CO 2 extinguishing system

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CO 2 extinguishing system to protect a ship's engine room

A CO 2 extinguishing system is a permanently installed fire extinguishing system that works with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as an extinguishing agent .

construction

Fire detection and extinguishing control

The CO 2 extinguishing system is usually controlled by a fire alarm system and its function is monitored. To a fire alarm control panel connected fire detectors monitor the protected area or the protected object. In the event of a fire, the extinguishing system is triggered via the fire alarm control panel. Mechanical fire detection elements such as pneumatic trigger networks with pneumatic triggers or rope pulls with rope disconnectors are used less often for fire detection and triggering.

Extinguishing agent storage

The CO 2 is stored in liquid form and, depending on the amount required in the application, in high-pressure extinguishing systems in gas cylinders at a pressure of around 60 bar or in low-pressure extinguishing systems at around −20 ° C in insulated low- pressure containers at around 20 bar pressure. The storage containers each have a weighing device that monitors the supply for extinguishing agent loss.

Plant types

Room protection systems protect closed rooms (e.g. technical rooms, IT and server rooms , machine rooms , silos ...) by flooding the entire room with CO 2 in the event of an emergency ( room protection).

Object protection systems protect free-standing objects (e.g. engine test benches, printing machines) that are surrounded by the extinguishing agent in the event of an emergency (facility or object protection).

function

Depending on the type of fire detector, e.g. If smoke, extreme temperature increases or flames are detected, the fire alarm control panel triggers the extinguishing process and the protected space is flooded with CO 2 or the protected object is exposed to the extinguishing agent, which displaces the oxygen from the source of the fire. In order to make people aware of the actually odorless extinguishing gas and to enable evacuation of the affected area, an odorant can be added to the gas . However, due to the wide range of applications (e.g. food industry), odorization is not mandatory. The employers' liability insurance associations in Germany require optical and acoustic alarm devices as additional personal protection measures, i.e. flash lamps and electrically or pneumatically operated horns that announce the upcoming extinguishing process.

Risks

When using CO 2 extinguishing systems, the following should be considered:

  • The extinguishing agent is toxic and, in an extinguishing concentration, is basically life-threatening. Entering a room flooded with CO 2 is therefore only possible with breathing protection that is independent of the ambient air .
  • CO 2 is significantly heavier than air, sinks and therefore collects in pits and cellars.
  • As with all liquefied extinguishing gases, the sudden cooling of the CO 2 expanding at the nozzles condenses the moisture in the room air into a mist, which can make it difficult to escape from the extinguishing area.

Due to the possible danger to people, CO 2 extinguishing systems are therefore mostly only used if, as an alternative, other fire extinguishing systems cannot be used or can only be used at great expense. Facility protection (property protection) is not possible with any other gaseous extinguishing agent than CO 2 , which also results in some of the most important areas of application: