Life after halons

zoom

Shome Bag, energy and environment marketing specialist, 3M Middle East.

zoom

Inert gas systems may prove problematic offshore where space restrictions in often cramped environments can leave no room for the gas storage canisters.

zoom

Inert gas systems may prove problematic offshore where space restrictions in often cramped environments can leave no room for the gas storage canisters.

Although Dupont may scoff at such warranties as a plain marketing gimmick, which no doubt they are somewhat, it does perhaps raise eyebrows as to ‘why not' if they have so much confidence in their product.

"Our HFCs have been on the market for 17 years and our customers do not need us to guarantee that they'll still be around in another 20 years. Anyway, if they decide to remove a product then generally it takes more than 15-20 years," Shehabi declares.

"I think you could count of one hand the number of oil and gas companies, at least in the UAE, who use HFC systems. We just did the Halon replacement project for Dubai Petroleum and they used Novec, our inert gas system, because ConocoPhilips, who are its partner on the project, vetoed them using HFCs. They wanted the best long-term option so that they wouldn't have to replace the system in ten years' time," says Nixon.

"Nobody at this stage is saying that HFCs are outright banned, but increased restrictions are gradually being placed on all of them throughout the world and we have no clue what is going to happen, so why take the risk," adds Nixon.

Inert gas

Like HFCs, inert gas blends have been used as extinguishants in control and computer rooms for over ten years. Unlike HFCs, however, their use is fairly non-contentious due to their estimated zero o-zone depletion potential, zero atmospheric lifetime and zero global warming potential.

Inert gas extinguishants are comprised of either a single gas or a blend of carbon dioxide, argon and nitrogen and suppress fire through oxygen reduction. The Inergen system supplied by Tyco in one such inert gas system and combines 52% nitrogen, 40% argon and 8% carbon dioxide.

Anything below a 15% concentration of oxygen in the enclosed space means that combustion cannot occur and anything above 12% is safe for humans. The inert gas released into a room strikes a fine balance between the two percentages - stopping fire, but proving safe for humans.

"For onshore use, inert gas systems are ideal and very cost-effective since canister refill costs are negligible. Admittedly, however, there is an issue with inert gases when a company is short on space - this can make their use problematic offshore on ships and rigs," acknowledges Nixon.

"In their favour, unlike inert gases, HFCs can be stored in cylinders as a liquid and pressurised with nitrogen. If you have a 1000 square foot room and equip it with inert gas then you'd require quite a substantial number of canisters, unlike HFCs that have a much smaller footprint, but profound environmental ramifications," adds Nixon.

Shehabi acknowledges the financial saving that the use of inert gas system can create where fitted in smaller rooms, but is keen to stress that as soon as the room gets to a fairly large size the cost increases "exponentially". In such cases HFCs are often more cost-effective.

"In certain circumstances, there may be a financial saving when using HFCs, but in the long-term choosing an inert gas system may well prove more cost-effective since there is no chance that they will become restricted under environmental legislation," says Nixon.

"Certainly with Tyco, we offer a 20 years environmental warranty with our Inergen system so we will replace the system free of charge should inert gases be restricted. If you ask the chemical manufacturers who make the HFCs then there is no way that they would give you a guarantee because there is already being restrictions put in place," adds Nixon.

Novec 1230

The latest development in the field of Halon alternatives is a fluroketone product developed by 3M - Novec 1230. The product extinguishes via its cooling effect, whereby the chemical absorbs the heat, yet evaporates  50 times quicker than water.

In common with HFCs, although discharged into the room as a gas, Novec is a liquid at room temperature. Since it is not stored or shipped from the factory in pressurised cylinders the product is comparatively easy to handle when compared to inert gas blends.

When compared to HFCs, Novec appeals to its environmental profile that is quite clearly more favourable. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), it has a global warming potential of 1. In comparison, HFC's lingers around the 3400 mark. Similarly, Novec's atmospheric life-time is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to be around 0.014 years, in stark contrast to HFC's average of 3450 years.

"When Novec is compared to inert gas extinguishants, we have to appeal to something other than environmental factors," says Shome Bag, marketing specialist at 3M. "If you see an Inergen cylinder, or any other inert gas, then you see that it is a considerable size and it will take up a large amount of space. When you talk about an offshore situation then you need a product that will work at the minimum concentration so that you limit the amount that you need, Novec possesses this quality. As a result, we increasingly see the offshore market segment being critical to us."

"Novec also has a clear time advantage and it can discharge in tens seconds and put the fire out in 14 seconds. Carbon dioxide and inert gas blends take a lot longer because of the way they put the fire out. Since it doesn't lower the oxygen content in the room or increase the levels of carbon dioxide, it also offers the widest margin of human safety when compared to any other product," adds Bag.

"Our Sapphire system utilises Novec 1230 and I would certainly recommend it to companies where space is at a premium and where they want to put in place an environmentally sustainable system. It is a very highly engineered product, however, so it does charge a premium which may be a consideration," explains Nixon.

Despite all of the apparent benefits of Novec, Shehabi is still somewhat critical of such new products. "You have new products coming on the market that claim to have a 0 global warming potential. I think this is yet to be conclusively determined and there are still a lot of tests left to be done."

"HFCs are very well studied and what know exactly what happens to them when they go up into the atmosphere, for other products, you cannot be so conclusive because they have not been around for long enough. Their effects may yet be very different to what has been published," Shehabi concludes.

Future-proofing

Quite encouragingly, oil and gas companies throughout the region are finally taking notice of the need to replace their Halon systems for environmentally sustainable alternatives. The increased push by governments in the region can only act as a further impetus for change.

Companies need to have in place fire extinguishing systems that work effectively and do not endanger humans and damage valuable equipment that increases down-time. Halons are no longer the answer, however, and it is imperative to decide on an alternative. Which alternative is the perplexing question.

"Both inert gases and Novec 1230 meet the environmental standards that are now required. If a company came to Tyco and asked for advice on which system to install onshore then I would say absolutely, no doubt about it, inert gas. If you don't have the space then use the Sapphire system," says Nixon.

"I think we'll now see very few new products entering the market since it will be very difficult for any company to come up with anything that is considerably different and revolutionary to the existing products," concludes Nixon.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM