References
fixed and mobile systems
Whether for heritage buildings, libraries, labs, industrial plants or engine test cells, FOGTEC water mist system offer efficient, environmentally friendly solutions. The following references are a small selection of the many projects that have been equipped worldwide using FOGTEC systems.
References
buildings and industrial
Palacio de Cibeles
historic town hall, Spain
Today, the former Palace of Communication in Madrid is the seat of Madrid’s municipal council. The building in the heart of Madrid, which was completed in 1919, covers an area of 12,200 m2 and 30,000 m2 including the outside grounds. The building needed to be retrofitted with an automatic fire protection system.
Challenges
The central location, the associated lack of space, the very limited installation space and the need to install the system during ongoing operation – not to mention the fear of water damage – excluded the installation of a conventional sprinkler system. The high rooms and halls constituted further challenges.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
On behalf of the customer, FOGTEC initially conducted full scale fire tests in order to define the basic requirements. The FOGTEC system was then installed on a total surface area of 15,000 m2.
Mecca Clock Tower
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
At the end of 2012, a huge hotel complex was opened for the millions of visitors to Islam’s most important sacred site – the Haram Mosque in Mecca. With 600 m, the building complex is the third-highest building in the world. The clock tower is an outstanding feature and incorporates one of the largest tower clocks in the world.
Challenges
The greatest challenges were the height of the tower and the associated weight restrictions, as well as the variety of hazards that needed to be protected against fire. Due to the weight and hydrostatic pressure restrictions, a conventional sprinkler system could not be integrated in the top 210 m of the tower. FOGTEC water mist offers a particularly large cooling effect being beneficial for the numerous building elements made of steel and glass.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
The entire upper 210 m of the tower is protected with a FOGTEC water mist system. Automatic nozzles triggered by glass bulbs are used for all floors. Technical areas are protected with open nozzles. For areas that did not correspond with our standard design criteria, special fire tests were conducted.
Archives Nationales
EMOC Paris, France
The national archive in Paris used to be spread across various sites. In 2004, however, a decision was taken to construct a new central archive in the area Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, which today, following intensive planning and the required construction time, houses a total of 180 km of documents and files.
Challenges
The documents stored in the national archive are of a particularly high value and total destruction by an fire fighting agent would just as bad as loss due to fire. To protect the documents stored, a technology needed to be found that, on the one hand, enabled effective firefighting and, on the other, minimised water damage.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
A FOGTEC system was developed and installed for the national archive that was specially tailored to the room conditions. In order to do this, parts of the archive rooms were reproduced in a test installation, including the shelving systems. Various fire test series were conducted by FOGTEC using water mist in order to optimise the configuration of the FOGTEC water mist system so that maximum firefighting efficiency could be obtained while, at the same time, minimising damage to documents due to water discharge. The configuration parameters generated from these tests formed the basis for the design of the system that is in place today.
Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Edinburgh, Great Britain
From its headquarters, this major banking group looks after more than 30 million customers worldwide.
At the heart of this are the servers and IT equipments with their highly sensitive banking data.
Challenges
The task was to find a reliable fire protection concept that protected server and equipment areas both from fire and also from consequential damage. For a bank, it is important that interruptions to operations due to fire are kept as short as possible. A fire therefore needs to be fought as soon as it is detected. The extinguishing agent should cause as little damage as possible to the protected equipment.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
FOGTEC installed high pressure water systems across the entire area of three Royal Bank of Scotland sites for the protection of servers and of emergency power generators. The nozzles in the area with the servers are activated, like with a sprinkler, via glass bulbs; those in the equipment rooms, however, are activated following detection via an external fire detection system using high pressure pre-action valves.
Parliament library in the Majlis Oman
Muscat, Oman
The parliament building Majlis Oman in Muscat is a prestigious building belonging to the Omani government. The parliament building also contains a magnificent library.
Challenges
The task of the project was to create a balance between an architecturally sophisticated design and effective fire protection. It was important that the impressive interior fittings in the rooms were not visually impaired by the fire protection system.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
The FOGTEC system protects the ground and mezzanine floors with automatic water mist nozzles. All its protection areas in the entire building are supplied via a central pump unit. The water supply could be reduced to a minimum due to the low water usage of the FOGTEC system.
Tianjin Qiaoyuan Bridge Culture Museum
Tianjin, China
The construction of the museum is one of the most important projects for the municipal government of Tianjin and represents a milestone in international architecture. The basement of the building complex contains extensive archives.
Challenges
Here, the challenge was to combine compact architecture with particular safety requirements. On the one hand, fire protection should not affect the architectural design; on the other hand, it had to protect irreplaceable exhibits from fire and water damage.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
The FOGTEC system protects an area of 8000 m², including warehouses with cultural relics, precious jade, antique books and archive and monitoring rooms. In total, the water mist system covers 59 protected areas.
Elbphilharmonie
Hamburg, Germany
The Elbphilharmonie is a landmark of the city of Hamburg, with this distinctive building rising to a height of 110 m. The large concert hall, which appears to hover at a height of 25m and seats up to 2100 guests, forms the heart of the building.
