Water Mist Fire Suppression

Cylinder Based Water Mist System

Cylinder suppression systems have both the extinguishing agent and the pressurising gas stored in a ‘bank’ of large high pressure cylinders.
On detection of a fire, the stored pressure cylinders release the nitrogen gas inside to begin the discharge of the water cylinders through the discharge pipework and nozzles.

These systems are ideal for protecting a mechanical asset, and are good value for money. However, after discharge the system needs to be totally and the nitrogen cylinders replaced, which can be quite costly. For this reason we don’t recommend cylinder based systems for protecting a process – pumped systems are more appropriate.

Pumped Water Mist Systems

Pumped water mist systems draw their water from the mains water supply coming into the building, with a break tank holding a stored supply in reserve.

The systems we install hold a supply of water in a pressurised accumulator, with the pipework holding stored pressure all the way up to the discharge nozzle, where there is a high speed solenoid. This ensures that the system begins discharge the instant a fire is detected.

As pumped water mist systems have a larger water supply available, they are more suitable for protecting the processes taking place on your premises. We would recommend protecting risk areas such as your shredders (hopper and outfeed conveyor), conveyors and dust extract systems. The system is automatically refilling the break tank etc while the system is in use which means that there is no extra cost incurred whenever the system activates and there is no system downtime after activation.
Although pumped systems will typically cost a little more to install, they are a much better long term investment for protecting high risk processes where a fire is very likely and the cost or replacing cylinders is unsustainable.

Pro’s and Con’s of Water Mist Fire Suppression Systems

• Water mist systems represent good value for money compared to other extinguishing agents.
• Water mist is is very versatile at fighting a huge range of fire types.
• Little/no clean up is required after a fire. The system is designed to make the best use of the water by breaking it into a huge amount if tiny particles which reduces the volume of liquid used.
• Water mist is harmless to personnel in the vicinity, unlike some other extinguishing agents that have safety issues attached.
  Water mist is exceptionally effective at fighting waste recycling fires. As it is a liquid agent, it penetrated into and cools the embers of the burning material to ensure reignition doesn’t occur, whilst also smothering the flames by displacing the air supply to the fire with a ‘curtain of water’.
• However, water mist is not really suitable for fires where large accumulations of waste have gathered as it will not be able to penetrate sufficiently to extinguish a deep seated fire.