFires

Fire

Risk

red: typically special hazard


Determination of extinguishing concentration

1. Determination

by labor test

(cup burner test)

2. Determination

by real room life test


Gas extinguishing systems - Basic segmentation

Synthetic agents• HFCs as Halon replacement• ODP value of zero• GWP & ALT value positive• stored liquid suppressed with nitrogen or under its own vapour pressure• low amount of bottles

Natural gases• use of CO2 / N2 / Ar in pure or pre-mixed form environmental friendly• stored gaseous under high pressures• large amount of bottles


Chemical agents

• fast acting due to rapid discharge

• low extinguishing concentrations due to local acting

• optimum ratio between stored agent and needed storage space

• storage pressure 25 – 45 bar

• use for personal safety installations possible

• formation of by-products

Natural agents

• high extinguishing concentrations due to oxygen replacement

• larger storage space required due to gaseous storage

• storage pressure 200 - 300 bar

• use for personal safety installations possible (except CO2)

•no formation of by-products

Gas extinguishing systems - Basic characteristics


Fire protection system overview

Monitoring of exhaust air

Object monitoring

Air conditioning duct monitoring with ASD-duct

Cabinetmonitoring

Raised floor monitoring

Room monitoringwith point detectors


Activation of an extinguishing system

Alarm

Al.

electrical actuator

manual actuator

pressure switch:

Controlunit

Fire detection

manual automatic

agent discharge

cylinder surveillance


Environmental / Toxic effect

Extinguishing agent

ODPOzone

depletion potential

GWPGlobal

worming potential

ALTAtmospheric

Life time

NOAELNo Adverse Effect Level

LOAELLow Adverse

Effect Level

CO2 0 1 200 years > 5%

Nitrogen 0 - - < 10% O2

Argon 0 - - < 10% O2

Inergen 0 - - < 10% O2

Argonite 0 - - < 10% O2

HFC 227ea 0 2050 32 years 9 % 10.5%

Novec 1230 0 1 5 days 10 %


Product Presentation

Siemens Fire SafetyProduct Line Fire Protection


Extinguishing with natural gases

Use of same set of hardware for three different individual extinguishing systems marked under the brand name cerexen using natural gases in pure form for fire extinguishing.

cerexen Brand name

• pure nitrogen (N2),

• pure argon (Ar) or

• pure carbon dioxide (CO2)


Depending on the application, pure N2, Ar or CO2 is used.

cerexen The right solution for each application

• Nitrogen as dominating solution- EDP rooms & telecom- storage buildings- museums

• Argon for special applications or upon specific customer demand

- storage of chemical substances- heavier gas is needed

personnel safety must be considered

• Carbon dioxide for- industrial applications- high voltage switching rooms- transformer stations- object protection

no personnel safety required


GasSpray

cerexen Room protection




HFC 227

Novec 1230

Roomsize

Electronic risksClass A

LiquidsClass B

GasesClass C

Deep seatedfires

Fire

risk



cerexen Differentiation in room protection

HFC 227 and N2 prices (hardware and gas)

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

0 500 1000 1500 2000FM200 N2 room volume [m3]

rela

tive

pric

e fo

r cl

ass

A

HFC is getting relatively more expensive, the larger the protected volume.Turning point at about 250 m3.


cerexen Outstanding extinguishing performance

The use of natural gases in pure form exhibits at least an equal extinguishing performance than its mixtures which is proven by international research program as: (ISO/CEN/CEA).

Agent Wood crib

[Vol% agent]

Electronic risks

[Vol% agent]

n-Heptane

[Vol% agent]

CO2 37.5 32.0 33.7

N2 37.2 41.5 43.7

Ar 39.9 48.3 50.8

Inergen 36.5 39.2 41.2

Argonite 38.6 44.9 47.3

Source: ISO meeting New Orleans 09/2002

no need to

use pre-mixed

natural gases


Free and unlimited access to the natural gases

cerexen The better solution compared to pre-mixed gases

• faster re-filling of the cylinders after a system discharge due to local availability of gas suppliers

- pure natural gases are available close to each medium-sized agglomeration- system is faster back into service, lower shut-down costs

• no dependency on specialized authorized suppliers- mixtures of natural gases are only available from a limited number

of suppliers

• no expensive license-fees on a natural gas without an additional benefit regarding extinguishing performance

- N2, Ar and CO2 are license-free - the gas price of pre-mixed gases is about 5 times higher


No CO2 in pure N2 and Ar(pre-mixed gases such as Inergen containing CO2)

cerexen The better solution compared to pre-mixed gases

CO2 should increase the breathing frequency in the extinguishing zoneafter discharge in order to compensate lower oxygen concentration.

- no medical need for this effect: persons in regions of lower oxygen concen-tration (e.g. above 5000 m) are naturally move and breathe more slowly

- higher frequency could lead do breathing in more possibly toxic smoke gases


Due to the necessary concentrations system size:

CO2 < N2 < Ar

system price accordingly.

cerexen Choosing the optimal agent

CO2: The LOAEL-value of 5% is highly exceeded by the design concen-trations. Use CO2 only when no personal safety is required or for object protection.

N2: Standard agent which guarantees personal safety if the oxygenrest-concentration does not drop below 10 Vol-%. This is true for all class A and class B as well as for most class C applications. More than 90% of all Cerexen installation use nitrogen!


Ar: Argon installations are more expensive than nitrogen installations, as the gas is more expensive and more cylinders are needed to reach the design concentration.

EDP-Room

Vol. [m3]

Cylinder Number(ISO 14520)

Argon Nitrogen

50 2 2

100 4 4

250 10 9

500 20 18

cerexen Choosing the optimal agent

Argon only if chemically necessary!

E.g.: explosion suppression where hydrogen can be released; reaction with metals as magnesia or lithium at higher temperatures.


Physical Properties of Inert Gases

Extinguishing agent

Formula Mol- Weight Density (Vaper phase)(at 20°C und 1013 mbar)

Carbon dioxide CO2 44 g/mol 1,84 kg/m3

Argon Ar2 40 g/mol 1,662 kg/m3

Nitrogen N2 28 g/mol 1,165 kg/m3

Inergen 52% N2

40% Ar

8% CO2

34 g/mol 1,418 kg/m3

Argonite 50% N2

50% Ar

34 g/mol 1,413 kg/m3


Carbon dioxide:- unmanned generator stations- unmanned transformer rooms- local application: oil baths, turbines, kitchen devices

cerexen Application

Nitrogen:- Computer rooms- Storage of plastic boxes- Cable channels- Manned transformer/ generator/ switch rooms- Military depots- Archives- Warehouses- Cotton storage rooms- Museums

Argon:- Chemical storage rooms with the risk of metal fires


cerexen Key characteristics

Excellent extinguishing performance for class A, B and C fires

- best suited for fast growing fires

- excellent performance with flammable liquids and gases(explosion protection by enclosure inerting)

Electronically non conductive

- best applicable for electronic risks

Excellent performance with deep seated fires with 20 min. hold time

- best applicable for archives or cotton stocks

Use of natural gas

- no remaining residues after discharge


Cylinder pressure 200 and 300bar, approved and safe technology, allowing pipe systems of any length and height difference.

cerexen N2 and Ar system characteristics

Cylinder arrangement One, two or four lines. Up to 60 cylinders in one battery! A high storage flexibility is the result as 80l cylinders are available. Horizontal storage possible.

Activation Electromagnetic pilot valve, pneumatic slave valves. Booster-set in case of larger cylinder batteries.

Pressure reduction With orifice plate to 60 bar behind high-pressure hoses and high pressure manifold. In case of multi-sector systems, the orifice plate is in front of the selector valves.

Multi-sector systems Selector ball valves between 1 ½” and 2”

Over-pressure flaps Pneumatic and mechanical in different sizes


cerexen Minimum requirements on storage space

Protection of a center for mobiletelecommunication in Switzerland

Four-line arrangement exclusively offered by Siemens Fire Safety!

Compact cylinder assemblies allow significant reduction of storage space! maximum of 60 cylinders ( 1700 m3 EDP-Room)

5 m2 surface area per cylinder assembly package only


Use of total volume of

storage rooms

is possible only with

four line arrangement!

