More heavy machinery manufacturers are switching to turbo-charged diesel engines due to their horsepower and efficiency. Turbochargers are much more powerful than conventional engines; however, they also run much hotter. This extreme heat can lead to incredibly hot fires that require a suppression system that will not only extinguish the flames but also cool.
Dry chemical fire suppression systems have been the industry norm for decades on most vehicle systems with conventional engines but with the increased use of turbo-charged engines, many fire protection professionals are encouraging the use of wet chemical fire suppression systems to address the extreme heat of these powerful engines.
Here are several reasons why wet chemical fire suppression systems are better than dry systems for extinguishing fires on heavy machinery with turbo-charged diesel engines.
Superior cooling properties
Wet chemical systems use a chemical agent that acts as both a suppressant and coolant. In this way, the added cooling feature allows the agent to suppress extremely hot engine fires in a more effective way than say a dry chemical agent. The faster you cool the protected area, the safer the area becomes. In environments where there’s a lot of flammable debris, the ability to saturate and cool the area to prevent reflash is critical. You don’t want to run the risk of debris coming into contact with a potential ignition source after extinguishment.
Prevents re-ignition
Wet chemical systems do the very important job of preventing re-ignition. Ansul, a major manufacturer or vehicle systems, notes that “re-ignition can occur when flammable liquids come into contact with extremely hot surfaces after the completion of a dry chemical discharge.” Using wet chemical as the suppression agent can reduce the changes of re-ignition. Wet chemical agents like Ansul’s LVS Liquid Suppression System provide both fire suppression and cooling of superheated surfaces, like turbochargers, while blanketing the fuel and cutting off oxygen to help prevent reflash, or re-ignition.
More thorough extinguishment
The foaming characteristics of wet chemical means that the extinguishing agent has the capability to get hard-to-reach places where flammable liquids may flow. This is particularly important on heavy machinery where there’s a lot of debris and flammable material. Wet chemical suppression systems can cool deep-seated embers in areas that a dry agent simply cannot access. With more thorough extinguishment comes more confidence in your vehicle’s suppression system to prevent further spread of fire and protect your employees from serious injury.
Finding a fire protection company
Vehicle fire suppression systems can detect and quickly suppress fires. These systems are critical for both the operator of the equipment and business owner. Choosing the right vehicle suppression system matters.
Fire Systems, Inc. is a proud distributor of two of the highest quality manufactures of vehicle suppression systems, Ansul, Inc. and Amerex Corporation. As a company, Fire Systems has been installing and servicing fire suppression systems since 1986 and have worked on a variety of vehicles ranging from large excavators to forklifts.
Call us today at 770-333-7979 or contact us via our website today for more information.
