The Asia Pacific region is home to five of the world’s busiest 20 airports; together, airports in Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo had just short of 270 million passenger movements in 2010. A number of airlines based in the region also operate the world’s latest generation of “superjumbo” aircraft, including the largest passenger airliner in the world, the double-deck, wide-body, four-engine Airbus A380, which is operated in the region by Korean Air, Singapore Airlines and Quantas.

Many airports have had to modify and improve their facilities to accommodate aircraft of this gigantic size. The 525-seater Airbus A380 for example has a wing span of 79.75 metres, an overall length of 72.72 metres and a height of 24.09 metres. Compare this with the original giant of the skies, the Boeing 747-100B that has a wingspan a full 20 metres shorter. The result is that hangers have had to be built to house these giants at a growing number of international airports around the world. The largest is believed to be the Dubai Airwing Hangar at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, which has eight sets of doors that are 26 metres high and span 570 metres – the length of almost six football pitches.

That being said, hangers vary greatly in size, construction and use, and these factors are important considerations when determining the fire protection requirements of the building and its contents. It is important to determine the type and number of aircraft that the hangar will accommodate, the mix of aircraft that are likely to be housed in the hangar at any one time, and how this might change as the airport develops and new aircraft come on stream.

With the cost of the latest generation of “superjumbo” aircraft, it is as much about protection the aircraft as it is safeguarding the hanger.

It is particularly important to determine the type and scale of maintenance that will be performed on the aircraft in the hangar as this can vary from virtually no maintenance in hangers designed to solely protect aircraft from the elements, to complete overhaul of the aircraft. It is also worthwhile to bear in mind the timescale in which this maintenance takes place. From the airline’s point of view it is essential that maintenance time is minimised to maximise the opportunity for the aircraft to fly with paying passengers or freight.

The Hanger Fire Risk.

Due entirely to the nature of the contents of aircraft hangers they present very special and unique high-hazard fire protection challenges that require the maximum hazard mitigation. Aircraft such as the Airbus A380 cost in the region of US$ 375 million and have expensive electronics and large highly combustible fuel loads that demand fast and reliable suppression. Indeed, in the majority of cases, the aircraft are more valuable than the hangars in which they are accommodated.

It is though important to understand that the majority of hangers (other than those used solely for garaging aircraft) are sub-divided into a number of areas that may include some or all of the following:

• The hangar or aircraft storage area.
• Maintenance workshops.
• Warehouse and storage areas.
• Administration and supervision offices.
• Electrical and hydraulics utilities areas.

The generally held view is that the highest risk of a fire in a hangar occurs when an aircraft is undergoing either repair or maintenance, and when fuel is being stored or handled. While there are strict international protocols regarding fuel in an aircraft, it is impractical to remove all fuel before to moving it to a hangar, so the presence of flammable aviation fuel is a constant danger.

While hanger fires are, thankfully, rare they do nevertheless occur. In 2007 a fire in a maintenance hangar in Abu Dhabi completely destroyed a Qatar Airbus A300-600 aircraft. Two other aircraft were damaged, one being an Air Mauritius A319 that had been parked in the hangar next to the Qatar A300. A year earlier a fire at a Sabena Technics hangar at Brussels’ national airport destroyed four aircraft including a Belgian armed forces Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules and an Airbus A320. Temperatures in the hanger reached at least 100°C, buckling the all-metal structure and bringing down the roof.

Hanger Protection Foam.

Foam has proven to be the most effective firefighting agent for hanger fires, and three key considerations need to be taken into account when devising the most effective and reliable solution. These are: the foam concentrate itself; the foam delivery system; and the siting of the delivery hardware.

A hangar fire is most likely to occur when an aircraft is undergoing either repair or maintenance, or when fuel is being stored or handled.

Foam technology has developed apace in recent years and foam concentrates suitable for hanger protection are available from several companies, most notably the Swedish manufacturer, Skum, the Italian company, SaboFoam, Ansul and the Scandinavian supplier, Solberg, which was recently acquired by the USA-based Amerex Corporation. Well known and respected brand names include Towalex, Hydrex, and Ansulite.

Synthetic AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) concentrates have now been successfully installed in both civil and military aircraft hangars. These are water-based and have the ability to spread over the surface of hydrocarbon-based liquids. Alcohol-resistant aqueous film forming foams (AR-AFFF) are resistant to the action of alcohols and are able to form a protective film.

For these “enclosed” hanger applications, high-expansion foam is the ideal choice, owing to its use of the minimum amount of water. A characteristic of a high-expansion system is that the total amount of water required to extinguish a fire is, in relative terms, small, and so the total quantity of extinguishing media to be cleaned up after the fire has been extinguished is also minimised. The foam will, within minutes of its release, completely fill and engulf the area in which the fire has occurred, and so extinguish the blaze.

High-expansion foam can be put into two very broad categories: Class A foams and Class B foams. This is an important distinction, as a Class A foam is not designed to put out Class B fires. Class A foam is suitable for freely burning materials such as wood, paper, textiles and other carbonaceous materials and, while it might extinguish a Class B flammable liquids fire, its use might lead to catastrophic results because of its inability to secure the liquid’s explosive vapours. Class B fuels can be subdivided into two more subclasses: non-polar solvents such as aviation fuel that will not mix with water, and polar solvents that will mix with water.

In such applications as aircraft hangers, high-expansion foam has what is often called a “mass effect”, isolating the entire fire area and extinguishing a fire in several ways. The water within the foam is turned into steam and contributes towards a rapid cooling of the fire; the steam also acts as an inerting agent and reduces the oxygen content of the air; the isolating characteristic of high-expansion foam prevents heat from spreading and setting other objects alight; and the foam also prevents flammable gases from spreading and igniting.

Foam Delivery.

The majority of aircraft hangers are best protected using fixed foam firefighting monitors of either the oscillating type or fixed-nozzle type.

In brief, oscillating monitors, as the term implies, automatically oscillate from side to side when discharging foam onto the hangar floor. They are normally preset to swing back and forth over a given arc – typically at set sweeps of 30 degrees, 50 degrees, 70 degrees and 100 degrees – to provide a flow rate over a particular area, delivering a uniform foam blanket across the aircraft’s fuselage, wings and the hangar floor area in the first sweep.

Fixed-nozzle monitors have nozzles that are, typically, mounted on a manifold or as single units approximately one-metre above the hangar floor. They have a preset angle of elevation and discharge pattern calculated to deliver the most effective stream pattern and range while ensuring that the stream is kept low enough to flow under the wings of any aircraft. This type of monitor system is frequently installed in hangers where aircraft or maintenance equipment in the hangar could interfere in the normal operation of the oscillating type monitor.

In essence, both of these types of monitors stand guard over a specific fire risk, hence the importance of ascertaining what type and size of aircraft are to be accommodated, where they will be positioned, and where maintenance fire risks are most likely to be located.

Monitors need to be robust, unerringly reliable and deliver their promised performance at a moment’s notice. There are numerous manufactures of fire monitors with Skum and the Korean manufacturer, Shilla Fire, being among the most popular throughout the Asia Pacific region. Depending on the specification of the particular model, flow rates are available between 5,000 litres-a-minute and 20,000 litres-a-minute with maximum “throws” of more than 120 metres.
Each system has its particular benefits and, in addition to the facility to preset the monitor’s discharge, the leading equipment manufacturers’ monitors incorporate either or both manual and remotely-controlled override. This enables the stream of foam to be re-directed with a manual rotation of 360 degrees and vertical elevation between minus 60 degrees and plus 90 degrees to enable it to be focused on a particular hot-spot.

Positioning Matters.

Positioning of the fire monitors is absolutely critical and is something that may need to be under constant review. This need for persistent re-assessment is possibly less so in the case of purpose-built hangers for aircraft such as the Airbus A380, where there is unlikely to be a significant change to the position of the aircraft in the hanger or the location of particular fire risks.

However, if the hanger is used for a variety of different types and sizes of aircraft and if it is used for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, maintenance work may be carried out in any number of different areas of the hanger, and the location of potential fuel leeks may vary greatly from one aircraft to another. There may also be a wide variation in fuselage and wing height with which to contend. Structural alterations to the hanger also have the potential to jeopardise the effectiveness of the firefighting if, for example, workshop or storage areas are enlarged or relocated.

So, all in all, hanger fire protection is not a simple matter, and the stakes are very high. It is certainly not a time to cut corners or take chances. As the fire in Abu Dhabi showed, if a fire is not tackled quickly and decisively, disaster is the inevitable outcome.

Contact: For further information, go to www.deltafire.com.au

(Author) Bob Greive, who is Managing Director of Delta Fire Australasia Pty Ltd
 

Commercial kitchens are particularly prone to fire, with research showing that deep-fat fryers, cooking ranges and cooking grills are the three primary types of equipment likely to cause a fire. Deep-fat fryers, for example, use flammable cooking oil that has the potential to cause grease build-up in hoods and ducts. If this build-up ignites, it can contribute to the swift spreading of a fire throughout the kitchen and beyond.

