An increasing number of office buildings are upgrading to clean agent suppression systems to fight fires. Because of the many computers and electronics found in office environments, clean agent suppression is often a superior fire extinguishing option. This way, you don’t have to trade fire damage for water damage.
Often times sprinkler systems are the required, go-to solution for protecting people and property against fire hazards. While they do an excellent job at this, sometime there is a need to quickly suppress a fire and protect high value sensitive items and this is where clean agents come into play, they have the ability to protect these assets by extinguishing fires without damaging equipment in the area. By definition a clean agent is a gaseous fire suppressant that is electrically nonconducting and that does not leave a residue upon evaporation. This is ideal when protecting high value items like historical artifacts or sensitive electronic equipment. The umbrella term “clean agents” includes both halocarbon agents and inert gas agents. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is another extinguishing agent with all the properties of a clean agent but is often classified differently due to the dangers associated with it. Here we will review the different types of gaseous fire protection systems and how they work.
What Is Clean Agent Fire Suppression?
Clean agents are electrically non-conductive gaseous substances used to extinguish fires. They put out flames by inhibiting the combustion process that requires heat, oxygen, and a fuel source. The systems are fundamentally designed to protect irreplaceable assets and the people around them. A clean agent fire suppression system will take either an inert gas or a chemical that is stored in a container and discharge it, when necessary, to extinguish a fire in its incipient stage. For instance clean agents are most effective when combined with an early fire detection system. This allows the agents to control a fire in its initial stage before it has a chance to spread.