Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products ANSUL AQUASONIC, Design, Installation, Recharge, And Maintenance Manual

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SECTION II
3-1-2010 Page 2-1
The AQUASONIC Water-Atomizing Fire Suppression
System confor ms to the requirements of NFPA 750
"Standard on Water Mist Fire Protection Systems.” System
inspection, testing, maintenance, and personnel training
shall be implemented in accordance with NFPA 750 or
equivalent national or international standards.
The AQUASONIC System is a total-flood water atomizing
system designed to protect Class B flammable liquid
hazards in machinery spaces, insulated and non-insulated
combustion turbine enclosures, and incidental flammable
liquid storage. The machinery space application includes
rooms with machinery such as oil pumps, oil tanks, fuel
filters, generators, transformer vaults, gear boxes, drive
shafts, lubrication skids, diesel engine drive generators, and
other similar machinery.
The AQUASONIC System can protect a potential hazard
with a volume exceeding 9200 ft
3
(260 m
3
) up to and
including 36730 ft
3
(1040 m
3
) with atomizers that use low-
pressure, dual-flow, advanced atomization technology to
create a minimum 10 minute discharge plume of water
droplets that are the optimum size to suppress a Class B
fire. The AQUASONIC System has been fire tested within
compar tmentalized areas and found effective for the
suppression of a wide variety of exposed and shielded
Class B hydrocarbon pool, spray, and gravity fires.
The mechanisms by which the discharge acts to extinguish
a Class B fire normally involve a combination of the follow-
ing factors:
1. Heat extraction from the fire as water is converted into
vapor and the fuel is cooled.
2. Dilution of flammable vapors by the entrainment of
water vapor, to such an extent that the resultant mixture
of vapor will not burn.
3. Cooling of liquid hydrocarbon fuels below vaporization
temperature, to such an extent that the vapor will not
burn.
SPRAY CHARACTERISTICS
When sprayed into a hazard, the AQUASONIC Atomizer
creates a conical spray pattern which has a diameter of
approximately 36 in. (0.9 m) at a distance of 72 in. (1.8 m)
and greater from the atomizer. When sprayed within an
enclosure, the AQUASONIC Atomizer spray pattern
expands slightly and the water droplets are primarily distrib-
uted (circulated) around the space through the high velocity
atomizing media discharge. As the high velocity discharge
plume of tiny droplets approaches the floor or other hori-
zontal obstruction, a large majority of the plume is diverted
laterally as well as vertically upwards, filling the space
between the core spray patterns and the space above the
atomizers. The circulation character istics of the
AQUASONIC Atomizer plume result in rapid, homogenous
distribution of water droplets throughout the protected envi-
ronment.
General Information
CAUTION
!
Water-atomizing systems shall not be used for direct
application to materials that react with water to produce
violent reactions or significant amounts of hazardous
products. Such materials include the following:
• Reactive metals such as lithium, sodium, potassium,
magnesium, titanium, zirconium, uranium, and pluto-
nium.
• Metal alkoxides, such as sodium methoxide.
• Metal amides, such as sodium amide.
• Carbides, such as calcium carbide.
• Halides, such as benzoyl chloride and aluminum chlo-
ride.
• Hydrides, such as lithium aluminum hydride.
• Oxyhalides, such as phosphorus oxybromide.
• Silanes, such as trichloromethylsilane.
• Sulfides, such as phosphorus pentasulfide.
• Cyanates, such as methylisocyanate.
Note: Non-acceptable hazards include rack or palletized
storage of flammable or combustible liquids.
CAUTION
!
Unnecessary exposure to systems resulting in low
oxygen atmospheres shall be avoided. The normal
atmosphere in a room contains approximately 21%
oxygen. In enclosures with an extended
AQUASONIC discharge, the oxygen concentration
may be reduced below 12.5%. The maximum expo-
sure time in any case shall not exceed five minutes
from start of discharge. Unprotected personnel shall
not enter the area during or after agent discharge.