Fire Test Summary #002/C1MS/APR98

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HI-FOG systems for total compartment protection of shipboard

Class 1 machinery spaces of Category A and cargo pump rooms
HI-FOG

Product GPU

13 Jun 2002

Fire test summary HI-FOG systems (GPU) for total compartment protection of shipboard Class 1 machinery spaces
of Category A and cargo pump rooms.
Test standard

IMO MSC/Circ.668/728 Interim test method for fire testing equivalent water-based fire-extinguishing systems for machinery spaces of Category A and cargo pump rooms.

Summary

Nine machinery space fire extinguishing tests were conducted in an enclosure corresponding
to a Class 1 (500 m3) engine room. The fire scenarios included both exposed and obstructed
spray fires, cascade fires, pool fires and class A fires, and their combinations. All fires were
extinguished within the acceptable time of 15 min.

Conclusions

The HI-FOG fire protection system powered by the Gas-driven Pump Unit (GPU) and with
the installation criteria below was shown to be applicable as an alternative fixed fire extinguishing system as required by Regulation II-2/7 of the SOLAS convention in Class 1 machinery spaces of Category A and cargo pump rooms.

Spray head configuration

Gas-driven pump unit

(GPU)

Type

4S 1MC 8MC 1000

Location

Ceiling level

Projection

Downward

Max spacing

5m

Max distance from walls

2.5 m

Max coverage area

20 m2

Max coverage volume

100 m3

Cylinder type

N2 / 50 l / 200 bar

Number of cylinders

Typical 13 for 500 m3

Marioff Corporation Oy reserves the right to revise and improve its products and recommended system configurations as it deems necessary without notification. The information contained herein is
intended to describe the state of Hi-fog products and system configurations at the time of its publication and may not reflect the product and/or system configurations at all times in the future.

HI-FOG

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Fire Test Summary #002/C1MS/APR98

1. Introduction
International Maritime Organization (IMO) has provided guidelines for alternative arrangements for halon fire-extinguishing systems which were prohibited to be installed on board ships after 1 October 1994. The fire test procedures described
MSC/Circ.668/728 are intended for evaluating the effectiveness of water-based total flooding fire-extinguishing systems
as the alternative arrangements in machinery spaces and cargo pump rooms as defined in SOLAS II-2/7.
Nine fire extinguishing tests in accordance with MSC/Circ.668/728 were conducted for the HI-FOG Gas-driven Pump Unit
(GPU) system.

2. Test arrangement
The test enclosure was constructed in the big test hall of the fire technology laboratory of VTT, the Technical Research
Centre of Finland.
A schematic view of the enclosure with a diesel engine mock-up at the centre of it is shown in Figure 1. The dimensions of
the 500 m3 enclosure were 10 m x 10 m x 5 m high. There was a 2 m x 2 m opening at one of the walls.
Test fires were arranged at and on the engine mock-up as shown in Figure 1. The fuel used in the tests was either light
diesel oil with high flash point or low flash point heptane which resembles regular gasoline except for its lower toxicity. The
tested fire scenarios are summarized in Table I. In each test, the fire was first ignited and after a preburn time ranging from
5 s to 2 min the HI-FOG system was manually activated. To pass the tests, the fires must be extinguished within 15 min
after starting the suppression, and no re-ignition may occur.

Figure 1. A schematic
view of the test enclosure
with test engine mock-up.

Test #2

Test #9

Table I. The test scenarios.

Test

Fire scenario

Low pressure horizontal spray on top of the engine

Test fuel

Heat release
rate (MW)

Diesel oil

Low pressure spray on top of the engine aligned 45 upward striking a 12-15 mm diameter rod

Diesel oil

Low pressure concealed horizontal spray fire on one side of the engine

Diesel oil

High pressure horizontal spray fire on top of the engine

Diesel oil

Low pressure, low flow concealed spray fire + 0.1 m2 pool fire on the side of the engine

Diesel oil

0.5 m pool fire on top of the bilge under the exhaust plate

Heptane

10

Flowing fire (0.25 kg/s) from the top of the engine

Heptane

12

11

A wood crib in a 2 m2 pool fire on the side of the engine

Heptane

12

Low pressure, low flow spray striking a 350 C steel plate on top of the engine

Heptane

HI-FOG

Fire Test Summary #002/C1MS/APR98

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3. HI-FOG system
The HI-FOG fire protection system consisted essentially of five ceiling-mounted spray heads and a Gas-driven
Pump Unit (GPU). The spray heads were of type 4S 1MC 8MC 1000 and their positioning is shown in Figure 1.
The GPU discharge sequence pressure and water flow rate are shown in Figure 2. The total water consumption
over the 15 min test period was about 720 l, corresponding to an average water flow rate of 48 lpm (0.1 lpm/m3).

Figure 2. GPU discharge sequence

4. Results
All the tests were passed: the fires were extinguished in less than 13 min after starting the suppression and no
re-ignition occurred.

NOTE: The tests described form the basis for the relevant type approvals.
A complete description of the tests and their results are given in the
Test Report No. RTE10311/98, VTT Building Technology, April 1998

Marioff Corporation Oy, P.O. Box 86, Virnatie 3, FIN-01301 Vantaa, Finland,
tel +358 9 870 851, fax +358 9 8708 5399, e-mail info@marioff.fi, www.hi-fog.com