FOAM FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS

Fire suppression foam is comprised of three parts: foam concentrate, water, and air. When mixed correctly, these parts form a homogeneous foam blanket that extinguishes flames by the combined mechanisms of cooling, separating the flame source from the product surface, suppressing vapors, and smothering. This makes foam suppression systems an effective option for protecting flammable and combustible liquids. The role of the foam is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing contact with oxygen to suppress combustion.
 
Foam extinguishing systems work with extinguishing water to which a foaming agent is added. This foam solution is then foamed using foam nozzles or monitors with a metered amount of air. 10 to 1,000 litres of foam can be mixed from one litre of foam solution that contains 1 to 6% of foaming agent. According to the mixing ratio to air, the resulting foam can be sub-divided into three classes with different characteristics: low expansion foam, medium expansion foam and high expansion foam. Further specific characteristics can be added to the foam via the choice of the foam extinguishing agent, so that optimal fire fighting is achieved for each fire risk. The extinguishing agents are environmentally friendly and can be used safely.

When using extinguishing foam, different quenching effects are tailored specifically and effectively to the fire risk and the premises that are to be secured. Various foam generators are produced to match the extinguishing foam to be produced. Foam sprinklers can be used for example to protect gantries extensively with low expansion foam, because it can easily cover the potential burning material. High expansion foam generators are used in rack storage to flood the room quickly and completely. Generators are used in tanks to generate large amounts of low expansion foam in the shortest possible time, while large open-air areas are secured with foam monitors. The foam concentrate is supplied from the container into the proportioner where it is mixed with water and distributed via distribution piping to the sprinkler heads (nozzles), foam generators or foam monitors, which will extinguish an emerging fire. This formed layer of extinguishing foam puts the emerging fire out and subsequently prevents the reignition of the flammable liquid.