Now there is a better way to suppress fire. With Stat-X, the objectives will always be to save lives, save your investment, your livelihood and be good to the environment. But innovative fire protection does more, as it combines science and economics.
Yes. Stat-X has many marine approvals and other listings from around the world and more which are in process and will be completed soon. Stat-X marine approvals:
No. Stat-X systems are extremely cost effective. While actual costs will vary based on the size of the enclosure, leakage, and class of hazard, in general, an installed system will be significantly less expensive than alternatives. This is due to the small amount of agent required and the fact that installation costs are dramatically reduced because of the elimination of distribution manifolds, piping, and nozzles. In some cases Stat-X thermal units could be considered for fuel storage areas, electrical cabinets, inside generator casings, etc and this where appropriate could further reduce costs due to the elimination of detection and control panel requirements.
What type of boats does Marine Fire Safety supply Stat-X to?
Marine Fire Safety supplies Stat-X systems to a variety of boats, but mainly systems to be installed on commercial workboats that come under the MCA Code of Practice of a similar code for a particular maritime authority. We supply, install and maintain systems on:
Marine Fire Safety are authorised distributors of Stat-X for marine and vehicle applications and are trained and certified in the design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance. We supply Stat-X as a total flooding application, so when designing a system we take the dimensions of the protected area, taking into consideration any leakage and location of un-closeable openings, fire class, and other factors to arrive at a system design concentration tailored to the clients specific requirements.
Marine Fire Safety supplies our range of panels which are designed and approved for use specifically with Stat-X aerosol generators. The FPX/Solo range of panels are small and compact with many features:
Automatic fire detection system to raise the alarm.
Can be set up for single or dual loop “double knock” fire detection.
Can use conventional marine approved heat and smoke detectors.
Can use linear heat cable for detection.
Visual and audible alarm indication on panel face.
Ability for external sounder/beacon function.
External sounder/beacon mute button.
Manual only activation - Panel can be preset for this.
Manual activated button has tamper evident removable tag.
Automatic activation via single or dual “double knock” activation of detectors.
Both Manual and Automatic activation - Panel can be preset for this.
Full fault monitoring of fire suppression system.
Full fault monitoring of single and dual detection loops.
Vault Free Contact for signalling to engine/fuel/fan shut down system.
Variable extinguisher activation time delay.
Universal 12 or 24Vdc electrical power.
Supports up to 6 Aerosol generator fire extinguishers.
Low false activation potential when in Automatic mode.
Stat-X is the perfect choice for protecting engine rooms and machinery spaces. Although it is an aerosol it shares many of the flow characteristics of a gas. It is suitable for use in un-occupied and normally un-occupied enclosed volumes and has the added advantages of extended hold times and as it is non-pressurised, less susceptibility to leakage. In addition, Unlike HFC's, which can break down and produce deleterious compounds such as hydrofluoric acid when exposed to elevated temperatures, Stat-X does not break down when exposed to a fire.
Are the aerosol generators re-chargeable after discharge?
No. The units are designed for single use only. The benefit of this is that after a discharge turn-around time is minimised as re-connection of a new generator is quickly and easily accomplished. In some cases, spares can be easily carried.
Stat-X aerosol has been tested on a wide range of materials including structural, aviation composites, and materials commonly used in electronics, and circuit boards. In all cases it has been shown that Stat-X has no deleterious effect on the operating capability of equipment.
Due to the ultra-fine particle size and the method of generation, the particulate is quite buoyant and suspends in the gas/air mixture within the protected enclosure. Because of this "buoyant" effect the aerosol does not begin to "settle" for an extended period and, therefore, is extremely easy to vent from the protected area. Only very minor amounts of particulate may be deposited on equipment and, generally, there is no need to do anything beyond extraction of the air within the protected volume through a fan or air handling system followed by a blow down with compressed air. Any particulate deposited on horizontal surfaces will be less than 2 microns and will not form a continuous layer. Large gaps will exist between particles leaving no potential for electrical conductivity issues to develop.
As a precautionary measure, however, it is always good practice to inspect and clean the site thoroughly following a discharge. While the aerosol itself is quite "clean", environmental factors are also a consideration. The unknown, and potentially harmful, by-products of an actual fire pose the biggest risk to sensitive electronic equipment. Because unknown products from the fire itself may be present, it is always recommended that equipment be blown down with air or vacuumed following a discharge to insure that no unwanted by-products from the fire itself are present.
