CONSTANT MONITORING OF GASEOUS SYSTEMS

Transcription

1 FIRE SAFETY EVENT, The Scotland SECC, Glasgow Thursday 4 th May 2017 CONSTANT MONITORING OF GASEOUS SYSTEMS Speaker: C. S. P. Hunter BA (Dunelm), Hon DSc, FRINA, FIMarEST, MRAeS CEO & MD Coltraco Ultrasonics csphunter@coltraco.co.uk

2 WHAT ARE GASEOUS SYSTEMS? CO2, FM-200, Novec 1230, Inergens CO2 and Clean Agents are non-conducting fire extinguishants They vaporise easily and do not leave residue on evaporation Clean agents consist of two types: halo-carbons or inert gases They extinguish by cooling or diluting oxygen concentration respectively Removing one of the aspects of the fire triangle: fuel, oxygen & heat Gases are stored under pressure: CO2 50 bar, Novec bar, Inergen 300 bar Thus the systems are dynamic ones

3 WHY ARE THEY USED? Resilience for special hazards & safety critical infrastructure Fire systems are an essential, integral aspect of businesses in today s globalised and interconnected world e.g. military, government, banks, data centres, power generation, shipping, oil & gas, museums, archives, telecommunications Benefits of gaseous extinguishing systems We understand fire brigades far more than we do our own engineered fire systems What is wrong with the our current way of annual inspection?

4 REGULATIONS ISO :2015(E) Deals with the fire extinguishing systems contents, pressure & the protected space into which the system is installed Allows for a maximum of 5% loss of contents & 10% loss of pressure to check for changes to the enclosure that would affect the efficacy of the fire extinguishing system Thus, the need for improved implementation of the regulations, moving to a call for constant monitoring

5 MAINTENANCE Raising awareness of fire risks & understanding the value of regular, effective inspections Annual/periodic inspections contain risk There is risk of accidental discharge or slow seepage: resulting in too little agent to suppress a fire One of the highest chances of discharge occurs during their maintenance: primarily from shutting down & dismantling the system in order to weigh it Cylinders can be tested ultrasonically in 30 seconds

6 ACCIDENTS & ANECDOTES 2004 Routine inspection of fixed CO2 system led to death of four Officers in Hong Kong 2011 CO2 discharge on SD Nimble resulting in serious injury to a shore-based service engineer at HM s Naval Base Faslane 2015 CO2 leak at US coffee plant led to death of one employee FM Global: 1/3 business expire after a major fire Over filled & under-filled cylinders; 20% marine cylinders suspected Cheap pressure gauges sticking in position Safety pins retained in cylinder valves after installation Paint covering severe corrosion Windows ripped out by explosion pressure 2007

7 SOLUTION: CONSTANT MONITORING 24/7 1. Contents 2. Pressurisation 3. Room Integrity

8 SAFESITE SOLUTIONS Coltraco Ultrasonics

9 PRACTICAL TERMS Identify Liquid Level with Portalevel MAX Step 1 To find the liquid level in a cylinder of CO2, clean agents, transformer oil, refrigerants gases and more Step 2 Use Portasteele Calculator tablet based app to convert the level height into the weight/mass of extinguishing agent Popular cylinder types saved to easy-to-find settings list Record and download results for added value servicing Level to Weight/Mass: Portasteele Calculator Ease of use, portability, rugged casing, accuracy and reporting capabilities provides an unparalleled solution Future monitoring aspirations: Contents-Weight-Pressure

10 FIRE SAFETY EVENT, The Scotland SECC, Glasgow Thursday 4 th May 2017 THANK YOU - Q&A Speaker: C. S. P. Hunter BA (Dunelm), Hon DSc, FRINA, FIMarEST, MRAeS CEO & MD Coltraco Ultrasonics csphunter@coltraco.co.uk Presentation owned by Coltraco Ultrasonics