A relatively new substance, developed in 2011 by ZM, has unique technical and operational characteristics. The official name is Novec 1230, but in the world it is known as “dry water”.

The absence of hydrogen in the structure of the fluorinated ketone molecule has endowed the substance with special properties that are successfully used to eliminate the sources of ignition:

• Zero conductivity;
• Boiling point + 49 ° С;
• Substances and materials do not get wet.

Fire extinguishing systems use gas produced on the basis of fine spraying. When transitioning to the gaseous state, Novec 1230 rapidly decreases the temperature in the room, dropping it below the burning point. At the same time, neither people nor equipment connected to electricity are not damaged.

The substance is absolutely safe for human health and environmentally friendly. But, despite the generally accepted name - “dry water” inside it is better not to use it.

More information about the properties of dry water can be seen in the video presentation of the manufacturer:

Application area

The most widespread in the west is dry water in automatic fire extinguishing systems installed in rooms with fragile artistic values: museums, art galleries; libraries and archives. It is recommended to use Novec 1230 in data centers, laboratories that work with liquid flammable substances and are equipped with fragile electronic equipment. The proof that dry fire extinguishing with dry water is effective and safe is the removal of all restrictions on its use in the USA and the use of dry water in automatic extinguishing installations for ships, aircraft and armored vehicles.

At the moment, the most common substances of this type are 3M ™ Novec ™ 1230 and Fluoroketone C-6. Both substances have almost identical performance indicators and belong to the type of freon.

The extinguishing agent is certified for use in extinguishing fires of categories A and B. Studies are being conducted to confirm the admission to extinguishing flammable gases - class C.

Quenching with dry water occurs according to the principle of temperature reduction (70% of the substance's action) and inhibition of the chemical reaction of the combustion process (30% of the quenching effect).

Benefits

High efficiency - the ignition source is neutralized, due to the high level of evaporation, for 10-15 seconds;

Safety for humans confirmed by clinical trials. The installation can be switched on when people are still in the room.

Convenience of operation - dry water can be used as an extinguishing agent in already mounted equipment with minimal equipment upgrades. In addition, the damage to the cylinders with dry water and even its spill will not cause unpleasant consequences. "Water" just evaporate, leaving no trace.

Environmental safety - the decomposition of a substance occurs in 3-5 days, without damaging the ozone layer.

The device fire extinguishing system

Dry water extinguishing system consists of:

For more information about the elements of the system, their placement and the principle of operation can be found in the introductory video of the manufacturer’s company:

Considering the high efficiency demonstrated by dry water (the fire extinguishing of the class A fire center takes only 10 seconds), the dimensions of the installation required to control the room are much smaller, and the number of cylinders is much less. In addition, much smaller technical requirements are imposed on the pipeline. The operating pressure is only 25 bar, instead of 250 to 300 bar required for a gas system. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of both installation and further maintenance.

Novec 1230 (“dry water”) is one of the latest innovations in the field of fire suppression. This gas fire extinguishing substance has several advantages over the existing traditional fire extinguishing means for people and valuables, electrical equipment, museum exhibits.

The principle of operation of gas extinguishing systems using Novek 1230 is based on cooling with heat removal from the source of ignition.

What is the substance Novak 1230

Novec 1230 is a liquid without color and odor. It belongs to the category of fluorectons, which is called dry water. Such a fire extinguishing agent is a development of an American chemical company.

This substance boils at 49 ° С, absorbing heat from the area of ​​the source of ignition. This property is indispensable at the initial stage of a fire, even the minimum concentration of gas in the environment makes it possible to instantly remove heat.

Hydrogen is absent in the structure of the molecule of this extinguishing agent, therefore, Novek 1230 has a number of unique characteristics (zero electrical conductivity, boiling point + 49 ° C, lack of wetting of substances and materials), thanks to which it is possible to effectively deal with a fire.

This extinguishing agent does not conduct electrical current, i.e. it is a dielectric.

