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Watermist fire fighting MV electrical safety

David Gorshkov

I am reviewing the fixed watermist fire fighting installations in a new fleet of hybrid ships we are building . The water mist based fixed fire fighting appliances (FFFA) we are using extends into the main propulsion areas as well as the power generating areas.

Water Mist heads are used instead of sprinklers these days as these are more effective, however I can find no definitive tests or regulations that state water mist is safe to use in Medium Voltage switchboard areas?  Appreciate that if I have a fire the main objective is to extinguish it but it is not unusual for FFFA to be set off accidentally in a technical space so I must then consider IP ratings of equipments in these spaces in order that equipment is not damaged during an accidental discharge and that engineers investigating the incident are not at risk of electrocution from the MV systems which may still be live or charged!

Does anyone have any reference information regarding any testing done on Watermist systems to validate their safety levels with LV, MV and indeed HV systems?

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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    David Gorshkov: 
     

    Hi TS, this is indeed the view that is put forward to make it safe in electrical switchboard rooms. However, with an MV convertor running at 6.6KV and the potential for the droplets to start ‘pooling’ does this then create the situation where a ‘charged coil’ with a decay of over 6 minutes once isolated  becomes a hazard to fire fighters? Hence my question to ask if there is any testing available to validate the ‘generic’ claims thats it's OK to use on switchgear rather than subjective comments from the makers??

    I don't think that the manufacturer's would be testing with your location specifics in mind, if this is the preferred route it may be best to open dialogue with a specialist manufacturer of water mist systems. I'm sure you are aware you will also need sufficient space for the holding tank.

    Regards TS

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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    David Gorshkov: 
     

    Hi TS, this is indeed the view that is put forward to make it safe in electrical switchboard rooms. However, with an MV convertor running at 6.6KV and the potential for the droplets to start ‘pooling’ does this then create the situation where a ‘charged coil’ with a decay of over 6 minutes once isolated  becomes a hazard to fire fighters? Hence my question to ask if there is any testing available to validate the ‘generic’ claims thats it's OK to use on switchgear rather than subjective comments from the makers??

    I don't think that the manufacturer's would be testing with your location specifics in mind, if this is the preferred route it may be best to open dialogue with a specialist manufacturer of water mist systems. I'm sure you are aware you will also need sufficient space for the holding tank.

    Regards TS

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