The fire-sensitive areas like datacenter, server room, museum, or business premises where every asset is valuable is a business-critical requirement to protect from hazards. In these areas, traditional water-based fire protection systems could severely damage the sensitive assets apart from the fact that sometimes it may spread the fires rather than suppression.

Waterless clean agent (gaseous) fire suppression systems could minimize the damage and bring the business back in operation quickly. Gaseous systems work quickly and effectively without harming people or the environment.

Clean Agents Variations

EMACO provides three common NFPA standards mostly used clean agents for fire suppression. We offer Novec 1230, FM-200, and inert gas to protect valuable assets.

FM-200 or chemical name HFC-227ea, a Halocarbon Agent contains carbon, hydrogen, and halogen mostly used chemicals throughout the world. This HFC chemical is stored as a liquid, vaporized during discharge, and the concentration rate is 6.25-8.7%(NFPA 2001).

FM200 has a low ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential)  for the environment and can also safely be used in occupied spaces. It extinguishes fire through heat absorption and cooling effects. Moreover, the best part of it, the FM-200, can extinguish the fire within 10 seconds or less time.

Novec 1230 or chemical name 3M (Fluroroketone) contains carbon, oxygen, and fluorine. It is stored as a liquid and applied as a gas, but non-conductive in liquid and gas state. This chemical belongs to the halocarbons family and is used in the replacement of Halons and HFCs.

Novec 1230 extinguishes fire efficiently by displacing oxygen from the fire.  It is a nontoxic, eco-friendly clean agent, which has very low ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) and low GWP(Global Warming Potential). During application, the chemical total flooding concentration rate is 4.2-5.9%, according to NFPA 2001.

Inergen, Chemical name Inert gas contains nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen, stored as a gas, works on high pressure compared to other clean agents and concentration rate is higher also. It is around 34.2-40.6%.

Inert gas suppresses fire by reducing oxygen level, nontoxic and has very low ozone depletion potential that is safe to use for protection.

The selection of gas options depends on factors like cost, priorities and applications. We can guide you best use case based on your budgets and requirements

Extinguishment Process

FM 200 primarily suppresses fire by absorbing heat through the vapor discharge process and also disrupts the fire combustion chain reaction that ultimately suppresses fire.

Novec 1230 and Inergen suppress fire by disrupting and displacing oxygen concentration levels. Novec 1230 creates very low heat vapor, and vapor pressure is 12 times more than water that can evaporate 50 times faster than water.

Novec stored as liquid and concentration rate is lower than inert gas. That is why it is more efficient and safe compared to Inergen.

How Does the Clean Agent System Work?

In a clean agent system, the gaseous agent mitigates fire instead of using a water-based sprinkler system that minimizes the overall damage.

The system comprises an agent with a storage cylinder, release valve, detection system with automatic control panel, nozzles, wiring, and piping. Cylinders are placed out of the protected area.

The protected area like the data center, office, or sensitive occupied spaces connected through a piping network, this pipe connects the cylinder with the gas discharge nozzles. When the detector senses/detects heat or smoke, the signal sent to the control panel unit to activate the clean agent system, by cross zoning process (two-state detection taste) control panel proceeds to actuate the system for avoiding false signal.

Then all the vents closed automatically, and the clean agent started discharging through the nozzles within 10 seconds.  Then the clean agent flooded the entire occupied area and diluted the oxygen level from there and extinguished the fire. The system will control the fire automatically and you will have the option to control it manually if required.

Specialties

Clean agent suppression system is an electrically non-conductive waterless clean extinguishing system that is very fast in acting, deployed within 10 seconds with required concentration after detecting fire.

That means the gaseous agent suppresses a fire before it starts to grow and emits heat or high flame. This extinguishment happens without damaging electronics, files, or other crucial sensitive resources and is also environmentally safe for humans and the environment. But people should not be present in the gas discharge area during extinguishment.

We can say it is a most globally accepted highly customized, cost-effective fire-fighting solution for occupied sensitive spaces.

EMACO Clean Agent Suppression System Application Scope