The Delta Fire solution protects the vulnerable cooking equipment and kitchen hoods with a pre-engineered installation that combines detection and suppression in a single package; a proven solution that uses linear pneumatic detection technology and a fast-reaction, low pH, wet chemical suppression agent that is ideally suited for cooking fat and grease fires. The Skilled Park project has 17 of the internationally-approved Amerex KP-PRM restaurant fire suppression systems, for which Delta Fire is the Australian distributor.

Briefly, the Amerex pneumatic tubing is routed throughout the hood, above the cooking equipment. This tubing is pressurised and is designed to rupture when exposed to a fire at a temperature of 224 degrees C. This instigates the immediate discharge of the suppressant throughout the hood, duct and onto the appliances via a fixed-nozzle agent distribution network, quickly suppressing the fire and cooling the fuel, while securing the vapours with a smothering foam reaction. An additional feature of the system is that it interrupts the gas or electrical power to the cooking appliances prior to the suppression agent discharge.

Commenting on the Skilled Park project, Bob Grieve, Managing Director of Delta Fire says: “According to the Australian Bureau of statistics, there are around 14,000 cafe and restaurant businesses in Australia, all of which need to take the risk of fire very seriously.” He continues: “A kitchen fire can erupt in seconds, putting staff, customers and the premises at serious risk, so providing the high-risk cooking areas with around-the-clock protection makes sound economic sense.”

Skilled Park stadium was designed by Populous, an international design practice, and engineering services for the project were undertaken by Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), winning for the consultancy the prestigious Engineers Australia Queensland overall R.W. Hawken Award and the Building & Structures category.

Delta Fire Australasia Pty Ltd specialises in the fire protection of high-risk, high-hazard environments, providing commercial, industrial and firefighting customers throughout Australia with market-leading equipment, proven solutions and professional fire engineering expertise. In addition to its Brisbane headquarters, the company has offices in Adelaide (SA), Perth (WA), Sydney (NSW) and Melbourne (VIC). Further information is available by telephone +61 (0) 7 3349 781, or by email at sales@deltafire.com.au. The company’s website is at www.deltafire.com.au.

With more than 10,000 vehicles being protected by Firetrace systems, Firetrace International was able to demonstrate that there had not been a single reported instance where a properly installed and maintained Firetrace system has either false alarmed or failed to detect and suppress a genuine fire.  The system is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. 

Firetrace provides each bus with reliable, around-the-clock, unsupervised protection that requires neither electricity nor external power.  The system comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to a specially developed leak-resistant polymer tubing that is routed throughout the engine compartment. This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in even the most demanding environments.

Immediately a fire is detected, the tubing ruptures and ABC powder suppression agent is automatically released, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to escalate or spread.  This suppressant was chosen because it is effective on every type of fire
risk that is likely to be present, and the cylinder is mounted in a space underneath the bus, behind where the driver’s seating position.  The detection tube is routed to the engine area at the front of the vehicle.  A tee is included in the installation, which takes a section of the tubing to a pressure gauge mounted on the driver’s dash board, providing a clear visual indication of the system’s status.

This latest bus protection order comes shortly after the announcement that approximately 1500 Firetrace systems are being installed in Polish buses in the capital, Warsaw, and the city of Poznan. 

Genuine Firetrace is available only via ISO 9001:2008 certified Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.  Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.


 

Fifteen systems have been installed, each providing dedicated, around-the-clock protection to the vital generating equipment.  According to Faik Tellioglu of MCS Fire Protection and Consulting Services Ltd, Firetrace International’s Turkish authorised distributor, the mall has an important role to play in the region’s economic development, and the generators are essential to the mall’s ability to continue trading during a mains power failure.  The mall has already attracted such world renowned brands as IKEA, Carrefour and Leroy Merlin, and some 1.8 million people live within a 15 minutes drive.

Firetrace was selected because it requires neither electricity nor external power.  It is an intrinsically safe solution that does not contain any components that produce sparks or which can hold enough energy to produce a spark of sufficient energy to cause an ignition.  It also meets the mall’s requirement for a solution that complies with the highest international standards.  Indeed, Firetrace International’s Firetrace is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system with, globally, 150,000 successfully completed installations.

Each of the Firetrace systems comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This leak- resistant tubing is snaked around the generators to ensure fast detection and suppression of a fire at its source.  Heat or flame will immediately cause this tube to rupture and the ABC Powder suppression agent is automatically released, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can take hold.  An important consideration for the mall’s management was that, unlike many suppression systems, Firetrace can only ever be activated by a real fire, so there is no prospect of false alarms or unnecessary agent discharge.

There are two Firetrace systems, but the Firetrace Indirect System was chosen for the Anatolium shopping mall project.  Unlike the Firetrace Direct system, where the Firetrace Detection Tubing is utilised as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system, the Firetrace Indirect System uses the Firetrace tube as the detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge.  The rupturing of the tube results in a drop of pressure causing the indirect valve to activate.  This diverts flow from the detection tube and the agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, flooding the entire enclosure.

ISO 9001:2008 registered Firetrace International is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with its EMEA offices in Gatwick in the UK.  Genuine Firetrace is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.   Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com.   The Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK can be contacted on +44 (0) 1293 780390 and the company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.


 

The Firetrace systems are safeguarding a variety of machinery control cabinets, variable speed drives, and high and medium-voltage cabinets that control drinking water pumps, sewage and water treatment processes throughout the southern part of the city, which is home to 80 percent of Qatar’s population.  They are providing each cabinet with reliable stand-alone, fast-response fire detection and suppression that ensures minimal damage, and down-time at a lower cost than equivalent total flooding systems.

ISO 9001:2008 registered Firetrace International’s Firetrace is a “self-seeking” solution that is entirely self-contained, does not require an external power source, and so is ideal for protecting remote installations.   The system comprises a cylinder that contains the chosen suppression agent – in this case DuPont™ FM-200® – which is attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This small-bore polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that consistently delivers the required temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  Firetrace International’s systems are the only pneumatic linear detection systems that carry FM [Factory Mutual] approval and UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listings.

The Doha STW project uses the Firetrace Direct System, which is the most commonly used Firetrace solution for protecting electrical cabinets.  This utilises the Firetrace tube as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system.  When the tubing detects a fire anywhere along its length it ruptures, forming an effective spray nozzle that automatically releases the entire contents of the cylinder.    This extinguishes the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to take hold.  However, for all of its sensitivity, the Firetrace systems are unaffected by Qatar’s high temperatures, which can average over 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) between May and September.

Each of the Ministry of Drainage Affairs’ cabinets is protected by a single Firetrace cylinder to provide maximum protection.  Every system is linked via a low-pressure switch to a Kentec Electronics fire panel – also supplied by Firetrace International – that is in turn connected to a main SCADA [Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] system.  Every Kentec panel has a unique address so, if a low-pressure switch is activated, the location of the fire is immediately evident.

The systems were supplied by Doha Electrical and Mechanical Projects, Firetrace International’s authorised Qatari distributor, one of a global network of trading partners skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support.  Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at emea@firetrace.com.   The Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK can be contacted on +44 (0) 1293 780390 and the company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

Firetrace was chosen because it satisfied the consultant’s insistence on a solution that is both UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved.  In fact, Firetrace International’s genuine Firetrace is the only UL listed, FM approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.   Currently, 250 Firetrace systems have been installed, but Firetrace International’s authorised trading partner in Saudi Arabia, Husam Sinjab Contracting Establishment, anticipates that this will ultimately increase to a figure closer to 400.

Each of the Firetrace installations is an entirely self-contained fire detection and suppression solution that requires neither electricity nor external power.  For this particular project and application they utilise DuPont™ FM200® clean suppression agent that is ideal for protecting electrical components.  It leaves no residue to damage sensitive equipment; is non-conductive and non-corrosive. 

The technology chosen for the DOKAAEP cabinets was the Firetrace Direct Release System.  This comprises Firetrace International’s proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing that is linked, via a custom-engineered valve, to the FM200 suppression agent cylinder.  This specially-developed, leak resistant, small-bore polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that delivers the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  Its flexibility is such that it can be threaded around the cabinet’s tightly-packed compartments and components.  When the tubing detects a fire anywhere along its length it ruptures, forming an effective spray nozzle that automatically releases the entire contents of the FM200 cylinder, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can do extensive damage to the cabinet.  

Further information on Firetrace is available from the Firetrace International EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.



 

Firetrace comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This leak-resistant polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that is immune to vibration and shocks, and was developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in wind turbine environments.  When the tubing is exposed to heat and radiant energy from a fire, it bursts and instantly directs the suppression agent at the source of the fire, precisely where it starts and before it can take hold and do extensive damage to the $ multi-million turbine. 

Instead of attempting to provide protection for the turbine as a whole, individual Firetrace systems protect critical areas that are most prone to fire.  Typically these include: electrical enclosures; near generators; in the tower base; and any adjacent cabinets housing controls or electrical transmission equipment.  They are also used to protect: braking systems, generator enclosures; SCADA [Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] systems; and hydraulic systems that have the potential to rupture near points of potential ignition.

Firetrace overcomes the major drawbacks of traditional flooding suppression systems, where vibration can loosen connections, rendering the system useless, and dirt, dust and temperature extremes are known to cause false alarms and false suppression discharge.  This can result in the unwarranted disabling of the detection and suppression system, leaving the expensive turbine vulnerable to damage or destruction by fire, or the wholly unnecessary additional cost incurred accessing the turbine to investigate and rectify the malfunction. 

Suppression challenges with traditional systems also include the fact that most turbine housings have a number of openings to allow air to circulate to reduce the internal temperature, and that any gap between the housing and the support tower is typically an open space.  These openings significantly inhibit achieving the "designated agent concentration" in traditional systems, and devising a solution to overcome these challenges typically adds hundreds of kilos to the turbine.

Genuine Firetrace is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.  It is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors; trading partners skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support, and committed to using only genuine Firetrace components.  Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com. 

Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from ISO 9001:2008 certified Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.
 

The system overcomes one of the most serious drawbacks of traditional fume hood in-cabinet sprinkler-head detection and dispersal systems, where the design of the airflow can result in heat and flames not reaching the top-mounted detection device in time to avoid sever damage and possibly destruction of the cabinet.

Firetrace overcomes this critical shortcoming by positioning the detection and suppression precisely in the path that heat and flame will follow – behind the baffles and across the exhaust duct openings.   To do this it utilises a purpose-designed leak-resistant polymer tubing that is linked to an extinguishing agent cylinder via a custom-engineered valve.  This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that ruptures anywhere along its length immediately a fire is detected and automatically releases the suppression agent.

There are two Firetrace systems.  The Firetrace Direct System utilises the Firetrace Detection Tubing as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system, whereas the Firetrace Indirect System uses the Firetrace tube as a detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge.  The rupturing of the tube results in a drop of pressure causing an indirect valve to activate.  This diverts flow from the detection tube and the agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, flooding the entire hood.

So, intrinsically safe Firetrace, which requires neither electricity nor external power, provides reliable, unsupervised protection, safeguarding the fume hood 24/7.  Suppressant options include CO2, AFFF foam, dry powder and the latest clean agents, such as 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Suppression Fluid and DuPont™ FM-200®; the choice being matched to the particular fire challenge.  The systems activate only in the event of a fire, so there is no potential for false alarms or unwarranted suppression activation due to smoke or fumes.  In fact, genuine Firetrace from Firetrace International is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. 

Firetrace can also be used to protect hazardous material storage cabinets.  In these applications the flexibility of the Firetrace Detection Tubing is such that it can be routed throughout the cabinet, ensuring that detection is at the very point where a fire might break out.

Genuine Firetrace is available only via ISO 9001:2008 registered Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation, commissioning and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.  Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com.

Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

A major benefit of Firetrace is that, in addition to detection taking place inside the cabinet itself, because the system is self-seeking, detection is at the very point where the fire breaks out.  This is possible because the system utilises Firetrace Detection Tubing – a specially-developed small-bore polymer tubing that is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that delivers the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  The flexibility of this proprietary tubing means that it can be threaded around the cabinet’s tightly-packed compartments and components. 

Electrical cabinets use the Firetrace Direct Release System.  This utilises the Firetrace tube as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system.   When the tubing detects a fire anywhere along its length it ruptures, forming an effective spray nozzle that automatically releases the entire contents of the cylinder, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can do extensive damage to the cabinet.   The entire cabinet is filled with extinguishing agent at a design concentration that prevents fire spread and re-ignition.  In fact, due to the discharge being via the tubing rupture, a number of cabinets can be protected with a single Firetrace system, as the system will deliver agent only to the affected cabinet.

The Firetrace Detection Tubing is linked, via a custom-engineered valve, to an extinguishing agent cylinder.  A wide selection of suppression agents is available from Firetrace International, the choice being dependent upon the particular characteristics of the fire hazard and any environmental considerations.  For electrical cabinets and enclosures, such as fuse panels, switchgear and relays, the most appropriate suppression agents include 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid and DuPont™ FM200®.  Both of these clean-agent suppressants leave no residue to damage sensitive equipment; they are non-conductive and non-corrosive, making them ideal for electrical components.

Significantly, Firetrace is self-activating, which means it does not require any electrical power.  The Firetrace Detection Tubing is fed into each compartment through cable glands, so the installation in no way compromises the cabinet’s IP rating.  Build quality of the system is underpinned by its UL [Underwriters Laboratories] FM [Factory Mutual] certification and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marking.  In fact, Firetrace International’s Firetrace is the only UL listed, FM approved and CE marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.

Commenting on the effectiveness of Firetrace, Nick Grant, EMEA Vice President & General Manager, says: “The high risk areas in sealed electrical cabinets are the internal compartments, so this is where the fire detection and suppression needs to be sited.  Relying on external protection is doomed to fail because potentially, by the time the fire is detected, it has escaped the initial enclosure and spread to create even greater damage.”

Installation of Firetrace is very straightforward for both new and retrofit installations The system is delivered with a factory-fitted normally open / normally closed low pressure switch that allows system discharge to be monitored and integrated with the site’s fire detection and alarm system or building management system.  It can also be configured to activate other fire safety measures including sounding alarms, shutting-down equipment, activating dampers and closing fire doors.

Genuine Firetrace is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation, commissioning and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.  Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com.

Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.


 

Firetrace is UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked and comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This small-bore polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics. 

The leak-resistant tubing quickly detects a fire at its source, ruptures and – in Firetrace Direct Release systems – automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can take hold.  However, machine tool applications typically use the Firetrace Indirect Release system, where the Firetrace tube is used as a detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge.  The rupturing of the tube results in a drop of pressure causing the indirect valve to activate.  This diverts flow from the detection tube and the extinguishing agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, quickly flooding the entire machine enclosure.  

Nick Grant, EMEA Vice President & General Manager, comments: “Modern cutting, grinding, turning and milling equipment is very reliable but, due to the large amount of oil-based coolant they use, they do represent a significant fire hazard.”  He continues: “A drop in oil level in an EDM machine, for example, can easily result in a fire as the coolant oil and oil vapour can, in an instant, escalate a single spark into a major fire.  Excessive heat can be generated by improper programming of a CNC machine or a failed tool, causing a flash-fire as the cooling oil ignites.  With the trend toward lights-out, unattended operation, Firetrace provides a critical safety measure to safeguard against a small problem developing into a catastrophic event.”

With so many thousands of machines protected by Firetrace, Firetrace International receives reports weekly about successful fire suppressions.  A recent report relates how a fire broke out while the owner was standing next to the machine.  Before he was able to react, the system had activated and suppressed the fire.  The local authorised Firetrace distributor was quickly onsite, and the machine was back in service in less than two hours. 

In a typical installation for an EDM machine, the Firetrace Detection Tubing is run from the cylinder, down the ram and circles the base of the ram just above the usual operating oil level.  The discharge nozzles are installed well above the oil surface on both sides of the ram to deliver the agent with an even, soft discharge that suppresses the fire without dispersing the burning oil.

Firetrace systems for CNC machines are invariably supplied with either DuPont™ FM200® gaseous suppression agent or CO2 [Carbon Dioxide].   Both suppressants do no harm to the sensitive equipment being protected, nor do they leave any residue to clean-up after discharge, further reducing machine down-time.  Another bonus is that Firetrace is intrinsically safe self-activating, which means it does not require any electrical power. 

Firetrace Indirect systems can be supplied with manual releases that enable the machine operator to activate the system at the first sign of trouble.  Firetrace systems are also  available with pressure switches, which can be configured to sound alarms or shut down machines.

Genuine Firetrace is available only via ISO 9001:2008 certified Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.   Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com.

Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

Firetrace systems provide reliable, around-the-clock, unsupervised protection that requires neither electricity nor external power and comprise an extinguishing agent cylinder – which is usually mounted in a convenient location in or near the engine compartment – attached to a specially developed leak-resistant polymer tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in even the harshest of environments.

Immediately a fire is detected, the tubing ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to escalate or spread.  Its ABC powder suppressant is effective on every type of fire risk that is likely to be present.  In addition to the vehicle’s fuel and the risk of fuel line ruptures, this includes any number of flammable liquids that are present throughout an engine compartment, including hydraulic, brake, automatic transmission and power steering fluids, plus combustible accumulated grease on the engine block, for which frayed or damaged electrical wiring can easily provide the ignition source.  

Firetrace withstands the rigours of harsh dust-laden environments, contends with extreme ambient temperatures, and stands up to shocks and intense vibration. In fact, genuine Firetrace from Firetrace International remains the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. 

Unlike traditional techniques, such as fusible link systems, where the dynamics of the airflow in and around an engine compartment when a vehicle is in motion can seriously impair performance and reliability, airflow actually helps Firetrace to provide faster and more reliable detection and suppression in moving vehicles.  Because the heat and flame that typically rise from the source of a fire may be propelled away from the location of the fusible link when the vehicle is in motion, activation is inevitably delayed.   However, with Firetrace, the Firetrace Detection Tubing is routed throughout the engine compartment and is positioned both above and behind the potential source of the fire to ensure that the airflow actually helps by directing the heat and flames towards the tubing.

