Print this pageAdvances in Clean Agents for Fire Protection
Lawrence R. Eichner, P.E.
Course Outline
Worldwide, numerous high value items are protected by clean agent fire protection systems. Clean agents, such as FM-200®, Inergen® and NovecTM 1230, currently protect $ billions of assets in an extremely wide variety of applications ranging from historic documents to mission-critical military equipment. With the demand for clean agent fire suppression systems growing very rapidly, every design professional should be aware of the types of commercially available clean agents, their essential characteristics and differences, as well as their general applicability. This online course provides an overview and detailed comparison of clean agents as well as discusses future regulations due to environmental concerns. The course materials are based entirely on “Clean Agents in Total Flooding Applications” by Mark L. Robin PhD, International Fire Protection Magazine, August 2012. The course is intended to give engineers and architects an understanding of clean agents, which in turn allows their greater participation in agent selection and their involvement in the overall project development process.
This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will be aware of:
- The history of clean agents with regard to environmental regulation;
- The types of clean agents that are currently available;
- NFPA 2001 requirements on a mass and volume basis for prominent clean agents;
- The two general classes of clean agents and their physical and chemical properties;
- The “ideal” Halon 1301 replacement as compared to currently available clean agents;
- The qualitative differences between clean agents relative to Halon 1301;
- The characteristics of the clean agents that dominate the marketplace;
- The range of clean agent applications;
- Potential regulation of clean agents; and
- The environmental impact of clean agents.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for engineers and architects.
Benefit to Attendees
Attendee will understand the types of currently available clean agents, their fire suppression characteristics and range of applications, which will facilitate appropriate agent selection based on project details and enable active participation in the project development process.
Course Introduction
Up until 1993, Halon 1301 and Carbon Dioxide dominated the clean agent market, and were the agents of choice for most fire suppression applications. With the halting of Halon 1301 production due to environmental concerns, the search began for a suitable replacement for total flooding protection of normally occupied spaces. Five classes of compounds ultimately emerged as commercially available Halon 1301 replacements: hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), inert gases, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and a perfluorinated ketone (PFK). Design professionals should fully understand the significant differences between these clean agents as well as their appropriate range of fire protection applications. This course provides an overview of the types of commercialized clean agents, a comparative evaluation of their characteristics and applications, and a discussion of potential regulation due to environmental concerns.
Course Content
In this lesson, you are required to download and study the following document:
“Clean Agents in Total Flooding Applications”* by Mark L. Robin PhD [PDF]
*Reprinted with permission from the author and International Fire Protection Magazine, August 2012, copyright MDM Publishing.
Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Course Summary
This course is an overview of the clean agents that are currently available to design professionals for total flooding fire protection applications. The course presents a brief introduction to the history of clean agents and discusses these relevant topics:
- Halon 1301 Replacements
- Commercialized Agents
- Comparison of Inert Gases and Halocarbons
- The Ideal Halon 1301 Replacement
- Clean Agent Applications
- Clean Agents in the Future
- Future Regulation of Clean Agents in Fire Suppression Applications
Related Links
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following website:
Waterless Fire Suppressant: DuPont FM-200
Ansul INERGEN Clean-Agent Systems
Product Catalog: 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
