Foam / Chemical Suppression
Foam is used whenever there is a possibility of a liquid fire. The Foam will mix with water and then expand over the liquid that is on fire, cool the fire, and will finally suffocate it.
Used in:
- Flammable Liquid Storage
- Loading Racks
- Processing Areas
- Refineries
- Dike Areas
- Aircraft Hangars
- Heliports
- Jet Engine Test Facilities
- LNG Storage/Manufacturing
- Marine Applications
- Warehouses
Foam fire sprinkler systems offer a proven technology for the control of burning flammable liquids. Foam fire sprinkler systems operate by mixing a foam concentrate at specific proportions with water to create a foam blanket that smothers a fire. The distribution of a foam blanket over a flammable liquid will extinguish a fire by eliminating the fire's oxygen supply and provide a cooling effect on the burning fuel.
Foam concentrate is stored within a tank and can be introduced into the sprinkler water through several different methods. A bladder tank which is the simplest form of storage will use a proportioner to introduce and mix the foam concentrate with the sprinkler water. Foam concentrate is forced from the tank by introducing water around a bladder which "squeezes" foam from the tank and forces it into the proportioner. The operation of a bladder tank system is completely mechanical; it does not require the use of electrical components which could fail as a result of a fire. Another means of foam concentrate delivery is through the use of a foam pump. This pump takes supply of foam from a storage tank and pumps foam into the sprinkler system at a required percent concentration. The foam pump system will operate over a variety of sprinkler system flows and when the hazard is at a greater distance from the foam storage location.
Foam is also available for the protection of hydrocarbon fuels and polar solvent fuels such as ethanol. Foam systems come with variety types of foam including low expansion, medium expansion and high expansion foam. Each foam concentrate will create various types of foam blankets from slight "low" expansion blankets to "high" expansion ratios used to protect large volume areas.
Contact us today to learn more about the applications of Foam / Chemical suppressions for liquid fires.