Genuine Firetrace is available only via ISO 9001:2008 certified Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.  Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.
 

The ISO 9001:2008-registered company’s technology can safeguard systems controlling equipment for runway lighting, baggage handling, control tower systems, remote air guidance operations, passenger handling, telecommunications centres, elevators, escalators and moving walkways.  The same systems can be used to protect the most common locations for the outbreak of a fire on airport ground service vehicle – the engine compartments, generators, electrical systems and heaters. 

Firetrace can be part of a new-build installation or retro-fitted to existing equipment to provides unsupervised protection that requires neither electricity nor external power, so is ideal for equipment that is in remote, difficult to access or infrequently inspected locations.  It withstands the rigors of dust-laden environments, contends with extreme ambient temperatures, and stands up to shocks and intense vibration.

Each Firetrace system comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder attached to a specially developed leak-resistant polymer tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in even the harshest of environments.  Immediately a fire is detected, the tubing ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to escalate or spread. 

The tried-and-tested system is truly unique among tube-operated systems.  In addition to its endorsement by UL and FM, Firetrace has accreditations and approvals from more than 25 other world-renowned independent agencies.  It also stands apart from its competitors by being able to be supplied with a variety of suppression agents, the choice of which is tailored to the precise fire risk. 

The most appropriate Firetrace suppression agents for electrical cabinets and enclosures is either of the two market-leading environmentally-acceptable clean agents – 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Suppression Fluid or DuPont™ FM-200®.  However, for ground service vehicle protection, ABC dry chemical suppressant is the most frequently used agent.  Other Firetrace suppressant options include AFFF foam.  CO2 [carbon dioxide] is also available, although the company is at pains to point out that extreme care has to be taken to ensure that it is not used in applications, such as electrical cabinets, where the direct discharge of CO2 might well damage delicate electrical equipment.

Genuine Firetrace is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors.  These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation, commissioning and support.  They also use only genuine Firetrace components.  Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com.

Further information is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

However, while the full-room total flooding discharge of CO2 can be used without damaging electrical equipment, this does not mean that CO2 is suitable for every electrical environment.  This is because the CO2 discharge nozzles in a room are typically some distance from the sensitive electronics.  This is not the case with direct-discharge, tube-operated systems in enclosed electrical cabinets, where the CO2 discharge may be a matter of only a few centimetres away from delicate circuit boards or microchips.

This has the potential to adversely impact on a vast number of businesses where electrical cabinets and enclosures maintain and control an array of business-critical processes – machinery control cabinets, switchgear, substations or simple fuse boxes – and where the loss or damage of the equipment could have devastating consequences.

In these applications, the direct-discharged CO2 suppressant agent is released in liquid form that transmutes instantly into a gas, reducing the temperature to a super-cooled minus 70 degrees C.  This instantly freezes the humidity throughout the cabinet and effectively transforms the electrical panels into “snow boxes”.  This “snow” is a mixture of frozen carbon dioxide – often called dry ice – and water that can also collect dust and dirt particles from inside the cabinet.  This “snow” melts into water inside the panels and then comes into contact with the energised components.  The dust particles that are collected within the snow are deposited on to surfaces inside the enclosure, creating an electrically conductive substrate.

The rapid cooling from ambient temperature to minus 70 degrees C can also damage sensitive electronic components through a process known as thermal shock, which can damage some – possibly all – of the equipment in the cabinet.  Also, there are still direct-discharged CO2 systems on the market that discharge the CO2 as a gas, rather than as a liquid that then transmutes into a gas, where on discharge so much frost is formed that the cylinder valve freezes up and discharges only a portion of the cylinder’s contents.  Estimates suggest that this may be as low as 50 percent.  This serious drawback has though been overcome in ISO9001:2008-certified Firetrace International FIRETRACE® automatic fire suppression
systems by the innovative development of a modified direct / indirect valve.

However, when the CO2 transmutes from a liquid to a gas it expands at a rate of 500:1.  This sudden expansion in volume creates a significant over pressurisation that can also seriously harm sealed enclosures and deform metal panels.  The result is that, while the fire in the cabinet is suppressed, the damage caused to nearby electrical equipment by choosing to use direct-discharged CO2 is likely to be extensive.

This might, of course, beg the question: “Is it necessary to protect electrical cabinets with this type of dedicated fire suppression?”  The answer is an unequivocal “yes”.  Reliance on facility-wide systems, even with the most sophisticated and integrated installations, is seriously flawed because, by the time a ceiling-mounted smoke, heat or flame sensor or a beam detector has been activated by a fire in an electrical cabinet, it is all but certain to be extensively damaged if not destroyed.  By their very nature, enclosed micro environments are isolated from the facility’s main fire detection and alarm installation and firefighting facilities. 

Any energised equipment – both low voltage and high voltage – can catch fire.  Typically, fires in electrical cabinets are caused by loose connections and faulty cables that, when power is running through them, the electricity can arc.  This arced electricity is extremely hot and can cause the cable sheathing to burn and spread to other components. It is therefore essential for the fire detection and suppression to be targeted on the connections and components, such as switches and transformers.

So, what suppressants are suitable for electrical cabinets?  While there are any number of agents that can be trusted to suppress a fire, not all can be relied upon not to damage the electrical cabinet they are endeavouring to protect.  Certainly not CO2.

Unlike CO2, properly designed systems with agents such as DuPont FM-200® and 3M™Novec™1230 Fire Protection Fluid discharge at much higher temperatures and have proven to provide fast and reliable suppression without the detrimental side effects of direct-discharged CO2.  Both FM-200 and Novec 1230 are non-conductive, clean suppression agents and, significantly, neither has either the huge temperature change from ambient, or the huge pressure change from ambient that precludes CO2 from being suitable for these applications.

Novec 1230, for example, exists as a liquid at room temperature.  It is stored as a low-vapour-pressure fluid that, when discharged, transmutes into a colourless and odourless gas, using a concentration of the fluid that is well below the agent's saturation or condensation level.  Both agents have been used extensively by Firetrace International in its Firetrace systems, of which there are now more than 150,000 installations around the world.

Both agents are also approved by UL [Underwriters Laboratories] and FM [Factory Mutual] and are listed in the appropriate codes and standards, such as NFPA 2001 [Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems] and BS EN 15004:2008 [Fixed firefighting systems. Gas extinguishing systems].

Firetrace provides reliable, around-the-clock, unsupervised protection; it is self-activating, which means it needs neither electricity nor external power.  It also requires neither manual activation nor monitoring, virtually no maintenance, and can be fitted as a new-build installation or retrofitted to existing micro-environments in a matter of hours.  A Firetrace installation does not affect the IP ingress protection rating of the cabinet or any internal enclosures, as it does not necessitate the drilling of holes.  It also does not involve the introduction of any electrically conductive hardware.

It is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system with, globally, 150,000 successfully completed installations.

Briefly, the system comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to technically-advanced proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This leak-resistant polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that is designed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  It can be routed throughout an electrical cabinet and, when the tubing is exposed to heat and radiant energy from a fire, it ruptures instantly and immediately directs the suppression agent at the source of the fire. 

In addition to FM-200 and Novec 1230, Firetrace systems also use ABC dry chemical agents and AFFF [Aqueous Film Forming Foam] concentrate.  In appropriate cases, CO2 is the chosen suppressant, but certainly not when it comes to electrical cabinets. 

Footnote: Nick Grant is EMEA Vice President and General Manager of Firetrace International.  He is based at the company’s EMEA head office is in the UK and can be contacted on +44 (0) 1293 780390 or via email at grant@firetrace.com

To cope with both international and domestic travel, Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi recently inaugurated Asia's longest runway, measuring 4.43km.  A third terminal building is currently being constructed to handle an additional 37 million passengers annually, which is due for completion in time for the Commonwealth Games later this year.  It was designed by HOK – formerly Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum – the largest US-based architectural engineering firm, and the world's fourth-largest architectural practice, in association with Mott MacDonald, the UK-based engineering, design, planning and project management consultancy.

Terminal Three is a two-storey building, with an arrivals area on the ground floor and a departures area on the first.  When completed it will have over 160 check-in counters, 74 aerobridges, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, along with duty-free shops and other passenger service facilities.

The airport is already the busiest in India in terms of number of daily flights, and the second-busiest in terms of passenger volume.  In 2007, it handled 23 million passengers, and the planned expansion program is expected to increase its capacity more than four-fold to 100 million passengers by 2030.

ELECTRICAL CABINETS – MISSION-CRITICAL ASSETS.

In keeping with mass transit operators around the world, Delhi International Airport Limited is acutely aware of the need to ensure the safety of passengers and staff, and to safeguard the operations’ mission-critical assets and facilities.  So much so that it has invested in sophisticated fire detection and alarm and security monitoring equipment.

