Water Mist Fire Suppression Systems work in three ways…

Cooling
Water spray in droplets of micron size produces a large surface area for heat absorption. Once in contact with hot bodies and gases, these droplets convert to vapour absorbing a large quantity of heat, equivalent to 540 calories per gram.

Smothering
The water in its vapour state occupies 1,600 times more volume than as a liquid and displaces an equivalent volume of oxygen, thus creating a smothering effect. If both the water vapour generated and the temperature in the hazard is high enough, the concentration of oxygen can fall drastically in the whole room.

Attenuation
The water mist cloud generated will attenuate radiation to limit the propagation of fire to other areas while at the same time diminishing the overall heat radiation throughout the room.

There are two Water Mist System Categories…

High Pressure Water Mist
High pressure water mist systems (HPWM) consist of high pressure pumps and storage tanks or cylinders of water and pressurised nitrogen cylinders to discharge the water. The installation is carried out utilising small bore stainless steel pipe work and high pressure discharge nozzles. This system uses minimal quantities of water in comparison to low pressure systems.

Low Pressure Water Mist
Low pressure water mist systems (LPWM) consist of pumps and storage tanks, they generally use more water than HPWM systems although significantly less than traditional sprinkler systems. Due to the lower pressures involved the pipe work installation can be carried out using a variety of different materials such as copper pipe and even specialist plastic pipe work.

The main advantages of water mist fire suppression systems are:

  • Environmentally friendly – will not damage the environment.
  • Safe for personnel in occupied areas.
  • Fast action – no need for time delays.
  • Causes minimal damage to surroundings.
  • Easy to retrofit.
  • Economical.
  • Minimum cost to refill system.
  • Very small amounts of water used to achieve suppression and control.
  • Easy to refill.
  • Rapid fire suppresion and control.
  • Neat and economical installations with small diameter pipes.
  • Suitable for local application and total flood hazards.
  • Does not create by-products of combustion.
  • Low maintenance costs.

For more information and to discuss your needs in more detail please contact us on +44 (0)1462 646123.

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