Fire Systems
TM
CO2 Low Pressure
Fire Systems TM
Hazard-Engineered Protection
You can measure our experience by the diversity
of applications, the technical sophistication, and
system performance represented by a range of
commercial and industrial special hazard applications.
CO2 is used in the extinguishment of fires involving
Would your business flammable liquids, electrical hazards, engines
survive a fire? utilizing gasoline and other fuels, ordinary com-
bustibles such as paper and wood, and hazardous
solids, as well as in the extinguishment and
While it seems that everything in our world prevention (inerting) of fires in applications that
include cement plants, coal pulverizers, coal storage
is changing, Chemetron Fire Systems remains silos and bunkers, and coal handling, grinding
constant in our commitment to provide the highest and storage systems.
standard of fire protection safety, service and value. Systems can be specifically engineered to fit the
As the nation’s oldest Low Pressure CO2 systems unique fire protection requirements of these
manufacturer, Chemetron has led the way in estab- applications:
• Coal handling, grinding, and storage systems
lishing industry standards. • Data processing centers
• Food processing
Today we understand the challenge you face in this • Flammable materials storage
just-in-time business environment. If a fire occurs, a • Manufacturing/industrial processes
• Shipboard machinery spaces and cargo holds
company simply cannot afford a major interruption to • Automotive industry
its operations and financial future. Your ability to • Power generation
prevent or recover from a business disruption is critical • Printing plants
• Rolling mills and metal processing
and will depend on selecting the best fire protection • Telecommunications
system and agent. • Cement plants
• Offshore platforms
With our worldwide reach, Chemetron Fire Large Scale and Multiple Hazard Protection
Systems is your single source solution for standard An automatic, fixed-installation low pressure
or custom designed multiple hazard fire protection . . . carbon dioxide fire protection system consists of a
that protect our resources for future generations. single insulated refrigerated pressure vessel with
performance engineered controls to protect
experience
multiple hazards or afford frequent discharges for
high risk hazards.
C O N T I N U O U S P R O T E C T I O N
Maximum Protection, Minimal Disruption ■ Economical. When a hazard requires A Low Pressure CO2 system consists of:
When it comes to protecting critical multiple discharges or when CO2 require- ■ Storage, valve & discharge components
environments, even the smallest fire can ments exceed 4000 lbs. (1818 kg) of agent Components consist of a storage unit,
result in devastating damage. Early [2000 lbs. (909 kg) for main discharge valve assemblies, piping, and discharge
warning and fast response are essential. and 2000 lbs. (909 kg) for reserve], the nozzles. All equipment meets exacting
Chemetron low pressure systems deliver overall system cost is less than a high specification and quality standards.
unprecedented levels of safety...stability pressure CO2 system.
...sensitivity...and early warning reliability. ■ Control panels, detection and alarms
■ Compact. Storage units are compact and The control panel is used to monitor the
No Net Environmental Impact often installed outdoors to conserve floor detection and accessories, as well as
space. Capacities range from 1-1/4 tons control the audible and visual alarms and
The carbon dioxide used in fire protection (1.13 MT) to 60 tons (54.5 MT) or more.
is typically a by-product of other industrial discharge functions.
processes, and as such, does not negatively ■ Recognized by the top independent ■ CO2 storage units
impact global warming. listing and approval agencies. A quantity of CO2 sufficient to extinguish
the type of fire anticipated is stored. The
Low Pressure CO2 is..... A Chemetron Low Pressure CO2 system
gas is released into the piping distribution
is a versatile, cost-effective suppression
■ Effective. Low pressure CO2 is effective network upon system actuation. Liquid
system designed with an extra measure
on a wide range of flammable and carbon dioxide in the storage unit is main-
of reliability.
combustible materials in both surface tained by refrigeration at approximately 300
and deep-seated fires, which adds up to Multiple Hazard Versatility PSI (20.68 Bar) pressure at 0˚F (-18˚C).
greater uniformity and predictability. Multiple hazards may be protected from The refrigeration system employs the non-
a common supply of low pressure CO2 by ozone depleting refrigerant R-404A.
■ Fast. Carbon dioxide is a colorless and using pneumatically operated directional
odorless three-dimensional clean agent. ■ Vaporizers
(selector) valves. CO2 pressure is used to
Within seconds, it penetrates the entire For hazards where liquid carbon dioxide
open valves as well as operate switches
hazard area to smother combustion. is inappropriate, vaporizers are utilized
and accessories. This is essentially an
to provide a continuous and predictable
economy measure designed to reduce
■ Efficient. Low pressure CO2 chokes off supply of vaporous CO2.
storage unit size. It is to be used only
combustion quickly. The dry ice “snow”
when there is assurance that only one ■ Hose reels
in the discharge allows “local application”
hazard could require a discharge at any Low pressure CO2 hose reels with hand
protection of non-enclosed hazards.
one time. lines can be connected to the storage unit
■ Non-damaging. CO2 is normally for additional protection. With a capacity
Similar controls are provided for each
harmless to equipment, materials and for a high discharge rate and up to a 30
hazard area. The directional valves are
property. It does not cause spoilage, foot (9 meter) range from the nozzle,
pilot-controlled and operated by line CO2
requires no clean up and leaves no residue,
pressure. The directional valves can be
thus minimizing downtime after a fire.
actuated by solenoid valve or by manually
■ Non-conductive. CO2 is electrically non- operating the pilot control valve.
conductive and three-dimensional.
R E L I A B L E
hose lines can provide greater manual System Modernization and Retrofit Precautions to be taken to protect
fire protection compared to other types With thousands of Chemetron systems in facility personnel are covered in NFPA
of portable protection. service protecting key facilities, moderniza- Standard No. 12, the Chemetron
tion of these systems is vital. For details on publication “Carbon Dioxide Safety
Hose reels also offer auxiliary fire Manual” and OSHA’s Lockout & Tag-out
protection with a high rate discharge and our programs, contact Chemetron today.
Standard, 29CFR Part 1.910,146.
a protection range of up to 150 feet
System Safety
(45.7 meters) from multiple locations. The Chemetron Difference
Carbon dioxide systems are designed in
Methods of Actuation – Fixed Protection Thousands of companies have the
accordance with NFPA (National Fire
confidence to protect their businesses
Three independent types of actuation Protection Association) standards, which
with Chemetron Low Pressure CO2
are integrated into each system: require a minimum carbon dioxide
integrated systems. With our single source
- automatic actuation concentration of 34%. These design
responsibility for suppression, control
- manual electric station concentrations will not support human
and support, Chemetron continues to
- direct manual release life. Visual and audible warnings must be
invest in product improvement to meet
provided to alert occupants to vacate the
An optional feature is a pneumatic changing requirements with:
area prior to discharge.
discharge delay and CO2 siren for use in • Fire hazard evaluations
systems with no source of electric power or As CO2 will tend to migrate to low lying • Systems engineering and design
where an uninterrupted source of electric areas near the protected hazard after a capability
power is not assured. In the event of the discharge, careful consideration of means • Continuous quality improvement
loss of power, the pneumatic discharge to prevent accidental exposure of person- programs
delay would prevent an immediate CO2 nel to hazardous atmospheres in adjoin- • Proprietary design engineering,
discharge into a normally occupied space ing spaces must be designed into every flow calc and computer software
and allow personnel time to evacuate. system. An optional wintergreen odor- • Education and safety training
izer can provide an olfactory warning of • Product and technical assistance
Continuous Operation & Monitoring the presence of carbon dioxide. • Installation and testing support service
A reserve supply is easily obtained by • ISO 9002 certification and Six Sigma
A CO2 system discharge will also cause program
increasing the storage unit size. No turbulence and noise, and the discharge
complicated manifolding and valving are • Worldwide sales and distribution
stream may have considerable force. network
required. Low pressure storage units have
a liquid level gauge and pressure gauge, • A commitment to environmental
Warning signs must be provided to safety
which provide continuous indication of advise personnel what to do when the
level and pressure conditions without fire extinguishing system is actuated, as
interrupting fire protection. well as provide instructions on how to
activate the system manually.
Our experience has Advantages of
been built on a history
of ideas, service and quality of environmentally LPCO2 vs. HPCO2
compatible fire protection technologies.
Chemetron Low Pressure CO2 systems work Low pressure CO2 and high pressure CO2 have
around the clock . . . and around the globe.
equal extinguishing capabilities; however low pressure
CO2 Physical and Chemical Properties
CO2 storage units have some clear advantages:
CO2 is an odorless, colorless, inert gas that
extinguishes fire primarily by diluting the oxygen
that supports combustion. Some cooling is • Multiple shot capability - without any switch-over to a
also accomplished. It is used as an extinguishant reserve system required.
applied by either the total flood or local appli-
cation method. In total flooding, the enclosure
• Reserve supply is easily obtained by increasing the
of the hazard protected is flooded to a proper
concentration. storage unit size. No complicated manifolds or valving
In local applications, CO2 is directly applied in is required.
the proper amount at the needed rate to cover
the protected hazard. The small "dry ice" • Hazards may be added to an existing system at any time.
particles, created in the discharge, facilitate its
projection into the fire and coverage of the • LPCO2 units do not require hydrostatic testing as do
hazard protected.
