Total Fire Protection System Manufacturer & Contractor
Total Fire Protection System Manufacturer & Contractor
Carbon dioxide has a number of properties that make it a desirable fire-extinguishing agent. It is noncombustible, it does not react with most substances, and it provides its own pressure for discharge from the storage container. Since carbon dioxide is a gas, it can penetrate and spread to all parts of a fire area.
As a gas or as a finely divided solid called “snow” or “dry ice,” it will not conduct electricity and, therefore, can be used on energized electrical equipment. It leaves no residue, thus eliminating cleanup of the agent itself.
Carbon dioxide has been used for nearly a century to extinguish flammable liquid fires, gas fires, fires involving electrically energized equipment, and, to a lesser extent, fires in ordinary combustibles, such as paper, cloth, and other cellulosic materials. Carbon dioxide will suppress fire effectively in most combustible material. Exceptions are a few active metals and metal hydrides and materials, such as cellulose nitrate, that contain available oxygen. Furthermore, practical limitations of carbon dioxide are related to the physiological effects of carbon dioxide and to restrictions imposed by the hazard itself.
Two basic methods are used to apply carbon dioxide in extinguishing fires. One method is to discharge a sufficient amount of the agent into an enclosure to create an extinguishing atmosphere throughout the enclosed area. This is called “total flooding.”
The second method is to discharge the agent directly onto the burning material without relying on an enclosure to retain the carbon dioxide. This is called “local application.” Other methods include hand hose lines, standpipe systems, mobile supply, extended discharge, and special applications.
Total flooding systems may be further distinguished by their method of design or installation.
An engineered system is custom designed for a particular hazard, using components that are approved or listed only for their broad performance characteristics. Components may be arranged into an almost unlimited variety of configurations.
In preengineered systems, the number of components and configurations are determined in advance and included in the description of the system’s approval or listing. Although the degree of preengineering can differ from one system to another, the following limits of components and configurations must be considered:
1. Maximum number of cylinders per manifold
2. Maximum and minimum size and length of piping
3. Maximum and minimum size and number of elbows, tees, and discharge nozzles
4. Container volume, fill density, and level of nitrogen superpressurization