Gaseous fire suppression

Gaseous fire suppression is a term to describe the use of inert gases and chemical agents to extinguish a fire. These systems are commonly used in environments where water from a fire sprinkler would damage expensive equipment or where water-based fire protection is impractical, such as museums, banks, clean rooms and data centers.

Types of Gaseous Fire Suppression Systems

There are two main types of gaseous fire suppression systems:

1. Inert Gas Systems: These systems use inert gases such as argon, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide to reduce the oxygen level in a room to a point where combustion is no longer supported.

2. Clean Agent Systems: These systems use chemical agents that extinguish a fire by absorbing heat, thus cooling the fire and surrounding areas to a point where combustion cannot continue. Examples of clean agents include FM-200, FE-13, Novec 1230, and Inergen.

Operation

Gaseous fire suppression systems are typically activated by fire alarm control panels. These panels receive information from environmental sensors designed to detect changes associated with fire. The control panel may activate audible and visual alarms, and then release the fire suppression agent.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Gaseous fire suppression systems have several advantages over water-based systems. They leave no residue, are safe for human exposure, and are effective in spaces where water damage must be avoided. However, they require a sealed space to maintain the agent concentration and are more expensive to install and maintain than water-based systems.

Environmental Impact

While gaseous fire suppression systems are generally safe for humans and equipment, some agents have been associated with environmental concerns. For example, halon, a once popular clean agent, has been largely phased out due to its contribution to ozone depletion.

See Also

• Fire protection
• Fire sprinkler system
• Fire alarm system
• Fire extinguisher