Different design standards are used depending on the extinguisher medium. The NFPA standards are typically used, however in the offshore market there is also SOLAS to consider and in Europe most countries use the EN standards. Depending on the requirements, there can be a significant cost impact from one standard to the next.
Some of the agents Advantage has experience with for suppressing fires in engine rooms and turbine generators are listed below:
| • Halon 1301 (both low and high pressure systems) | • Inergen (150 bar, 200 bar, and 300 bar) |
| • Carbon dioxide (both low and high pressure systems) | • Argon systems |
| • FM-200 (both low and high pressure systems) | • Water mist (low, medium, and high pressure systems) |
| • FE-13 Systems | • Foam (both medium and high expansion) |
| • Preferred extinguishing medium (carbon dioxide, FM-200, FE-13, Inergen, Argon, water mist or foam) | • Location (flag state, body of water, country,
state, or county) • Regulatory agent (classification society, governmental body, local fire authority, insurance agency) |
| • Dimensions of the space (length, width, and height) | |
| • Application (vessel, drilling rig, platform, or industrial plant) |
Engine shutdown systems are used in the Gulf of Mexico to conform with Code of Federal Regulation requirements.
Industrial fire water sprinkler systems are typically deluge systems used for exposure protection.
Galley/kitchen hood fire suppression systems are required for nearly all commercial cooking hoods and for galley hoods on offshore installations. The term “galley hood” is typically associated with marine facilities while “kitchen hood” is typically associated with commercial facilities.
In the United States commercial kitchens require protection of the hood, the plenum area behind the filters, the duct, and the appliances under the hood in accordance with NFPA 17A. The accepted standard by all USA manufactures is the Underwriter Laboratories test standard commonly referred to as UL 300. The shift to the new UL 300 test standard came about as a result changing to a more energy efficient appliances and a shift from using animal fats to vegetable fats to cook with.
Vent snuffing systems are usually installed in applications where vents or flares are used to dispose of waste products in the oil production process. Typically found on offshore platforms, these systems are often employed as a safety measure to either extinguish a flame or to purge the lines associated with the flare and vent lines, out of service.
Unlike the design guidelines for other systems, which are found in the NFPA Standards, guidelines for these systems are found in the US bureau of Mines or the American Gas Association. The quantity of extinguishing or inerting agent is usually based on a reduced flow of the vent for a given gas, usually 10% of the maximum flow rate. Nozzles are located 10 feet from the end of the flare and sized to provide a specific extinguishing agent flow rate.When designing vent snuffing systems, we need only the following information:
| • Preferred extinguishing medium (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, dry chemical, or water) | • Maximum vent flow rate |
| • Elevation at the end of the flare end above extinguishing system | • Distance between flare end and extinguishing system |
Systems can be configured for either automatic or manual release. They have been designed with a reserve system and control valves to permit purging any one of several flares where multiple flares are present. Our designs include cylinder racks suitable for open deck installations and single point lifting. Where cylinders are exposed to the environment, an overhead shield can be provided.