In selecting a halon replacement the following criteria must be taken into account.

• Fire fighting effectiveness - speed of suppression
  AF11E-same as Halon 1301
• Discharge/Collateral damage - clean up, decomposition & corrosion
  AF11E -10 seconds discharge - no clean-up, decomposition or corrosion
• Installation issues - time to re-instate system
  AF11E - simply change the gas
• Hazards - inhalation, noise, safe with electrical equipment.
  AF11E - safe, will not damage electrical equipment
• Environmental suitability -
  ODP.GWP, ALT
  AF11E - PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT
  
  
  

The AF11E range of portable fire extinguishers are both multi purpose, (A,B & C class fires) and multi shot. They range in size from a 300 gm aerosol to a 100 kg mobile trolley unit.

The aerosols range, (300 gm,600 gm and 1 kg) are :

• Easy to use, ideal as the first line of defence in fighting fire.
• Suitable for use in cars, caravans, boats, homes and offices.
• Can be thrown into otherwise inaccessible areas where they will self discharge and extinguish the fire.

AF11E Stored Pressure Units

• AF11E stored pressure units are available in all sizes from 1 kg through to 100 kg mobile units.
• With a boiling point of 27°C a longer throw is available making AF11E more superior as a streaming agent than BCF 1211 on A class fires.
• Clean, AF11E has a proven track record in many industries where fire has been extinguished without causing any secondary damage to the surrounding equipment and machinery

AF11E HAS BEEN TESTED TO BS5423, (LPC-UK).

A recent study by Factory Mutual Research Corporations reports that there are THREE main factors influencing the discharge times of Halon 1301 and alternative systems. These are Vapour Pressure, Gas Density and Heat of Vaporisation.
Discharge times are reduced as vapour pressure and gas density decreases as the heat of vaporisation increases. Hartindo-AF11E has a lower vapour pressure and gas density than Halon 1301 and a much higher heat of vaporisation, hence its effectiveness is increased through more efficient discharge times.

Fine Water Spray / Water Mist

The resulting heavy mist behaves in some respects like a dense gas but will not diffuse into shielded areas, consequently each water mist system has to be designed
individually and a requirement may remain for response team intervention to extinguish small, obstructed fires.

The major difficulties with water mist systems are those associated with design and engineering. The requirements to generate, distribute and maintain adequate concentration of correctly sized droplets throughout the space may mean that fire protection solutions must be individually tailored.

Halocarbon Gas System

A number of fire extinguishing halocarbon gases with zero ozone depletion potential (OOP) have been developed. These include both MFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and PFCs (perfluorocarbons).

None of the agents can be considered as a drop-in replacement for halon 1301, in the same system. Redesign and modification, if not replacement, will be required. However, the new halocarbon agents share many of the characteristics of halons.

Environmental Aspects; while the MFCs and PFCs do not affect the ozone layer, they are greenhouse gases that fall under the Kyoto Protocol and so any release would count towards the national emissions inventory of global warming gases. Therefore these gases should only be used where other safe, technically feasible cost effective and more environmentally acceptable alternatives do not exist.

Powders

Powders can create respiratory problems, they are irritants, corrosive and damaging to delicate electronic apparatus in protected areas. On discharge the visibility is
reduced, causing problems with emergency evacuation procedures.

Foam

Most of the foams, seen from an environmental point of view, are not biodegradable; moreover they could be toxic to flora and marine fauns. This type of product causes great damage to every kind of apparatus, making the eventual clean-up costly.