HI-FOG^® Approved for Large Machinery Spaces

Vantaa, Finland – Nearly two decades ago, Marioff developed a new fire protection system that maximizes the fire fighting attributes of water. Since its launch in 1991, HI-FOG^® has become the world-leading water mist fire protection system.

The HI-FOG^® gas-driven pump unit (GPU) system was introduced in 1998 and approved by FM in 2005 for the protection of machinery spaces, combustion turbine enclosures, and special hazard machinery spaces with a volume up to 500 cubic meters.  In 2006, the approval was updated to include volumes up to 750 cubic meters. And now, the GPU system approval has been further extended to cover volumes up to 1,500 cubic meters.

These recent developments put the FM approval of HI-FOG^® in line with the previously gained IMO approval regarding the protected volume. However, when IMO standards are applied, the electric pump driven HI-FOG^® systems can be used. These systems have IMO approval for even larger machinery spaces, with current approval for spaces up to 3,300 cubic meters. The other option is to utilize local protection.

Machinery spaces, such as power generation units and pump rooms, require special fire protection. These areas can be highly susceptible to fires in the presence of heat generated by the equipment and highly flammable liquids. A minor malfunction or leak can quickly turn into a serious fire, as the heat from normal operation adds to a fire’s intensity and increases the risk of re-ignition.

Adding to the challenge, machinery spaces are becoming larger in order to accommodate the increasing size and output of bigger machines. Larger machinery spaces pose special fire fighting challenges, because they may be hard to seal off, take more time to evacuate, and can result in more intense fires. But the HI-FOG^® system rises to this challenge.

Completely sealing off an area is not required for HI-FOG^® to effectively extinguish a fire. Neither is performing an integrity test required for water-mist systems. And because the water mist is harmless to people, the system can be activated immediately. Fire protection technology continues to be developed at a rapid pace. HI-FOG^® is being constantly developed to further improve performance and meet the demands of changing application spaces.