CARBON DIOXIDE CO2
Industrial Fire Suppression Systems

INTRODUCTION

• The remarkable effectiveness of carbon dioxide for fire extinguishing has long been known.
• Kidde engineers developed carbon dioxide fire extinguishing over 60 years ago and Kidde have been responsible for every major improvement that has been made in this branch of fire protection.
• Kidde Fire Protection benefits from the accumulated experience of thousands of installations in Power Plant, Industrial Plants, Oil Refineries, Electronic Processes, on Ships and in an infinite variety of hazardous areas.

• Automatic operation without reliance on any outside source of energy.
• All operating parts are completely enclosed.
• No falling weights.
• No sealing disks to replace after operation.
• All vital operating parts can be easily tested without dismantling.
• Contents checking can be done without dismantling (via continuous weight monitoring).
• Does not require a padding pressure for flow through pipework.

• Flammable liquid storage areas
• Printing presses, flow solder M/C's
• Quench tanks/exhaust fume ducts
• Paint spray booths
• EDP/computer floor voids
• Electrical switchgear & substations
• Fryers/ovens

• The 3 dimensional action of carbon dioxide means it can extinguish fires that burn both vertically and horizontally.
• Fast moving, fast expanding gas penetrates past obstructions and through tiny openings to reach the most inaccessible and hidden hazard areas.

• A Kidde pressure operated carbon dioxide system uses large bore discharge valves enabling faster rates of flow to be achieved, a vital ability in local application systems.
• It acts promptly in the crucial first few seconds of a fire when fast action can mean the difference between a minor nuisance and a disaster.
• And it acts automatically 365 days a year.

• CO₂ is a colorless, odorless, dry, inert gas and is one of the most familiar of all chemicals.
• After extinguishing a fire, it vaporizes fully leaving no residue.
• There is no mess, nothing to clear up, no water damage.
• It is harmless to most materials and will not contaminate foodstuffs.
• It is noncorrosive and a nonconductor of electricity so it can safely be used on delicate electronic equipment, valuable art treasures, paintings, or manuscripts.

• Carbon dioxide is a standard commercial product with many other uses, and it is readily available throughout the world.
• Because of its universal use, it can be obtained cheaply, and this is an important consideration when frequent recharging of storage containers is necessary as in local application systems, where fires are common.

Details of system design for both total flooding and local application systems are contained in the KFP CO₂ Design Manual 598132-401.

TOTAL FLOODING SYSTEMS

• Total flooding systems extinguish fires by rapidly supplying an enclosed volume with enough carbon dioxide to create an atmosphere that is incapable of supporting combustion.
  
• The system is completely effective even in spaces with a limited amount of open area.
• By filling the entire space, fire cannot exist on the floor, on the ceiling, or at any level in between.
  
• No matter how severe the flames may be, they are normally extinguished in the first 15 seconds of discharge.

LOCAL APPLICATION SYSTEMS

• This method of system design is used to protect unenclosed hazards confined to a small area where it would be uneconomical to flood the entire room.
• Discharge horns are placed where fires are expected to start and at points to which the fire will travel so as to build up a dense cloud that penetrates into every crack and crevice, blanketing the burning area completely.
  
• These installations, operated either automatically or manually, snuff out unbelievably severe fires.
  
• Two methods of CO₂ quantity calculation are available, the choice depending upon site configuration.

• The wide range of components manufactured by Kidde enables systems to be engineered to suit individual customer requirements.
• Systems can be either automatically or manually operated and arranged to protect single or multi-zone hazards and with any number of reserve discharges.
• Automatic control can be achieved mechanically, pneumatically, or electronically, or by any combination of these to suit site conditions.
  
• Facilities are available for providing a pre-alarm and delayed discharge, as well as various methods of preventing automatic release, while protected rooms are occupied by personnel.
  
• Audible and visual indications of system control can be provided and facilities to automatically shut fuel valves, fire doors, dampers, and shutters by either mechanical or electrical devices.
  
• CO₂ is stored at atmospheric temperatures, in steel cylinders manufactured to British Standard 5045 pt1 specification. The pressure varies with temperature and at 21C would be approximately 59 bar.
  
• Any number of cylinders can be manifolded together and simultaneously released to provide the total design requirement.

Total Flooding Systems

Surface Fires

• Fires involving flammable liquids, gases, or solid materials not subject to smouldering are known as surface type fires.
  
• Basic quantities of carbon dioxide for various space volumes may be calculated from Table 1.
  
• Some materials require more than the basic quantity to achieve extinction and in these cases a conversion factor is applies, as shown in Table 2.

• A fire involving a solid material that is subject to smouldering is called a deep seated fire.
  
• Rooms containing these materials should have no openings that cannot be automatically closed, other than small openings or pressure vents near the top of the enclosure.
  
• Additional quantities of CO₂ are needed and held within the space for not less than 20 minutes.
  
• Recommended design concentrations for various hazards are shown in Table 3.

• The volume method of system design is used where the fire hazard consists of three dimensional irregular objects that cannot easily be reduced to equivalent surface area.
  
• The total discharge rate of the system is based on the volume of an assumed enclosure surrounding the hazard.
• The basic design rate is 16 kg/min/m³, but this can be adjusted to actual site conditions, subject to the degree of existing enclosure.

• The quantity of carbon dioxide required is based upon the total discharge rate from a carefully sited nozzle arrangement, a sufficient number of nozzles being used to adequately cover the entire area on the basis of the unit area protected by each nozzle.
  
• For this method of design, nozzle characteristics* must be known in order to determine gas quantities in relation to pattern coverage, at varying distances.

Major approvals for the Kidde Fire Protection CO₂ system include:

• Factory Mutual (FM)
• Lloyds
• American Bureau of Shipping
• China Classification Society
• Det Norske Veritas
• Nippon Kaiji Kyokai
• Marine Safety Agency (UK DOT)
• BASEEFA

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Heewoo Kim (沿費酔雌巷)

E-mail: heewoo.kim@gmail.com