Vehicle fires are incredibly vicious when they break out, spreading rapidly, and when combined with fuel they can cause devastating consequences. Poor maintenance, outdated or faulty components and a collection of dust and debris are all factors in vehicle fires – in particular for the construction and mining sectors.
The combination of heat, flammable liquids, turbochargers, hot exhausts and electrical components in an enclosed engine compartment make for ideal conditions for a fire to break out, this is enhanced further with the addition of the pre-stated catalysts.
In a fire scenario, an industrial vehicle can be destroyed, which will have a severe impact on a business’s operations, in particular when involving the construction, mining and dock and port sectors. The costs go beyond those of repairing or replacing the vehicle due to the nature of the issue; the halt on the operations will result in a loss of revenue for the organisation and valuable time will be lost dealing with the bureaucracy to resolve the issue as best as possible. Additionally, there is the prominent threat to life. Human life is at high risk of being compromised in any fire scenario, but when dealing with a fire on a piece of mining equipment this risk is drastically increased due to the potential scale of the fire.
The solution lies with automatic fire suppression. In addition to this, approved fire suppression that has been tested and certified to high standards to prove that it is the most effective solution to effectively tackle a vehicle fire and prevent reignition.
What is indirect automatic fire suppression?
The critical concept of indirect automatic fire suppression is to detect the fire in its area of origin and to suppress the identified risks to prevent the fire from spreading, therefore effectively knocking down the fire and preventing reignition. This is particularly common in engine compartments which are enclosed spaces with various areas and components that need to be protected. With this enclosed space, it is nearly impossible to tackle the fire with a traditional fire-protection method, furthermore the fire in an engine compartment will spread rapidly making the traditional method ineffective.
The indirect automatic fire suppression system utilises two main features: its detection system and its discharge network. In the case of the Reacton Fire Suppression system, the detection system uses a pneumatic tube which bursts when it detects a fire or high rise in temperature. The detection tube is pressurised with nitrogen and upon bursting will activate the system. From this in its simplest form, the extinguishing agent is released from the indirect cylinder(s) through the discharge network to a series of strategically placed nozzles in their respective areas. For example, the turbos will be targeted by nozzles so when a fire is detected in the engine compartment these specific components are protected and the fire will be suppressed.
Reacton’s indirect vehicle fire suppression uses Dry Powder and/or Wet Chemical extinguishing mediums. The most effective solution combines both agents in what is known as ‘Dual Agent’ which provides delivery of the powder and the wet chemical agents separately but into the same area. The powder rapidly knocks down the fire and the wet chemical cools the super-heated surfaces, both preventing reignition. This solution has been tried, tested and approved to global standards from the leading third-party certification bodies and laboratories around the world.
One of these highly recognised and respected certifications is the AS 5062.
What is AS-5062?
AS-5062 is the Australian Standard for fire protection for mobile and transportable equipment, the object of this standard is to formalise good practice in reducing the incidence and severity of fires to safeguard life, property and the environment.
It deals with the complex nature associated with mobile and transportable equipment through detailed and specific risk-assessment methodologies, hazard identification, analysis and evaluations. Along with this a series of component and fire tests are described, all designed to suit the challenging environment found within the scope of these systems.
These demanding tests are set out to prove the quality of the fire-protection system. The testing requirements are deliberately tough to ensure that only the worthiest fire-protection systems are certified for this standard. There are various elements to the testing including:
Assessment for Component Compliance:
- Flow Distribution Testing
- Hydrostatic Pressure Tests
- Temperature Cycling & Elevated Temperature Tests
- Corrosion Tests
- Vibration & Shock Tests
- Nozzle Cap Ageing Tests
- 500 Cycle Tests
- Mounting Device Tests
- Manual Activation Tests
- Pneumatic Operation Tests
- Pressure Relief Tests
- Air Oven Ageing Tests
- Exposure to Extinguishing Agent Tests
- Light & Water Tests
- Various Gauge Tests
- Agent Stability Tests
- EMC Tests
- Ingress Protection Tests
- Various Hydrostatic, Mechanical, Leakage and Endurance Valve Tests
In addition to the above the fire-suppression system will be subject to a series of fire tests based on the least favourable system, when referring to Dry Powder & Foam systems the tests below can be undertaken:
- Direct Application Fire Test for Foam Water Spray Systems for Fuel Spill Extinguishment and Reignition
- Indirect Application Fire Test for Foam Water Spray Systems for Fuel Spill Extinguishment and Reignition
- Total Flood Class A Fire Tests in accordance with UL 1254
- Total Flood Class B Fire Tests in accordance with UL 1254
- Local Application Class B Tests in accordance with UL 1254
Just as important as the component and fire tests is the accurate documentation that controls the installation, ongoing support and record keeping of the systems.
These will be documents that are created and controlled in strict accordance with the requirements set out in AS 5062, such as but not limited to the below:
- Fire System Specification
- Risk Assessment
- Design Documentation
- Operation and Maintenance Manuals
- Commissioning Report
- Annual System Condition Report
- Certificate of Completion
The test parameters outline the stringent requirements to achieve AS-5062 certification, considering elements such as typical fire scenarios, fuels that may be present, fire risk areas and the types of agent used to suppress the fire. AS-5062 specifies the minimum requirements for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of vehicle fire-suppression systems. It is intended to be applied to new equipment and can also be applied to existing equipment for maintenance activities.
A consultative fire-risk assessment forms part of AS-5062. Fire-risk assessments should be undertaken by qualified personnel in conjunction with many stakeholders, such as equipment operators and maintainers, owners, the manufacturer’s representative, suppliers, hirers and insurers, and specialist fire consultants may also be involved, as applicable. This process recognises that fire hazards and risks associated with mobile and transportable equipment are often too complex to be fully understood by one person. With the AS-5062 certification and similar existing standards and approvals in place, they ensure that maximum protection is implemented for the fire protection of mobile and transportable equipment. Such certifications set deliberately high standards to protect businesses and assets and to save lives.
For more information, go to www.reactonfire.com
About the Author
Ed Chivers is Technical Sales Manager at Reacton Fire Suppression.
