Earlier this year, a member of the SAFTENG FaceBook group posted a question about this type of system being used in a warehouse within the USA. Many of us were caught off guard as it seemed very risky to drop the Oxygen level to 13% in an occupied space, even with all the alarms and such in place. Many of us are familiar with Fixed Systems like the old Halon systems in computer rooms in our administrative buildings. But those spaces are not normally occupied and will have pre-discharge alarms so anyone inside knows the system is preparing to discharge and they have ample time to exit the space. This same concept is now being utilized (OUTSIDE of the USA) in occupied spaces such as warehouses, museums/libraries, etc. For me, doing it in “public spaces” is even more insane, as we have a long history of how humans respond to alarms and safety devices!
But with these systems already in place, FM Global has come to our rescue again. FMDS0413 – Oxygen Reduction Systems provides us with a nice description of these systems, how they function as a fire protection system, and the pros and cons of using such as system. And they just updated their Engineering Data Sheet with:
- Provided other options to maintain the needed nitrogen concentration for 12 hours within a room/building/equipment enclosure due to loss of power.
- Provided additional options for achieving N+1 nitrogen generator designs.
- Provided additional information on where to provide O2 sensors and how many sensors are needed for much larger building volumes.
- Provided additional information on O2 sensor maintenance and replacement schedules.
Here are the significant parts of their standard.