EDP room in Denmark

Telecommunication room in Hungary

cerexen Storage examples


All extinguishing systems using natural gases do need over-pressure relief openings to avoid complete destruction of the protected area - independent of the natural gas used !

cerexen Overpressure relief openings

Optimized cerexen overpressure relief openings allow minimum areas due to pneumatic activation of the overpressure openings.

increased free surface area and better pressure drop coefficient compared to conventional mechanically overpressure flaps.

Siemens Fire Safety as a system builder includes its own

overpressure flaps in its cerexen package!


cerexen Stability after discharge of Nitrogen

Oxygen Concentration after Discharge

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480 540 600 660 720 780 840 900

Time [s]

Oxy

gen

Co

nce

ntr

atio

n [

Vo

l%]

O2% on 90% room height



max. O2 level after CEA 4008

Test room 110 m3 / 60 s discharge time


cerexen International acceptance

The cerexen gases recognized by the following

- authorities & test houses:VdS, LPC, FM, UL, CNPP, HK-FSD, other national ones

- standards:CEA 4007&4008 / NFPA 2001 / UL 2127 / ISO & CEN 14520

All three cerexen gases are widely used in Europe & Asia Pacific:

- Nitrogen: IG-100

- Argon: IG-01

- Carbon Dioxide: Carbon Dioxide

Siemens Fire Safety introduced nitrogen internationally

as extinguishing agent!


Approvals for cerexen

• VdS system approval- system design- hardware- hydraulic software

• Hong Kong FSD

• China approval

• CNPP French approval

• SSL Australian approval

• LPC component listing pending

• FM approval pending

cerexen Approvals


CerSpray Water Spray for Local Applications

Siemens Fire Safety



Objective:Protection of local applications or industrial objects

CerSpray Advanced water spray technology

Advantage:Fast extinguishing and cooling

Application examples:

- engines- energy generating facilities

(turbines & generators)- pump stations- oil & gas industry

Agent:Water spray with optimised droplet diameter

patented technology


Maximum cooling effect due to optimised droplet size so thatto ensure that the water droplet enter the fire zone

CerSpray Extinguishing effect

No supporting inerting effect and therefore no enclosure around the pro-tected object is needed: the fire is extinguished by the water droplets

Too large droplets: low specific surface bad cooling effect no fire extinguishing

Too small droplets: droplets vaporise before reaching the fire zone no fire extinguishing


CerSpray Key advantage compared to “water fog” systems

Water fog systems try to reduce the oxygen concentration for fire extinguishing by enclosure inerting with water vapour.

• min. enclosure temperature 85°C huge fire is needed huge damage on equipment

• enclosure must be tight no local applications

CerSpraydoes extinguish small open fires and avoids re-ignition after flame out.

suitable for local applications!


CerSpray Necessary water concentrations

Minimum water concentration for small fires (below 1 MW): 170 g/m3

For large fires (above 1 MW): 350 g/m3

Wa

ter

am

ou

nt

[kg

/m3]

0,35

0,30

0,25

0,20

0,15

0,10

0,05

0,00

0,00 0,40 0,80 1,20 1,60

polypropylen fire

Fire area [m2]

Physical prove (VdS research)


Nuclear safety research: examination of aerosol behaviour in large-scale

Maximum possible concentration for water droplets at ambient temperature:

100 g/m3 for water fog droplet sizes

CerSpray Droplet density

Maximum Droplet Density per Enclosure Volume

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Droplet Diameter [m]

Max

imu

m D

rop

let

Den

sity

[g

/m3 ]

required stability time = 1 minute

Maximum droplet density per enclosure volume


CerSpray Maximum vapor content

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

0 20 40 60 80 100

Temperature [°C]

Wa

ter

va

po

ur

de

ns

ity

[g

/m3 ]

Determination of the maximum vapour content

Dew-point line of vapor/air: at 20°C 20 g/m3


• Water fog systems cannot extinguish fires at ambient temperature safely, when used for room protection.

• Higher temperatures higher vapor density

• Safe extinguishing of large fires (= 350 g/m3 water density) T > 85°C!!

CerSpray Conclusion

We do not use the inertisation effect -but bring the droplets directly to the seat of the fire!

