Saturday 6 September 08 - 22:24
 

Safety and Training

Ozone Friendly Fire Extinguisher Launched by Tyco Fire and Security.

Tyco Fire and Security has announced the most suitable replacement for Halon 1301 for shipboard applications is the new Sapphire fire suppression system. Since its introduction it has been successfully installed in several hundred ships, including ferries.

Sapphire can be used to suppress fires involving computing equipment without the risk of consequential damage.
Sapphire can be used to suppress fires involving computing equipment without the risk of consequential damage.

Sapphire utilises 3M’s Novec 1230 fluid and has several advantages over other Halon alternatives or extinguishants currently on the market that have unacceptably high global warming potential. The fluid is stored in cylinders as a low vapour pressure fluid that transmutes into a colourless and odourless gas when discharged. Unlike water based fire extinguishing agents, it can be used with confidence to suppress fires involving electrical or computing equipment without the risk of consequential damage.

Typical total flooding applications use between just 5 and 6% by volume of the fluid, which is well below the agent’s saturation or condensation level. When discharged, the agent is dispersed through natural ventilation, leaving no residue to damage sensitive equipment. It is also non-conductive and non-corrosive.

Sapphire has a negligible impact on the environment and an insignificant global warming potential, lower than any of the halocarbon agents acceptable for use in occupied spaces, such as ship’s engine rooms.

Fires on ships frequently involve diesel oil, as opposed to the more typical Class A combustibles in land based fires, requiring higher suppressant concentration levels. As the volume of the space on ships is often difficult to calculate accurately due to machinery,  the installation’s designer will often err on the side of caution and include more agent than the actual volume required.

MJ Information No: 22407

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Sapphire can be used to suppress fires involving computing equipment without the risk of consequential damage.

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