However, the airport’s management was quick to recognise that conventional fire detection and alarm systems would not adequately protect vital enclosed electrical cabinets upon which the facilities’ entire operational effectiveness depend.  The damage or destruction of these often mission-critical electrical enclosures has the potential to go far beyond the mere the cost of their replacement; it could easily result in putting vital building management systems out of operation with a major detrimental impact on passenger safety or service levels.

It was decided that the only way to ensure that this could not occur was to provide dedicated fast-response detection, fast agent discharge, and fast and effective suppression to minimise damage to the cabinets’ internal components and prevent the spread of fire from one cabinet to the next.

No matter how effective and sophisticated, the facilities’ main fire detection and alarm systems simply do not respond fast enough; they do not provide protection to the micro- environments precisely where it is needed, and that is inside the cabinet where it can react immediately a fire breaks out.  This is because, by the time sufficient smoke has escaped from the often-sealed electrical cabinet in sufficient concentration to activate a ceiling-mounted smoke or heat sensor or a beam detector, the interior of the cabinet is virtually certain to be engulfed in flames and extensively damaged, if not destroyed.  So, the only effective solution is to install fire detection and suppression inside the electrical cabinet itself.

However, electrical cabinets contain a host of components such as internal sealed chambers, bus bars and cable alleys, and the internal layout often comprises small sealed compartments.  These are the high fire risk areas in electrical cabinets.  This means that the fire detection system needs to be installed in each and every internal compartment if the fire is to be extinguished at the earliest possible stage and any damage or disruption kept to an absolute minimum.

This is why glass sprinkler bulb-type actuators that discharge only when sufficient heat has built up around the glass bulb to cause it to break are ineffective.  If the glass bulb happens to be located some distance from the source of the fire, there is the very real prospect of the cabinet‘s contents being seriously damaged before the extinguishing agent is deployed.

FIRETRACE® SOLUTION.

Delhi International Airport’s management looked closely at all of the available options before deciding that ISO 9001-approved Firetrace International’s Firetrace® system was the only effective and reliable solution.  Firetrace was found to provide the essential detection and suppression characteristics that would ensure the effective protection of the cabinets, with a track record of more than 150,000 successfully completed installations around the world.

Firetrace is an automatic fire suppression system that provides around-the-clock protection.  It is a “self-seeking” system; a stand-alone solution that is entirely self-contained and does not require an external power source.

The UL [Underwriters Laboratories] and FM [Factory Mutual] certified and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] approved system comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This small-bore polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  It detects along the entire length of the tube, so the Firetrace tubing quickly detects a fire at its source, ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to take hold.

The flexibility of the Firetrace Detection Tube enables it to be threaded around and throughout the cabinet’s tightly-packed maze of compartments and components.  It enters and leaves each compartment through the integral cable glands meaning that, in the vast majority of cases, drilling is not required, so Firetrace does not compromise the IP [Ingress Protection] rating of the cabinet.

INTELLIGENT SUPPRESSION.

Subject to certain limits, the Firetrace Detection Tube can be installed throughout several conjoined electrical cabinets.  However, the Firetrace installation needs to have only sufficient gas to extinguish a fire in one cabinet, so the largest individual sealed cabinet in a row is used to calculate the quantity of extinguishing gas needed for the entire run of cabinets.  This means that there is sufficient suppression agent to flood the whole cabinet, but it is discharged at the single hottest point where the fire has started, preventing re-ignition and fire spread.

Delhi International Airport has installed more than 500 of the Firetrace Direct Systems, which is the most commonly used option for protecting electrical cabinets. 

This system utilises the Firetrace tube as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system.  When the tubing detects a fire anywhere along its length it ruptures, forming an effective spray nozzle that automatically releases the entire contents of the cylinder.  However, there is also a Firetrace Indirect System that uses the Firetrace tube as a detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge.  The rupturing of the tube results in a drop of pressure causing the indirect valve to activate.  This diverts flow from the detection tube and the agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, flooding the entire enclosure. 

Negotiations for the Delhi Airport contract were overseen by Kuldeep Chauhan of Colimanor Enterprises LLP, Firetrace International’s principle trading partner for India, who worked closely with SVS Buildwell, the master distributor for India.  Commenting on the order, he said: “Having UL and FM approval was a major factor in Firetrace’s favour.  It underpins the quality of the system and clearly separates Firetrace from poor quality imitators with uncertified products.” 

He continued: “Offering a wide selection of suppression agents was another differentiating factor.  A potential supplier that can offer only CO2 [carbon dioxide] – which is widely available – is probably unable to secure supply agreements with extinguishing gas manufacturers that place stringent requirements on the companies they are prepared to supply.  They may also simply not understand the different fire classes and appreciate that CO2 is not an appropriate suppression agent for all applications.”  He concluded: “The current Firetrace International offering includes clean agents such as 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid and DuPont™ FM200®, along with foam, CO2 and dry chemical suppressants.”

OTHER AIRPORT APPLICATIONS.

Firetrace is the ideal solution for many airport fire risks.  In addition to protection electrical cabinets and enclosures, typical Firetrace applications include protecting server racks and computer rooms, control tower systems, remote air guidance systems and telecommunications centres.  Other applications include baggage handling systems, elevators, escalators and moving walkways.  The system is also being widely adopted for passenger, maintenance and catering trucks and ground service vehicles, where the same Firetrace technology is increasingly protecting engine and power generation compartments from fire.

Footnote: Further information on Firetrace is available from the Firetrace EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

With the growing global interest in wind energy, turbine manufacturers and operators are becoming acutely aware of the financial implications, safety issues and environmental impact of fire-damaged or destroyed turbines.   At the same time, the USA’s NFPA [National Fire Protection Association], Germany’s VdS and Germanischer Lloyd are all working on standards and codes of practice.

This has led to several detection and suppression systems being promoted as appropriate solutions.  However, while many are effective for “conventional” applications, they are not designed for the particular fire challenges found in wind turbines.  The majority of turbine fires are started by a lightning strike, mechanical failure or electrical malfunction.  They can be fuelled by up to 200 gallons of hydraulic fluid and lubricants in the nacelle, which itself is made from highly flammable glass fibre.

Braking systems are a high fire risk; overheating can result in hot fragments of the disc brake material breaking off and rupturing a hose, resulting in highly combustible hydraulic fluid being expelled under pressure and coming into contact with the hot disk brake fragments.  Hydraulic pumps and connections have also been known to fail, allowing the fluid to erupt into flames when it comes into contact with a hot surface.

Electrical equipment is another high risk area.  Capacitors, transformers, generators, electrical controls and transmission equipment, all have the potential to catch fire, as do SCADA [Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] systems.  There is also the risk of fire due to loose or broken electrical connections or the overloading of electrical circuits.

UNIQUE FIRE PROTECTION CHALLENGE.

Wind turbines have inherent special challenges that an effective fire detection and suppression system have to overcome. 

The core issue is, of course, remoteness.  This is especially so with off-shore farms, but even on-shore farms are invariably in remote locations.   So, around-the-clock reliability, an absence of false alarms, the ability to contend with vibration, dust, debris and airflow through the nacelle, extreme temperature variations and the ability to stop a fire precisely where it breaks out and before it takes hold are all of critical importance.   So too is the need for the system not to require any external power, if the solution is to be relied upon to deliver 24/7 unsupervised protection.

So what are the options?  These can be generally summarised as:

• Air sampling detection.
• Watermist suppression.
• Compressed-air foam suppression.
• Fusible link detection and suppression.
• Total flooding CO2 [carbon dioxide] suppression.
• Total flooding clean agent suppression.
• Linear pneumatic detection and suppression.

Air sampling aims to offer early detection by collecting smoke particulates in the early stage of fire, but they do require a power source and control panel, which means that the system will fail if the external power fails.  They are also expensive, partly because they only detect a fire, and so need to be integrated with a suppression system. 

The major drawback to air sampling in wind turbines though is the incidence of false alarms caused by minute particles of dust and debris and atmospheric pollution that is propelled around the nacelle due to the fact that turbine housings have a number of openings to allow air to circulate to reduce the internal temperature.  While false alarms are a nuisance for any system owner, a false alarm in a wind turbine invariably involves extensive travel and the hiring of specialist access equipment.

SUPPRESSION-ONLY OPTIONS.

Water mist suppression systems convert water into a fine atomised mist, but they too have limitations when used to protect wind turbines.

Due to the turbine’s remote location and the distance from the ground to the nacelle, these systems are often impractical, added to which they require considerable space to store the water, increasing the weight in the nacelle.  They are also a costly part-solution to the problem, as they too need to linked to a detection system.

They are total flooding solutions, which increase the potential for damage to electrical components and possible corrosion.  Also, because in some locations the temperature can fall below freezing point, antifreeze has to be added to the water, and antifreeze is a combustible liquid that is itself a corrosive substance. There have also been instances where these systems are prone to leaking and accidental discharge.

