COMPARISON OF THE FIRE SUPPRESSION PERFORMANCE OF HALON REPLACEMENT AGENTS

HFC-227ea and HCFC Blend A were evaluated using full-scale fire tests to obtain information on their fire suppression performance, drop-in capability, thermal decomposition products and physical behaviour of the agent such as its flow characteristics in the piping system. Also, full-scale tests were conducted with Halon 1301 to provide a basis for comparison. Halon 1301, at concentrations of 5% to 7.5%, showed effective total-flooding fire- extinguishing performance for all test scenarios. HFC-227ea, at a design concentration of 7.6% or higher, and HCFC Blend A, at a design concentration of 12%, extinguished all fires in the test facility, however, these agents produced higher concentrations of acid gases than Halon 1301. The quantity of the acid gases generated during fire suppression was dependent on agent concentration, agent discharge time, fire type and size as well as extinguishment time.