Challenges
Due to the great room heights and its design, the actual concert hall presented a particular challenge for fire protection, since, in case of a fire, escape routes had to be guaranteed for a large audience. Installation of nozzles under the ceiling was ruled out due to the height.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
FOGTEC developed a special protection concept based onwater mist, which foresees nozzles installed in the concert hall’s floor area. The water mist nozzles only become visible in case of a fire in the relevant area. Thus effective firefighting is possible without affecting the appearance of the floor. The entire FOGTEC water mist system remains invisible to visitors. During development of the FOGTEC system used here, water mist fire tests were conducted in a reproduction of part of the concert hall.
Prinovis printing presses
Dresden, Germany
The Bertelsmann subsidiary Prinovis is one of the largest printing companies in Europe. Every day, it produces a wide range of magazines and other printed materials.
Challenges
A high availability level is of particular importance for a print machine, so firefighting therefore needs to be initiated immediately after fire detection without delay. Pre-warning times have to be avoided. Machine parts not immediately affected by the fire have to protected from the heat of the fire. An extinguishing system that might harm people was out of the question.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
The entire print machine is protected by an open system. The pipework are not prefilled with water during standby operation. The system design is based on full scale fire tests. Besides the fixed water mist nozzles, the FOGTEC system is equipped with manually operated FOGGUNs. The water supply was configured for 30 minutes autonomy.
Power Cable Tunnel Project
Singapore
At a depth of 60 m, the local electrical power provider Singapore Power is currently constructing a superior-type cable tunnel. Following completion, the tunnel will extend for a total of 35 km through the city, ensuring power supply.
Challenges
The tunnel has a diameter of between 6 and 9 m. The importance of the tunnel for supplying electricity to the state of Singapore necessitates particularly fast and effective firefighting. The firefighting agent needs to be kept low in terms of quantity, since this has to be transported across long distances and water damage needs to be minimised. At the same time, the firefighting agent should be harmless and environmentally friendly. The system should be installed in the tunnel using as little space as possible.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
The entire length of the tunnel is protected by a FOGTEC water mist system. A single row of nozzles in the top of the tunnel is sufficient. Extremely low quantities of water are used despite the wide diameter of the tunnel. The FOGTEC water mist system was designed based on special fire tests.
Linth-Limmern Power Station
Limmern, Switzerland
This new pump storage power plant is located on Lake Limmern in Switzerland. The machinery rooms and transformers are located in a stone cave at a depth of 600 m at the foot of the dam. From there, the water is pumped as needed into Lake Mutt, which is located 630 m higher up.
Challenges
In the event of fire, access to the machinery rooms and the transformers is only possible with a considerable time delay. A firefighting system was therefore required that can be activated immediately without pre- warning times. Rapid cooling, ensuring safe evacuation of people and access for the fire brigade are the primary priorities.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
Special nozzles are installed to discharge water mist in high-risk areas. These are supplied by a centrally arranged high pressure pump system via stainless-steel pipework. The water mist nozzles are activated in groups after a fire has been detected by a separate fire alarm system in predefined zones. This enables rapid filling of the affected area with water mist. Water mist immediately cools the environment, fights the fire and is entirely safe to people.
Daimler AG, Motorenhaus III
Stuttgart, Germany
The seven-storey test cell centre comprises 72 test modules, of which ten are power train test cells and 62 are engine test cells. It was constructed by the company AVL.
Challenges
For reasons of efficiency, the individual test cells were created in a single container at AVL’s premises, which were then inserted into the existing building like modules. The fire protection system also needed to be installed in a modular way.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
FOGTEC performed a series of special fire tests for engine test cells. These were used as design parameters for Motorenhaus III. All water mist nozzles in the test cells and the fuel room are supplied via a central pump system. Water mist nozzles are installed in the relevant areas for generation of ultra-fine water mist. These are activated via section valves.
References
Mobile
Ogyen Choling Manor
Bhutan, Nepal
This antique temple is located 3000 m above sea level in the Bumthang district. It was previously a religious centre, but today it houses a museum. Its construction with wood and stone constitutes a major fire hazard and its location means it is very difficult to access for the fire services.
Challenges
The objective was to develop a fire protection system that protects both public visitor areas as well as the exhibits and the building. The system therefore had to be as flexible as possible and simple to operate in order to be able to keep fires under control for a longer period even without the fire service.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
For this project, three modified mobile KFT 25 units were manufactured and equipped with special off-road tyres as well as a special engine for high altitudes. This enables employees at the museum to quickly and flexibly respond to fires.
Fire service vehicle
Baku, Azerbaijan
The Baku fire brigade required small stand-alone vehicles, which can also be used on narrow streets or in the countryside for firefighting.
Challenges
The size of the water tank is crucial for fully stand-alone use without a water connection, while at the same time space inside the vehicle is restricted. Conventional fire fighting systems require considerably more water. On the one hand, this significantly limits operating times and on the other hand, this increases the vehicle load such that other fire service equipment could no longer be transported in it.
The FOGTEC water mist solution
Mobile FOGTEC water mist units of type KFT 40, each with their own motor drive as well as stainless-steel tanks, were integrated into standard vans. Each vehicle is equipped with rapid-intervention equipment with ahose of 50 m length. FOGGUNs – with full-jet, water mist, personal protection and foam functions are fitted to the system. The consistency of the foam generated corresponds to that of a compressed air foam system.