A clean agent system is a non-conducting, electrical, gaseous or volatile fire extinguisher which does not leave any residue upon evaporation. A clean agent fire suppression system uses inert gas or a chemical to suppress fire at the inception stage before it can rise. It effectively extinguishes Class A, B, and C fires.
Types of clean agent system and its significance
One of the most common types of clean agent system is a chemical clean agent fire suppression system that uses chemical agents like FM-200 (HFC-227ea) and 3M Novec 1230 fire protection fluid. Another type of clean agent fire suppression system is the inert gas system which is made up of gas like carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen. All such clean agents are stored either as liquid or gas.
While activating the system, it releases the clean agent as gas for fire suppression. After the discharge, the clean agent disrupts or removes one of the three elements required to sustain a fire: oxygen, fuel source and heat. Most clean agent fire suppression systems reach the extinguishment level within 10 seconds, making it a highly efficient fire protection system. Out of the clean agents, inert gas is one of the environmental friendly agents with ozone depletion potential (OPD).
A clean agent fire suppression system protects valuable assets through some typical areas and applications and protects the following areas:
- EDM and CNC machines.
- Electrical panels and cabinets.
- Equipment within the nacelle of a wind turbine.
- Telecommunications and data storage systems.
- File/record libraries and repositories.
- Artwork, museums, and other culturally important assets.
Regarding the cost of a clean agent system for fire suppression, 3M Novec 1230 fluid and FM-200 are more cost-efficient than gaseous systems. This is because less agent is required to put off the fire, and it also requires smaller storage cylinders.
Hence, from the factors mentioned above, it is clear that a clean agent system is one of the most fire suppression systems and works effectively to ensure fire protection.