Clean Agent Fire Suppression System: An Important Technology in Modern Fire Protection

Clean Agent Fire Suppression System: An Important Technology in Modern Fire Protection

In the modern field of fire protection, clean agent fire suppression systems have gained significant attention due to their unique advantages. This article provides a comprehensive overview of clean agent fire suppression systems, including their definition, working principle, common types, applications, advantages, and future development trends, to help readers gain a thorough understanding of this vital fire protection technology.

Definition

A clean agent fire suppression system is a type of fire suppression system that uses clean agents to extinguish fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a clean agent is a fire extinguishing agent that is electrically non-conductive, volatile, or gaseous, and leaves no residue upon evaporation. This system typically activates during the incipient stage of a fire and can effectively suppress the fire within a short period, minimizing damage to equipment and the environment.

Working Principle
Clean agent fire suppression systems extinguish fires by removing or disrupting one of the three essential elements required for a fire to sustain itself: heat, oxygen, or the fuel source. Different types of clean agents target different elements. For example, chemical clean agents like FM-200 primarily suppress fires by absorbing heat, while inert gas clean agents such as Inergen work by reducing the oxygen concentration.

Common Types
Chemical Clean Agent Systems : FM-200 is a common chemical clean agent. It is a non-toxic, colorless gas that extinguishes fires through heat absorption, leaves no residue, and is suitable for occupied spaces such as computer rooms. Novec 1230 is another similar chemical clean agent with excellent environmental performance and no ozone depletion potential.

Inert Gas Fire Suppression Systems : Inergen is composed of three naturally occurring gases: nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide. It suppresses fires by reducing the oxygen concentration to a level that is low enough to extinguish the fire but still safe for human breathing. It is suitable for a wide range of applications, including bank vaults and computer room.

Non-destructive protection of precision equipment
In semiconductor factories or MRI rooms of hospitals, water or dry powder fire extinguishing may cause short circuits in equipment or loss of magnetic overload, while clean fire extinguishing agents can avoid such risks.

Personnel safety
The system design must ensure that the concentration of the fire extinguishing agent reaches the safety threshold (such as the NOAEL standard) within 30 seconds, and at the same time be equipped with sound and light alarm and delay devices to guarantee the evacuation time of personnel.

Total flooding is compatible with local applications
It can not only achieve full-space protection through a pipeline network, but also design directional nozzles for local areas such as cabinets to enhance cost-effectiveness.

Expansion of industry application scenarios
Data center: To prevent data loss caused by server downtime, clean fire extinguishing agents are used in combination with early smoke detection systems to achieve millisecond-level response.
Cultural heritage protection: The museum adopts the Novec 1230 system to prevent irreversible damage to cultural relics caused by water stains.

In the field of new energy, due to the risk of thermal runaway in lithium battery energy storage cabins, clean fire extinguishing agents are gradually being introduced to replace traditional gas fire extinguishing solutions.