The advantages of gas extinguishing agent Novec 1230

The advantages of gas Novek 1230 include:

1. 100% safety for people. This gas is completely non-toxic, while the release of this gas extinguishing agent does not reduce the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.
2. Ensuring the preservation of valuables, books, works of art after the application of "dry water".
3. Lightning elimination of fire.
4. Safety for the environment. This extinguishing agent does not destroy the ozone layer.
5. Easy installation and subsequent operation.

This substance does not cause corrosion of metal surfaces, it evaporates with lightning speed. Novek 1230 has a high fire extinguishing efficiency, the time required to eliminate a fire does not exceed 10–20 seconds. Such advantageous features ensure the use of the gas extinguishing agent Novec 1230 in gas extinguishing installations.

Systems using the fire extinguishing agent Novek 1230 are economical and practical. Due to the fact that fire extinguishing is possible with a small concentration of this gas, then a large number of cylinders are not needed for equipment installations, which in turn simplifies the installation procedure and the use of modules and nozzles for spraying.

The scope of these installations:

• server rooms;
• premises with electrical equipment;
• museums;
• archive rooms;
• libraries;
• laboratories.

The device of gas extinguishing systems

In gas fire extinguishing installations, Novek 1230 is placed in special cylinders; in the event of an operation of the installation, when a fire occurs, the gas moves through pipelines and is released into the room through special nozzles. The set of installations with a gas extinguishing agent includes several modules. Components of installations:

• cylinders (with gas extinguishing agent Novak 1230, pumped in liquid form);
• the locking starting device (regulates gas releases);
• pipelines through which the extinguishing agent is supplied to the fire site;
• sleeves (elements for connecting cylinders to pipelines);
• fire alarm system, which includes temperature sensors, smoke detectors and combustion detectors;
• equipment that controls the pressure of the extinguishing agent.

The locking device is designed to release the extinguishing agent Novak 1230 for 10 seconds. Installations with a gas fire extinguishing agent are used in rooms with a massive presence of people, numerous tests have confirmed the safety of people. These settings include, even if people work in the rooms.

Gas fire extinguishing installations using the Novek 1230 fire extinguishing agent as an effective, reliable and universal way to cope with fire in a minimum amount of time.

In case of fires, unique books, high-precision equipment, and technological lines of enterprises are at great risk. How to choose fire extinguishing substances that protect expensive property from the flame? 3M offers the innovative Novec 1230 gas extinguishing agent (also known as dry water), which is widely used in gas extinguishing.

Fundamentally new fire extinguishing substance in a liquid state flows like water and even looks like water, but when spraying it turns into a gaseous state and instantly extinguishes the source of fire. At the same time dry water is really dry and does not wet the surface.

Dry water - distinctive features

The main and main advantage of gas extinguishing is the highest sensitivity of the system. Dry water begins to work at the very beginning, when the combustion reaction has just begun and the flame itself is practically absent. The product has the best fire-fighting properties of traditional fire extinguishing agents, but at the same time it acts more effectively on the fires and suppresses the fire from the first seconds.

Unlike the “real” water, the 3M Novec 1230 fire extinguishing agent does not damage electronics, does not damage antiques, unique works of art and other hard-to-recover values.

How gas extinguishing agents work? Novec 1230 can be in two states - liquid and gaseous. In liquid form, the chemical agent is stored under pressure in special cylinders and waits in the wings. The system takes up much less space than similar fire modules based on inergen or freon.

The secret of dry water from the 3M company is both simple and complex at the same time. Fire extinguishing substances of the new generation do not contain hydrogen atoms and, therefore, are completely free from hydrogen chemical bonds, the interaction between the molecules is very weak. It is these properties of the product that make gas fire extinguishing much safer. GOTV instantly changes from a liquid to a gaseous state, even with the so-called “cold” spraying, when there are no high temperatures and flames yet, that is, the fire has barely begun.

