Property - Case Study

Saint Gobain

Industry: Property
Product: Foam

Saint Gobain Glass UK operates a float glass manufacturing plant in Eggborough, near Selby, North Yorkshire. The 650-tonne-per-day process plant is strategically located to manufacture and supply the UK and Ireland with clear float glass, SGG PLANILUX, of the highest quality.

And because the company cares so passionately about quality, when it came to the design and installation of a fire suppression system to help protect its flagship factory, it turned to the UK’s leading solutions provider, Nobel Fire Systems.

A number of sump areas had been identified as major risk areas for potential oil fuel fires. This led to a risk assessment process being carried out by the NFS project team working closely with Saint Gobain’s own specialists. The process took into account the requirements of successful fire suppression and the company’s possible business interruption potential – leading to the possibility of lost business and irreplaceable plant.

Considerations regarding the optimum system to install included the size of area to be covered, the elevated temperature of the oil which would produce a higher rate of vaporisation and critically, the nature of the sides of the sump which could subsequently be affected by thermal shock.

The eventual solution was identified as a foam fire suppression system applied through multiple medium expansion nozzles that will have the effect of introducing a gentle homogenous suppression layer of foam throughout the sump area, extinguishing any potential fire and at the same time creating an outstanding vapour suppression barrier. As a result of the determined expansion rate, any thermal shock to the surrounding area is also minimised.

We work with many leading companies in the construction sector and this project with Saint Gobain Glass has proved once again that we have all the design and application skills needed to ensure complete satisfaction, whatever the size or complexity of the task”.

Ben Parker, Commercial Director at Nobel