Compressed air foam systems work on the principle that compressed air is injected into a foam solution to achieve a quicker fire knockdown when compared with conventional foam systems.   While they need less water than conventional systems, the storage, weight and freeze-protection problems are similar to those of water mist systems, plus these systems require considerable additional space for the operating components.  After discharge, clean-up can be extensive and, like water mist systems, the cost is increased by the need for a separate detection system.

Fusible link systems do however combine detection and suppression into one package and work on the basis that heat from a fire will rupture a fusible link – the detection element – that in turn will initiate the discharge of the suppressant.   The challenge with these systems is that airflow in the nacelle can seriously impair performance and reliability because heat and flame that typically rise from the source of a fire may be propelled away from the location of the fusible link, critically delaying activation. 

TOTAL FLOODING.

Whether using CO2 or the latest clean gaseous agents, traditional total flooding suppression systems are designed to fill the entire space being protected with suppressant.
 
CO2, while a first-rate suppression agent, is not without its drawbacks.  It is unsuitable for total flooding applications in potentially occupied enclosures, as its discharge in fire extinguishing concentrations would be lethal to occupants.   So, flooded areas must be adequately ventilated after discharge to prevent accidental exposure of personnel to dangerous levels of CO2 when investigating the cause of a discharge. 

Such challenges do not exist with clean agents, such as 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid.  The suppressant is stored as a low-vapour-pressure fluid that, when discharged, transmutes into a colourless and odourless gas.  Typical total flooding applications use a concentration of the fluid that is well below the agent's saturation or condensation level and its low design concentration means that less space has to be devoted to cylinder storage.  Novec 1230 has a negligible impact on the environment, with insignificant global warming potential, zero ozone depletion and an atmospheric lifetime of between just three and five days.  Once discharged, it leaves nothing behind to damage sensitive electronic equipment. 

However, traditional total flooding systems are not without any downsides.  Vibration can loosen connections and dirt, dust and temperature extremes are known to cause unwarranted discharge.   Additionally, openings in the turbine housing significantly inhibit achieving the designated agent concentration.  Devising a solution to overcome these challenges can add hundreds of kilos to the turbine.

INTEGRATED DETECTION & SUPPRESSION SOLUTION.

FIRETRACE® is a linear pneumatic fire detection and suppression system that overcomes the major drawbacks of traditional total flooding suppression systems and the shortcomings of other technologies put forward for the protection of wind turbines.

It is a self-contained system that, significantly, requires neither electricity nor external power; a solution that is activated automatically around-the-clock without the need for manual activation or monitoring, and requires virtually no maintenance.  It comprises a cylinder containing, for wind turbine applications, Novec 1230 that is attached to a purpose-designed proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve.  This leak-resistant polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that is designed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics.  It is routed throughout the areas to be protected and, when the tubing is exposed to heat and radiant energy from a fire, it ruptures and instantly directs the suppression agent at the source of the fire. 

A key factor in its success – there are over 150,000 FIRETRACE systems installed around the world – is the system’s reliability.  The fact is that the only thing that will rupture the tube is heat or flame from a fire, so there is no prospect of false alarms; yet, if a fire breaks out, the response is unerringly immediate and accurately targeted.  It is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.

Footnote: Further information on FIRETRACE is available from the FIRETRACE EMEA head office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390, or from Firetrace International headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218.  The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.

These systems are safeguarding operators from fires that could easily result in considerable financial loss, pose a serious threat to the lives of the vehicle occupants, and jeopardise the company’s ability to continue to provide the level of service expected by fare-paying customers.

In addition to the vehicle’s fuel and the risk of fuel line ruptures, any number of flammable liquids are present throughout any engine compartment. These include hydraulic, brake, automatic transmission and power steering fluids, plus combustible accumulated grease on the engine block, for which frayed or damaged electrical wiring can easily provide the ignition source.

While these risks can be lessened by regular maintenance and cleaning, engine fires will remain a constant threat, and the dynamics of the airflow in and around an engine compartment when a vehicle is in motion can seriously impair the performance and reliability of traditional techniques such as fusible link systems. This is because the heat and flame that typically rise from the source of a fire may be propelled away from the location of the fusible link by the motion of the vehicle, delaying its activation. The inevitable build-up of dirt in and around engines, vibration and intense temperature variations are also factors that are known to cause such systems to fail.

Firetrace uniquely deals with the problem of airflow, and reacts immediately when a fire breaks out and suppresses it before it has any opportunity to spread. It is also effective on every type of fire risk that is likely to be present – due to the use of ABC powder suppressant – is able to withstand harsh dust-laden environments, contend with extreme ambient temperatures, and stand up to intense vibration. In fact, genuine Firetrace from Firetrace International remains the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. It also comes with approval for use on buses and coaches from the Danish Institute of Fire & Security Technology and the Swedish Fire Protection Association.

Firetrace is an automatic, self-seeking fire suppression system; one that requires no power source and comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to polymer tubing via a custom-engineered valve. This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that is immune to the vibration, shocks and temperature extremes found in engine and generator compartments. It was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in even the harshest of environments.

This leak-resistant tubing is routed throughout the engine compartment. Immediately a fire is detected, the tubing ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can take hold. The tubing is placed both above and behind the potential source of the fire to ensure that the airflow actually helps by directing the heat and flames towards the tubing, providing faster and more reliable detection and suppression in moving vehicles. Depending on the particular FIRETRACE system that is chosen, the suppression agent also flows through the delivery tubing to the front of the engine, again working with the airflow to flood the entire compartment.

The Firetrace Direct Release System utilises the Firetrace Detection Tubing as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system. If a fire breaks out, the tube ruptures nearest the point where the most heat is detected, forming an effective spray nozzle that releases the entire contents of the cylinder to suppress the fire. The Indirect Release System uses the tube as a detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge. The rupturing of the tube results in a drop of pressure causing the indirect valve to activate. This diverts flow from the detection tube and the agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, flooding the entire engine compartment.

All Firetrace systems are available with a manual release or an “alert” signal light and a horn that can be mounted on the operator’s dashboard or control panel.

The Firetrace extinguishing agent cylinder is usually mounted in a convenient location in or near the engine compartment. However, choosing the correct agent is vitally important, as the possible presence of carbonaceous debris around the engine and the potential presence of flammable gases preclude the use of tube-based systems that rely solely on the use of CO2, which is unsuitable for these particular fire risks. So, while Firetrace systems are available with clean agents such as DuPont™ FM200® and 3M™ Novec™ 1230, which have the essential firefighting characteristics that these hazards demand, ABC dry chemical suppressant is by far the most appropriate choice due to the openness and airflow typically found in these applications. Author: Nick Grant is EMEA Vice President & General Manager for Firetrace International, which is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona USA. He can be reached at the company’s EMEA offices in Gatwick in the UK by telephone on +44 (0) 1293 780390 or via email at grant@firetrace.com. The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com

The first thing to appreciate about counterfeit cables is that they are almost always substandard, posing a life-threatening risk to installers and end users. The second, and perhaps more harrowing realisation is that these rogue manufacturers are not in the least bit concerned about anyone’s welfare; their total focus is on making a profit. Their game plan does not stretch to protecting their company’s reputation, establishing integrity, providing safe products or building a reputable brand. No, it is all about money.

Ironically, the very fact that there are standards and regulations that bona-fide cable manufacturers adhere to can help the counterfeiter to dupe the unsuspecting wholesaler, distributor, installer or fire engineer. These rogue manufacturers and suppliers are more than willing to lay claim to standards that are totally fraudulent; unwarranted BS, EN or other acknowledged standards are often to be found displayed on the rogue cable sheathing. So, everyone in the trade – wholesalers and stockists; contractors and installers – need to check very carefully that the cable being supplied does meet the required standards and not merely claim to.

This scenario, understandably, alarms reputable cable manufacturers as it undermines confidence in the standards to which their cables are manufactured and used.

But how big is the problem? Although precise figures are difficult to come by, reliable UK industry estimates indicate that as much as 20 percent of the cable being sold and installed in the UK currently is counterfeit, unsafe, or both. Annually, around £30 million of counterfeit electrical products are believed to reach British shores and those with an intimate knowledge of the problem assess that the vast majority emanates from China.

Today, cables can be found where the diameter of the copper wire has been reduced, lowering the current rating and increasing the resistivity of the cable. This could potentially result in overheating, which could lead to fire or reduce the level of safety against electrical shock. There have also been numerous instances where materials other than pure copper, such as steel wire, copper-coated aluminium or badly recycled copper have been used in cables, and instances where the insulation or sheathing is sub-standard are also commonplace. In many instances, of course, it is not easy to detect a rogue cable simply by looking at it.

Although it is difficult to assess the precise impact that this is having, it is a fact that, in the UK there is strong correlation between the increase in cable-related fires and the amount of unapproved and counterfeit cable entering the country. According to statistics from the Department of Communities & Local Government, in 2007 there were 4,093 fires in homes and businesses in England alone that were caused by faulty wires and cables. This equates to 27 percent of all electrical fires. In the past five years 15 people have died in fires due to faulty cable and 1,200 have been seriously injured. Of course, in many major fires the damage is so extensive that often investigators are unable to establish the precise cause of the blaze. So the government’s figures may well grossly understate the number of fires that can be attributed to faulty cable.