The aerosol, itself, consists of solid and gas combustion products. The solid phase is composed of highly dispersed particles that present insignificant health hazards for humans at normal design concentrations. The gas phase may contain very small amounts of carbon monoxide CO, carbon dioxide CO2, nitrogen oxides NOx, and ammonia NH3. Production of these gases is minimal in the case of Stat-X due to its patented construction, chemical formulation, and its manufacture in the United States using only technical and reagent grade chemicals. In tests conducted by a certified, accredited testing facility in the United States, Stat-X generators were shown to produce gas levels several orders of magnitude less than the standard allowed for automobile airbag systems for passenger vehicles.
While the components of the aerosol are not considered toxic at normal concentration levels, ingestion of the ultra-fine particulate may cause short-term discomfort and unnecessary exposure should be avoided. Exposure to the aerosol is generally of less concern than is exposure to the decomposition products of a fire. Accidental exposures under ten minutes are normally considered safe. There is a high obscuration factor with the aerosol and a 30 second time delay and system lock out switch should be used whenever personnel may be present in the protected space.
The term "clean agent" has traditionally referred to gases. The term itself is inaccurate as all agents may pose post discharge issues. The Stat-X aerosol does contain ultra-fine suspended particulate which is very buoyant and hangs in suspension for extended periods. Because of this, settling is minimal and removal of the aerosol can be accomplished easily by venting. While the aerosol itself is quite "clean", environmental factors are also a consideration. The unknown, and potentially harmful, by-products of an actual fire pose the biggest risk to sensitive equipment. Because unknown products from the fire itself may be present or because of unwanted environmental conditions, it is always recommended that the area is thoroughly cleaned to insure that no unwanted products are present. For example, onsite maintenance and housekeeping may have been lax allowing accumulation of dirt in the enclosure. During discharge, any dirt within the enclosure may be blown around when the Stat-X generators discharge and then deposited as unwanted residue throughout the area.
Also, if the Stat-X units are not installed correctly focussing on the unit orientation or if they have been altered improperly or equipment may have been re-oriented within the protected enclosure resulting in an improper discharge directly onto a bulkhead or equipment surface. This could result in the deposit of small, localized areas of highly concentrated agglomerated particulate on that surface. If left untended, an agglomerated mass may take on moisture and may cause non-progressive surface discoloration (copper, bronze) of unprotected metal surfaces. It is therefore, important that firstly the units are installed correctly and in the unlikely event of any agglomerated particulate, it should be cleaned up with a water/alcohol solution no later than 24 hours following a discharge.
The Stat-X generators are small, self-contained units that are mounted at ceiling height in their own brackets. They do not take up valuable floor space as conventional systems do and they do not require piping and nozzles so will not inhibit on other machinery or walkways.
Stat-X thermal units are suitable for small enclosed spaces such as electrical cabinets, fuel storage areas, generator housings, lazarette spaces, etc. The units are self contained and utilise a patented thermal detector that is integral to the generator. This eliminates the need for ancillary detection and releasing devices. Units are available in several temperature settings to insure applicability to the hazard being protected.
Maintenance costs related to the generators themselves are minimal and involve only periodic visual examination of the generators and protected space to insure that the generators have not been damaged and that the system installation and space remains in the same configuration as that originally designed. However as with any fixed fire suppression system, be it a manual or electrical operated system, the functionality of the system and any detection and ancillary devices should be checked annually. Marine Fire Safety has a team of engineers who can and do carry out annual maintenance work throughout the UK and parts of Europe on a regular basis.
Have Stat-X systems put out fires in the real world?
Yes. Marine Fire Safety has attended several boats in the past where the FPX/Solo control panels have detected a fire and the Stat-X system was needed to be deployed. In all instances the fire was extinguished and there was no re-ignition of the fire and no damage to machinery from the Stat-X aerosol. In these instances Marine Fire Safety will aim to attend the boat within 24hours after initial contact to reinstall new Stat-X generators and re-commission the system to enable the boat to go back in to full use once the cause of fire has been determined and fixed. Stat-X have also had a number of very successful incidents in other areas, in particularly with CNC machines and mining equipment where a relatively small investment in a Stat-X system has saved high value equipment with very minimal downtime. Stat-X is installed on several thousand military vehicles serving in Afghanistan where reliable fire protection is mission critical.
Contact our qualified engineers today, whether you are interested in a quote, or simply would like to find out more about our services, we are more than happy to help.
Marine Fire Safety
Unit D4, Hays Bridge Business Centre,
Brickhouse Lane, Godstone, Surrey, RH9 8JW