• At 20°C the necessary water fog density of 170 g/m3 cannot be obtained by the combination of vaporized water and water fog in form of droplets.


CerSpray is designed for fast extinguishing of rapidly growing fires on industrial objects and effective cooling of remaining hot surfaces!

CerSpray Use for local application only

• optimised droplet spectrum- based on in-house research

• optimum nozzle position- nozzles are placed beside the

protected object

• extinguishing of small open fires possible- allows the use of fast acting fire detection

systems

CerSpray is not designed for total discharge since necessary inerting effect by water vapour can not be guaranteed!


CerSprayCerexenwith CO2

Foam

CerSpray Where to use for local applications ?

Corrodibilityof risk

low

high

none medium high

Personal

safety

All: typically special hazard


Patented coupling between cerexen and non-pressurised water cylinders provides for an of optimum droplet spectrum on low hydraulic pressures using standard nozzles !

CerSpray Wide range of applications

• single sector systems and

• multi sector systems

no need for stainless steel high pressure piping

steady state conditions at the nozzles depending on the minimum spray time realisation with cerexen or with pump


CerSpray Single sector applications

N2

Orifice

cerexen Water cylinders Pipe system with nozzles

Low pressure technology allows to add up to eight water cylinders to one sole cerexen cylinder.

600L of water per cerexen cylinder


CerSpray Multi sector applications

cerexen cerexen Water cylindersControl cylinder

Water sector valves

One common cylinder storage to protect several local applications

unique application advantage of CerSpray


Cylinder pressure Nitrogen 200 bar, approved and safe technology, allowing pipe systems of any length and height difference, water cylinders are unpressurized.

CerSpray System characteristics

Cylinder arrangement One, two, three or four lines. Up to 60 cylinders in one battery! The result is a high storage flexibility.

Activation Electromagnetic nitrogen pilot valve, pneumatic nitrogen slave valves. Water cylinder valves do not have any moving parts.

Pipes PN 40

Pressure reductionWith orifice plate to 20 bar behind nitrogen high-pressure part. A nozzle pressure of 10 to 20 bar results.

Multi-sector systems Selector ball valves between 1” and 2”


CerSpray Approvals

CerSpray has successfully passed VdS fire tests and has system approval pending:

CerSpray is the first water spray system having a VdS approval for engines and similar objects!

FM, LPC component listing will be realized via VdS

Design: Based on a verified software tool and object properties


GasSpray Advanced Room Protection

Siemens Fire Safety



GasSpray Room protection with nitrogen and water fog

Objective:Room protection: Fast extinguishing and cooling of gases and hot surfaces

Agent:Nitrogen: Fast reliable extinguishing, known from CerexenWater fog: - Cooling of gases and hot surfaces - Washing out of smoke gases reduced toxicity

Advantages:Additional fire safety:

no re-ignition of deep seated fires

Additional personal safety: cooled surfaces and reduced toxicity

Application examples:• Archives• Cotton storehouses• Risk of spreading liquid fires


GasSpray Extinguishing effect

Nitrogen flooding guarantees the extinguishing of all fire classes in an early stage due to the inertisation effect!

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

10 30 50 70 90

Droplet diameter [m]C

oo

ling

cap

acit

y [W

/m3K

]

Cooling capacity of 0.7 kg/m3 water in relation to droplet diameter

Cooling effectWater fog with fine droplets (10 – 50 m) guarantees optimum cooling

• High specific surface for high heat transfer

• uniform homogeneous distribution ofthe water droplets, since releasedtogether with nitrogen

Disadvantages of conventional water fog systems

• Extinguishing effect only above 85°C huge fires high damages

• Completely sealed rooms necessary


GasSpray Necessary water concentrations

Minimum water concentration for small fires (below 1 MW): 170 g/m3

For large fires (above 1 MW): 350 g/m3

Wa

ter

am

ou

nt

[kg

/m3]

0,35

0,30

0,25

0,20

0,15

0,10

0,05

0,00

0,00 0,40 0,80 1,20 1,60

polypropylen fire

Fire area [m2]

Physical prove (VdS research)


Nuclear safety research: examination of aerosol behaviour in large-scale

Maximum possible concentration for water droplets at ambient temperature:

100 g/m3 for water fog droplet sizes

GasSpray Droplet density

Maximum Droplet Density per Enclosure Volume

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Droplet Diameter [m]

Max

imu

m D

rop

let

Den

sity

[g

/m3 ]

required stability time = 1 minute

Maximum droplet density per enclosure volume


GasSpray Maximum vapor content

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

0 20 40 60 80 100

Temperature [°C]

Wa

ter

va

po

ur

de

ns

ity

[g

/m3 ]

Determination of the maximum vapour content

Dew-point line of vapor/air: at 20°C 20 g/m3


• At 20°C the necessary water fog density of 170 g/m3 cannot be obtained by the combination of vaporized water and water fog in form of droplets.

GasSpray Conclusion

Therefore we add Water Fog to Nitrogen!

• Water fog systems cannot extinguish fires at ambient temperature safely, if used for room protection.

• Higher temperatures higher vapor density

• Safe extinguishing of large fires (= 350 g/m3 water density) T > 85°C!!


GasSpray Applications

Patented coupling between cerexen and non-pressurised water cylinders from CerSpray system !

• Single sector systems and

• Multi sector systems

Simultaneous discharge of Nitrogen and water fog.

One pipe system for nitrogen and water fog flooding using standard material.

Separated gas and water orifices adjusted to each other to assure optimum gas and water discharge. Design based on the phenomenon of critical flow.


GasSpray Room protection

GasSpray




FM200

Roomsize

Electronic risksClass A

LiquidsClass B

GasesClass C

Deep seatedfires

Fire

risk



GasSpray Single sector applications

Water discharge: 300 to 700 g/m3 (depending on risk and room surface)

Combination range of 4 to 13 cylinders N2 with one cylinder of water(depending on fire class and selected water amount)


GasSpray Multi sector applications

Each sector might need own water storage, as water and gas orificehave to be adjusted to each other.


GasSpray System characteristics

Multi-sector systems Selector ball valves between 1 ½” and 3”

Pipes PN 80

Over-pressure flaps pneumatic and mechanical in different sizes

Cylinder pressure Nitrogen 200 bar, approved and safe technology, allowing pipe systems of any length and height difference, water cylinders are unpressurized.

Cylinder arrangementOne, two or four lines. Up to 60 cylinders in one battery! A high storage flexibility is resulting.

ActivationElectromagnetic nitrogen pilot valve, pneumatic nitrogen slave valves. Booster-set in case of larger cylinder batteries. Water cylinders valves do not have any moving parts.

Pressure reduction With orifice plate to 60 bar behind high-pressure part. In case of multi-sector systems, the orifice plate is in front of the selector valves.


Four-line arrangement exclusively offered by Siemens Fire Safety!

GasSpray Minimum requirements on storage space

Compact cylinder assemblies allow significant reduction of storage space! maximum of 60 cylinders ( 1700 m3 EDP-Room)

5 m2 surface area per cylinder assembly package only

Example of connection to the manifolds


GasSpray Calculation of the actual water amount

The necessary amount of water depends on room size, surface and fire risk. The surface of the fire load has to be cooled by the resulting water film, in order to reduce the actual temperature (= in the worst case the reaction temperature of the fire TR) down below the value of flammability (TF).

20HRoom

H2OFLFL ,pFR h

A

M zcTT

The resulting enthalpy equation

depends both on the fire load and on the room data.

This calculation is done for each case at SBT HQ!


GasSpray Approvals

GasSpray has successfully passed VdS fire tests and has system approval pending:

GasSpray is the first nitrogen + water fog system having a VdS approval for room protection!

FM, LPC component listing will be realized via VdS

Design: Based on a verified software tool and object properties


Gas-Löschtechnik – Inerte Löschgase

Vergleich Löschgasmengen

Halon

1301

1 Fl.NOVEC

1230

2 Fl.CO2

4 Fl.Stickstoff 300 bar

5 Fl. Inergen 300 bar

5 Fl.Argon 300 bar

6 Fl.


Extinguishing system solutions

FM200

Novec 1230

CO2

NitrogenArgon

CerSpray

GasSpray

Chemical agent

Natural agent

extinguishing basic

Documents