HPCO2 cylinders.
Because CO2 is 1.5 times heavier than air, it
will tend to settle in low-lying areas in the • LPCO2 offers continuous monitoring of the liquid level
protected hazard as well as flow into adjacent
areas outside of the protected space. of CO2.
In the design concentrations required to • LPCO2 storage requires less floor space and weighs up to
extinguish fire, CO2 will not support human life.
50% less.
• LPCO2 storage units are commonly located outside.
More Experience. More
• LPCO2 storage units are easily filled in-place from a
Applications Worldwide. CO2 transport truck, available worldwide, and
remain in service during filling. HPCO2 cylinders
versatility must be disconnected and transported to a
filling plant.
• LPCO2 is 32% more efficient for local
application discharges than HPCO2.
1927
Herbert E. Bell forms
Safety Mining Company. 1938
Name changed to Cardox
(acronym for carbon dioxide).
1939
Cardox developed and patented bulk low pressure carbon dioxide storage for use in fire
extinguishing systems. The first fire protection CO2 applications
were for the power plant industry.
1940’s
World War II accelerated development of CO2 applications.
Massive discharges of carbon dioxide to control large fires
was demonstrated with a Cardox crash-fire-rescue truck
for the American Armed Forces during World War II.
Research expanded to facilitate development of systems that
could control large industrial fires with a clean, available,
inexpensive fire extinguishant. CO2 installations in power
plants, metal rolling mills, printing plants and industry
expanded the practicality of the fire suppression capability.
1950’s
Gaseous agent systems took a leap forward
when, under Cardox, the first proven method
of predicting two phase gas flow in piping
systems was developed.
1952
High pressure CO2 system design introduced
that eliminated weights and levers.
1958
Cardox merged with Chemetron Corp. Chemetron is an
acronym for Chemical-Metals-Electronics).
1970
High presure CO2 system
design upgraded.
1975
The Fire Systems operation separated from
the CO2 industrial gas sector and
Chemetron Fire Systems was formed.
1994
CO2 storage tank refrigeration systems
were redesigned to utilize the non-ozone
depleting refigerant R-404A.
Today
Since the development
of CO2 as a new concept
in fire suppression,
Chemetron Fire Systems
has been the leader in
CO2 system technology.
A World of Protection
Worldwide Applications
CO2 FM-200®
■ Power Generation ■ Automotive ■ Telecommunication Facilities
Base Load Plants Assembly: Paint Application, ■ Computer Operations
Co-generation & Combined Cycle Plants Mixing & Storage ■ Control Rooms
Power Peaking Units Parts: Machining
Upgrading Existing Heat Treating ■ Shipboard (Marine) Systems
Plants: with ■ Rare Book Libraries
Coal Conversions ■ Electronics Operations
Coal Storage/Handling/Pulverizing Computer Areas ■ Universities and Museums
Automated Information
■ Cement Plant/Blast Furnace Indirect Storage Systems ■ Art Galleries
Coal Firing Systems ■ Electronics/Computer Production ■ Record & Storage Facilities
■ Metals Production and Processing Wet Benches ■ Petrochemical Installations
Electric Furnaces Wave Soldering Machines
■ Pharmaceutical & Medical Facilities
Continuous Casters ■ Food Processing
Rolling Mills (Steel & Aluminum) ■ Electronics & Data Processing
Coating Lines ■ Research Facilities Equipment
Test Facilities
■ Printing Anechoic Chambers
Newspaper Production WATER MIST
Periodical Printing ■ Shipboard (Marine) Systems
Packaging ■ Automated Storage and Retrieval Facilities ■ Gas Turbines
■ Machinery Spaces
d i s t r i b u t e d b y :
Fire Systems TM
4801 Southwick Drive, 3rd Floor
Matteson, IL 60443-2254
Phone: 708-748-1503
Fax: 708-748-2847
Web: chemetron.com
E-mail: info@chemetron.com
Chemetron. Your Single Source Solution.
10M10/99 © 1999. The seller makes no warranties, expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, except as expressly
stated in seller’s sales contract or sales acknowledgment form.
W O R L D W I D E P R O T E C T I O N
