Fixed
extinguishing systems can comprise many different types of extinguishing
agent. Gaseous agents offer the advantage of being totally flooding
and can be located to suppress a fire whatever the fire's location within
the protected risk. A wastepaper basket on fire under a table or PCB
within a cabinet will not be suppressed by a number of alternative systems,
merely these other systems will contain the fire spread, whereas a gas
will find and suppress the fire.
Gaseous
systems fall within three main families, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Halocarbons
(FM-200 and FE13) and Inert Gases (Argonite). All these extinguishants
are highly effective and have been time proven to successfully suppress
fires. The halocarbons and inert gases
enjoy the benefit
of being people-safe at design concentration which means that systems
can be left in automatic mode whilst the risk is occupied, and in the
event of someone being in the risk when a system discharges, they are
perfectly safe.