Compounds with similar qualities were known to chemists long before the advent of Novec 1230. However, these formulas were not used in gas fire extinguishing, since toxic ingredients represented a serious danger to human health and destroyed the ozone layer. Thanks to the efforts of 3M specialists, the new dry water solved all these problems.

Gas fire extinguishing - system advantages:

• Maximum efficiency. The properties of the fire extinguishing agent 3M ™ Novec ™ 1230 can eliminate fires within 10 seconds, and at the same time at several points.

• High profitability. Dry water is consumed very little (compared to other means). In addition, less space is required for maintenance and installation, the minimum number of cylinders and spray nozzles.

• Ecological purity. Novec 1230 systems do not fall under an international program that limits the use of freon . Gas fire extinguishing using 3M product reduces the release of long-lived agents that contribute to the destruction of the ozone layer.

• Security for property. Dry water has high dielectric properties, does not cause corrosive processes, does not damage things and materials that are sensitive to moisture.

• No restoration work required. In the liquid state, the product evaporates 50 times faster than ordinary water. Unlike powder and foam, the 3M fire extinguishing agent is completely modified into a gaseous form and does not leave deposits on the treated surfaces.

• Ease of use. Modules filled with Novec 1230 fluid operate under low pressure and therefore have a more compact and lightweight design. This is especially convenient in conditions of limited space (shelf platforms, airliners, hardware systems).

• Convenience transportation. Extinguishing agents can be transported by any means of transport, including water and air.

Novec 1230 Fire Extinguishing Agent - The Best Alternative to Freon

The company's basic developments in the field of gas fire extinguishing were constantly improved, and as a result, the optimal solution was found for safe, environmentally friendly and effective fire protection that meets the following requirements:

• zero potential to destroy the ozone layer;
• minimum global warming potential (equal to one);
• fast decay (dry water after spraying lives in the atmosphere for no more than 3-5 days);
• non-toxic working concentration.

The concentration of Novec 1230 used for fire suppression (gas method) is several times lower than the threshold values ​​potentially dangerous to humans. Of all GOTV used today, dry water has the greatest safety margin (almost 140%), which makes it possible to use 3M products for fire protection of rooms with personnel inside. It is an ideal choice for fire extinguishing systems at airports, medical institutions, archives, museums, libraries, computer centers and telecommunications hubs.

If you conduct an experiment and immerse electronic devices and a couple of books in a container with dry water, then as you remove the objects, the liquid evaporates from the surface in a fraction of a second, without changing the paper structure and leaving no traces. Devices will work as usual.

Gas extinguishing agents (comparative characteristics):

Where fire extinguishing systems are used (Novec 1230 gas agents)

Gas extinguishing is recommended primarily for facilities where the use of other means is undesirable (property damage is possible) and where people are constantly located, especially if there is no possibility to leave the premises (airliners, oil platforms, motor ships).

The use of gas fire extinguishing substances is advisable in data processing and storage centers, at telephone exchanges and in radio centers, in hardware cellular operators, etc. Dry water can be trusted most valuable assets: gas fire suppression does not harm expensive electronics.

Fireworks and at the same time sensitive to fire extinguishing substances are also canvases, tapestries, film and photo documents, books, musical instruments, museum curiosities and archival materials. Gas fire extinguishing from 3M does not soak and jars on paper, does not wash away ink and paints. In dry water, manuscripts do not sink or burn.

Another vivid example of safe gas fire extinguishing is the protection of airport control centers. Air traffic controllers are not allowed to leave the workplace, even with the outbreak of fire. The non-toxic agent Novec 1230 eliminates the need for complex respiratory protection.

3M Company provides an unprecedented 20-year warranty on self-made extinguishing agents. If during this period a full or partial ban is imposed on the use of Novec 1230, we will refund the cost of the previously purchased dry water to the buyer.

Detailed information on Novec 1230 GOTV can be obtained by filling out or contacting the company.