Lightweight foam fire extinguishing systems

Since Parys has many flammable substances stored in its customer's warehouse, SPIE opted for a permanently installed lightweight foam extinguishing system using hot foam. The sensors in the system detect a fire in a fraction of a second and activate the system. In just three minutes after the fire is detected, the entire room fills up with foam and cuts off the oxygen supply to the fire - whether it has originated on the floor or on the shelves. The speed of the system enables an extremely powerful pumping system with three diesel-engine driven pumps that discharge more than 40,000 litres of extinguishing substance per minute.

Lightweight foam has been the standard extinguishing technology for fire brigades and in many branches of industry for years, including the mineral oil and chemical industries. The innovation of the technology used by SPIE is based on the use of a system which, in the event of a fire, can also produce lightweight foam from hot combustion gases at a temperature of over 800° Celsius. This can be particularly important in the case of liquid fires. The dynamic development of the resulting gases leads to an abruptly rapid rise in temperature and thus causes a lot of smoke, which in turn - mixed with hall air - is used for foam production.