The question, of course, is what can – indeed should – be done?

The first thing to acknowledge is that everyone in the industry has to be involved and accept their legal and moral responsibility. While the majority of distributors and installers that have used sub-standard cable have done so innocently, it would be wrong to believe that there are no instances where a “blind eye” has not been turned in the quest to reduce costs. Certainly, there has been sufficient international publicity about the issue to argue that nobody in the industry can reasonably claim not to be aware of the problem.

The first step that needs to be taken may seem obvious: take a very close look at the

cable being offered and supplied. Draka is currently focusing much-needed attention on the absence of cable marking, without which there is no means of establishing the cable’s authenticity. In the absence of such marking there is every probability that the quality and performance of the cable is highly suspect and is from a disreputable supplier. Under the banner: “If it’s not marked, it’s not worth it”, the Draka campaign focuses on the fact that there is a legal obligation to include certain information on the cable; the more demanding the specification, the more information is required to be shown.

But what markings should a cable carry? To help installers, Draka has published a pocket guide and has an explanatory video presentation on its website. Both are available at
www.drakauk.com. Among the markings that should be clearly visible on every cable are the manufacturer’s name and the British Standard number to which the cable claims to conform. Providing the cable has been tested by one, the name of the independent third-party approval organisation should also be included.

The next step is always to corroborate that what you are being told or shown on sales literature or websites, and that the markings on the cable itself are not misleading, incorrect, or simply downright dishonest. However, relying on the manufacturer’s or supplier’s assertions that a cable is manufactured to a specific standard simply will no longer do; ask for copies of test or membership certificates. Better still, use only cable that is supported by independent test certification by fully accredited organisations that, in the UK, are themselves accredited through UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. This is the sole national accreditation body recognised by the government to assess – against internationally agreed standards – organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. The UKAS website contains information on all of the accredited organisations and can be found at www.ukas.com.

The importance of this third-party accreditation lies in the fact that the specifier, the trade supplier and the installer can be sure that the cable being supplied today is built to precisely the

same standard and specification as the cable that was originally tested and approved. If the
cable is from a producer that does not have this third-party accreditation there is, in reality, no guarantee whatsoever that it is manufactured to the standard being claimed for it.

This requirement for third-party accreditation is important even when buying cable from a
well known manufacturer. Without it, while earlier cable from that supplier may have been up to the standard claimed for it, re-sourcing materials and accepting a different specification, changing the formulation of the coating or sheathing, or modifying the design are just examples of changes that may have affected the performance of the cable.

It is important though to remember that rogue cable manufacturers are every bit as willing to fake third-party accreditation as they are BS or EN standards, so always check with the accreditation organisation that the claim is genuine. They are also quite prepared to misrepresent their accreditation. In one instance, a company’s sales literature proudly carried the logo of one of the world’s leading product certification organisations. In this particular instance, the company had every right to include the logo, as it had achieved an international quality management standard. However, the way in which it had been included on its literature might easily have been taken as implying that the products themselves had been tested and approved.

So surely the message is clear. The more difficult we make the counterfeiter’s life and reduce his chance to make easy money, the sooner this scourge will come to an end. But, this will not happen on its own; we must all play our part to the full. Wholesalers and distributors must verify the quality of the cable they are stocking; contractors and installers must be equally diligent and avoid buying cable from suppliers that have shown to be prepared to side-step the issue; and fire engineers and building services consultants should be ever watchful for substandard product substitution.

Footnote: Mark Froggatt is Marketing Services Manager at Derby-based Draka UK, He can be reached on +44 (0) 1332 345431 or via email at cableuk@drakauk.com. The company’s website can be found at www.drakauk.com.
 

Draka’s latest initiative focuses much-needed attention on the absence of cable marking, without which there is no means of establishing the cable’s authenticity. In the absence of such marking there is every probability that the quality and performance of the cable is highly suspect and is from a disreputable supplier.

Under the banner: “If it’s not marked, it’s not worth it”, the campaign is aimed primarily at installers, but it is a problem that should also concern wholesalers and distributors, specifiers and building control officers. Depending upon the particular application, there is a legal obligation to include certain information; the more demanding the specification, the more information is required to be shown on the cable.

Every year, millions of metres of electrical cable are installed throughout the UK and it is essential to know that the cable being used is to the correct specification. With no markings on the cable it is impossible to know its origin and, more important, whether you can trust that it is safe to install. This is not just an issue at the initial installation stage, it also a serious concern when circuits are later modified. Fitting poor quality cable can have lethal implications and leave the company liable to prosecution.

But what markings should a cable carry? To help, Draka has published a freely-available pocket guide and has an explanatory video presentation on its website. Both are available at www.drakauk.com. The company is also inviting anyone who finds unmarked or misleadingly marked cable being installed to send a sample to Draka in support of the campaign’s aims to achieve best practice throughout the industry and eradicate this dangerous and reprehensible practice.

Among the markings that should be clearly visible on every cable are the manufacturer’s name and the British Standard number to which the cable claims to conform. Providing the cable has been tested by one, the name of the independent third-party approval organisation should also be included. However, it is important to appreciate that merely stamping a BS number on a cable is not evidence that it actually complies. Without third-party approval there is absolutely no guarantee that any of the claims made for the cable are true. Even if a third-party approval organisation’s name is marked on the cable, if the specifier or installer has any doubts whatsoever – particularly if the cable is imported – the marking’s validity should be checked with the approval organisation.

This initiative is the latest move in Draka’s campaign to stamp out rouge cables from unscrupulous manufacturers that have given in to the temptation to cut corners. Some use less copper in the manufacturing process, while others substitute steel wire, copper-coated aluminium or badly recycled copper in place of pure copper. Cable is still turning up that is incorrectly constructed resulting in a serious detrimental impact on the safety and reliability of fire detection and alarm systems, and emergency lighting installations.

The reality of the current situation is that, if a company is prepared to manufacture cable using sub-standard materials, it will not think twice about applying markings on the cable that are fraudulent, inaccurate or misleading. So, claiming that the cable was marked with an appropriate BS or EN number or the name of an independent third-party approval organisation falls far short of being a credible defence. All you have to do to confirm third-party certification is check the appropriate certification body’s website. For example, it takes just a couple of minutes to access the LPCB [Loss Prevention Certification Board] Red Book Live website to ascertain precise details on every LPCB certified cable.

It is estimated that, currently, around £30 million of counterfeit electrical products reach UK shores every year, so anyone that either does not verify the quality of the cable they are buying, or opts to “turn a blind eye” might like to ponder a few recent statistics. According to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in England, faulty electric cable was one of the top three causes of fire in buildings in 2007. This figure had increased year-on-year in the preceding five years, and was up by a staggering 51 percent since 2003.

Derby-based Draka UK is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of fire performance cables, halogen-free power cables and building wires. The company is part of Netherlands-based Draka Holdings NV, which has over 9,000 employees worldwide. Full details on all Draka cables are available by telephone on +44 (0)1332 345431, by fax on +44 (0) 1332 331237, or via email at cableuk@draka.com. The company’s website is at www.drakauk.com.

The range, which comprises nine cable designs, is used extensively for critical life and asset safety installations such as fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting, CCTV and transmission circuits, and has been rebranded as the FT range.

The decision, according to Mark Froggatt, Draka’s marketing Services Manager, was taken following far-reaching discussions with route-to-market partners and fire engineers with the aim of simplifying cable selection, specifying and ordering.

In each case, the letters FT has a suffix that more clearly defines the use, properties or key characteristic of the particular cable. The result is branding that is more easily understood and remembered. For example, Firetuf Powerplus is replaced by FTP120, indicating the cable’s achieving of the maximum 120-minute rating when subjected to the integrated testing of BS 8491:2008 [Method for assessment of fire integrity of large diameter power cables for use as components for smoke and heat control systems and certain other active fire safety systems].

The full catalogue of rebranded cables is:
• FT30, previously Firetuf Easystrip.
• FT120, previously Firetufplus Enhanced.
• FT EMC, previously Firetuf EMC.
• FTP120, previously Firetuf Powerplus.
• FTP, previously Firetuf Power.
• FT Sifer, previously Firetuf Sifer.
• FT Data, previously Firetuf Data.
• FT Coaxial, previously Firetuf Coaxial.
• FT Connecta, previously Firetuf Connecta.

Full details of the rebranded range can be found on the Draka UK website at www.drakauk.com. Draka UK is the country’s leading designer and manufacturer of fire performance cables, zero halogen power cables and building wires. The company is part of Netherlands-based Draka Holdings NV, which has over 9,000 employees worldwide. Further details are available by telephone on +44 (0) 1332 345431, by fax on +44 (0) 1332 331237, and via email at sales@draka.com.

