Nobel Fire Systems solve red hot problem for Avdel UK Ltd
When Avdel UK needed an industrial fire suppression system to protect the new oil quench tank at its Warrington based manufacturing plant, the company looked at various potential solutions offered by a number of suppliers. After careful examination of the facts, the Company awarded the contract to Nobel Fire Systems.
Avdel’s large oil tank is sited on the end of a heat treatment furnace. As red hot rivets are removed from the furnace they drop straight into the oil quench tank which cools them while at the same time altering the chemical structure of the rivets as part of the hardening process. It was recognised that the action of the rivets dropping onto the surface of the preheated oil constituted a potential fire risk, and it was for this reason that Avdel required a cost-effective and efficient fire suppression solution.
While some suppression system suppliers recommended the use of Carbon Dioxide solutions, Nobel Fire Systems came up with a more innovative and effective answer to the problem.
Nobel recommended the installation of its Stat-X condensed aerosol system. Stat-X is a self-contained, environmentally friendly suppression system that has been proved to be extremely effective in use. Compared to a CO2 system, Stat-X doesn’t require intricate pipework and nozzles to be fitted, nor does it require space for the provision of CO2 bottles. In this specific situation, this was a particular advantage as space around the quench tank is at a premium.
In the case of a fire breaking out, Stat-X can be operated both automatically and manually. There are no clean up requirements as the fire suppression medium is an extremely fine potassium particulate that reacts chemically with the fire to extinguish the flames. Another big advantage lies in the fact that the particulate remains in suspension for up to an hour thereby giving any materials ample time to cool and preventing the fire from potentially re-igniting.
Stat-X aerosol units require little maintenance and have an expected shelf life of up to 10 years. Where needed, the system’s control panel can be easily connected to the property fire alarm for notification purposes.
As far as Avdel UK is concerned, Nobel Fire Systems has been able to provide and install a competitively priced fire suppression system, quickly, efficiently and with the additional bonus of a space and maintenance saving solution.