| FM200 Gaseous Fire Fighting System |
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Tyco Safety Product’s FM200® systems are based on many years experience in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of gaseous fire fighting systems.
During this time Halons have provided industry and commerce with a unique and versatile extinguishant to respond to most fire protection needs.
The Montereal Protocol presented the fire protection industry with a most demanding challenge - to find a replacement for Halons. One of solutions offered by Tyco EMEA is FM200®.
FM200® (HFC 227ea) is known chemically as Heptafluoropropane and is manufactured by Great Lakes Chemical Corporation. FM200® is a colourless gas which is liquified under pressure for storage. Like Halon 1301 it has a low toxicity level and is superpressurised with Nitrogen to 24.8bar (360psi). It rapidly extinguishes most commonly found fires through a combination of chemical and physical mechanisms. |
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| Environmental Features: |
FM200® contains no bromine or chlorine and therefore has zero Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP).
The atmospheric lifetime of FM200® is between 31 and 42 years which along with its zero ODP presents a long-term solution to fire protection requirements.
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| Safety: |
FM200® has been found to be less toxic than Halon 1301, which makes it safe for use in the fully automatic mode in occupied areas.
Typically FM200® requires a design concentration of 7%, which is well below the 9% No Observable Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) on cardiac sensitisation. The NOAEL for Halon 1301 is only 5% (the same as its design concentration). |
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| Applications: |
FM200® is immediately available to protect most hazards traditionally protected using Halon 1301. It is effective in the protection of data processing, telecommunications and electronic equipment as well as most flammable liquids and gases. |
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| Replacing Halon with FM200 |
Existing Halon and CO2 control systems meeting the requirements of the relevant national or international standards are ideally suited for use with FM200 and can be modified to operate as part of an FM200 system.
Due to the differences in concentration and physical characteristics between the gases it will be necessary to change the container valve and nozzles and probably the pipework and storage containers in carrying out a retrofit of an existing system. However, due to the similarities in the equipment, changing from Halon or CO2 to FM200® can be accomplished with minimal disruption and little or no system downtime. |
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