BS 8519:2010 [Selection and installation of fire-resistant power and control cable systems for life safety and fire-fighting applications. Code of Practice] replaces BS 7346-6:2005 [Components for smoke and heat control systems. Specifications for cable systems]. Among other changes it calls for power cables – cables connecting a device to the power supply – to be tested in accordance with BS 8491:2008 [Method for assessment of fire integrity of large diameter power cables for use as components for smoke and heat control systems and certain other active fire safety systems] that itself replaced BS 7346-6: 2005.

Each of the transformer rooms and electrical cabinets in the nacelles of the 3 MW Vestas V90 turbines have been fitted with FIRETRACE© systems that have shown themselves to reliably withstand the vibration, dirt, dust and temperature extremes known to cause traditional systems to fail in these challenging environments.

Each of the transformer rooms and electrical cabinets in the nacelles of the 3 MW Vestas V90 turbines have been fitted with FIRETRACE© systems that have shown themselves to reliably withstand the vibration, dirt, dust and temperature extremes known to cause traditional systems to fail in these challenging environments.

The decision to entrust fire safety to FIRETRACE followed extensive field trials undertaken in wind turbines in Tasmania by Hobart, Tasmania-based Roaring 40s Renewable Energy – a partnership between China Light & Power Group and Hydro Tasmania – which is operating the AUD$330 million, 111 MW Waterloo farm. The farm is located near the Clare Valley, about 100 km north of Adelaide on a rocky ridge surrounded by gently sloping farm land.

The Waterloo wind farm fire suppression systems were supplied and installed by Delta Fire Australasia Pty Ltd, the authorized distributor for Firetrace International’s FIRETRACE. The company supplied three systems for each turbine. A single direct-discharge FIRETRACE system was chosen to protect the turbine’s three electrical cabinets, while two indirect discharge systems were selected for the transformer room. All use 3M™Novec™1230 Fire Protection Fluid, a fast, reliable and environmentally sensitive suppression agent that has been used extensively by Firetrace International in the 150,000 FIRETRACE installations around the world.

Genuine FIRETRACE from Firetrace International is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. Significantly for wind turbine applications, it is intrinsically safe, requiring neither electricity nor external power. It is what is called a self-seeking system, where the extinguishing agent cylinder is connected to a specially developed polymer tubing via a custom-engineered valve. This leak-resistant and temperature-sensitive proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that is routed throughout the area being protected.

Immediately a fire breaks out, this tubing ruptures and the suppression agent is released automatically nearest the point where the most heat is detected, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can take hold. In the FIRETRACE Direct Release System protecting the three electrical cabinets in the Vestas turbines, the Firetrace Detection Tubing acts as both the detection device and the suppressant delivery system. When the tube ruptures it forms an effective spray nozzle that releases the entire contents of the cylinder to suppress the fire in whichever cabinet the fire breaks out.

The two Indirect Release Systems protecting the transformer room use the tube as a detection and system activation device, but not for the agent discharge. The rupturing of the tube brings about a drop of pressure causing the indirect valve to activate. This diverts flow from the Firetrace Detection Tubing and the agent is discharged from the cylinder through diffuser nozzles, flooding the entire transformer compartment.

Commenting on the installation, Bob Grieve, Managing Director of Delta Fire says: “The area around Claire Valley can be very dry and Roaring 40s felt it was essential to ensure that a fire would be extinguished quickly, before there was any opportunity for burning embers spread from the 80-metre high turbine.” He continues: “The Danish-manufactured turbines were delivered to Roaring 40s at Port Adelaide, where Delta Fire fitted the FIRETRACE systems before they were transported by road to Claire Valley. The final commissioning of the systems took place once the turbines were erected on site.”

Genuine FIRETRACE is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors. These trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support, and use only genuine FIRETRACE components. Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com. Further information on FIRETRACE is available from Firetrace International’s global headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218. The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com. Additional information on the Waterloo wind farm installation is available from Delta Fire Australasia Pty Ltd on +617 3349 7817 or via email at sales@deltafire.com.au.

To date, through its camps and retreats, it has helped around 1000 teenagers in Australia discover who they really are and all they can be in life.

Many of these young people have suffered through separation, divorce, low self-esteem, trauma or abuse and a substantial number were considered to be “at risk”. Others have been bullied; some have been mentally ill or fallen victim to drug and substance abuse; but all have emerged from their Get Real experience ready to face life afresh. To quote just one participant: “[Since attending] I have felt so happy, carefree and I’m looking forward to my future.”

Hopefully, the accompanying short video will give you a flavour of the Get Real programmes in action. It runs for just three minutes and includes comments from participants and parents, and a brief interview with the founder of Get Real, Tamsyn Rosenberg. There is a more comprehensive 15-minute version, which we would be happy to send to you.

There will also be a Get Real “Birthday Bash” and film launch to which we would like to invite you. We are expecting a number of Get Real graduates to attend, many of whom are flying in from interstate to celebrate 3 years of success stories and this landmark in their lives and the life-changing Get Real experience.

For more information about Get Real, its programmes and forthcoming events, please visit the website at www.getreal4youth.com or contact Tamsyn Rosenberg on +61 (0) 73299 3013 or email: info@getreal4youth.com.

They are being used to provide dedicated fire protection to vital electrical cabinets throughout the architecturally distinctive complex, which comprises seven high-rise towers overlooking the Holy Mosque that will accommodate 65,000 guests and visiting pilgrims. The 1,445,000 square metre structure is believed to be the largest mixed-use complex of its kind in the world and is scheduled for completion in 2011.

FIRETRACE was chosen because it satisfied the consultant’s insistence on a solution that is both UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved. In fact, Firetrace International’s genuine FIRETRACE is the only UL listed, FM approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system. Currently, 250 FIRETRACE systems have been installed, but Firetrace International’s authorised trading partner in Saudi Arabia, Husam Sinjab Contracting Establishment, anticipates that this will ultimately increase to a figure closer to 400.

Each of the FIRETRACE installations is an entirely self-contained fire detection and suppression solution that requires neither electricity nor external power. For this particular project and application they utilise DuPont™ FM200® clean suppression agent that is ideal for protecting electrical components. It leaves no residue to damage sensitive equipment; is non-conductive and non-corrosive.

The technology chosen for the DOKAAEP cabinets was the Firetrace Direct Release System. This comprises Firetrace International’s proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing that is linked, via a custom-engineered valve, to the FM200 suppression agent cylinder. This specially-developed, leak resistant, small-bore polymer tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that delivers the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics. Its flexibility is such that it can be threaded around the cabinet’s tightly-packed compartments and components. When the tubing detects a fire anywhere along its length it ruptures, forming an effective spray nozzle that automatically releases the entire contents of the FM200 cylinder, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it can do extensive damage to the cabinet.

The decision to fit FIRETRACE to safeguard vital enclosed electrical cabinets upon which the facilities’ entire operational effectiveness depends was taken after carefully assessing the network’s entire fire safety requirements. It was decided that the only way to protect these mission-critical assets was to provide dedicated fast-response detection, fast agent discharge, and fast and effective suppression.

FIRETRACE was found to provide the essential detection and suppression characteristics that would ensure the effective protection of the cabinets. It provides around-the-clock protection, and is a “self-seeking” stand-alone solution that is entirely self-contained and does not require an external power source. To date, 500 FIRETRACE systems have been dispatched to India for the Metro project, although this will eventually rise to between 700 and 900 as work proceeds on the network.

“Electrical cabinets are a challenging environment,” said Nick Grant, Firetrace International’s General Manager for the EMEA region. “They contain a host of components, such as internal sealed chambers, bus bars and cable alleys, and the internal layout often comprises any number of small sealed compartments. These are the high fire risk areas, so the fire detection system needs to be capable of being installed in each and every internal compartment if the fire is to be extinguished at the earliest possible stage and any damage or disruption kept to an absolute minimum.”

In essence, the FIRETRACE system comprises an extinguishing agent cylinder that is attached to proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing via a custom-engineered valve. This small-bore specially-developed polymer tubing acts as a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that delivers the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics. It detects a fire at its source at any point along the entire length of the tube, ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to take hold.

The flexibility of the Firetrace Detection Tube enables it to be threaded around and throughout the cabinets’ tightly-packed maze of compartments and components. The tube can be installed throughout several conjoined electrical cabinets – subject to certain limits – enabling one FIRETRACE system to protect several cabinets.

Detailed negotiations for the contract were overseen by Kuldeep Chauhan of Colimanor Enterprises LLP, Firetrace International’s principle trading partner for India, working closely with SVS Buildwell, the FIRETRACE master distributor for India.

ISO 9001:2008 registered Firetrace International is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with its EMEA offices in Gatwick in the UK. Genuine FIRETRACE is UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed, FM [Factory Mutual] approved and CE [Conformité Européene or European Conformity] marked, and is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorised distributors. These trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, agent and system selection, installation, commissioning and support. They also use only genuine FIRETRACE components. Details of these authorised distributors are available by contacting Firetrace International at info@firetrace.com, or by telephoning the company’s EMEA office in the UK on +44 (0) 1293 780390. The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.