What are the typical applications for watermist fire suppression?

Local Application

A local application (or object protection) system is used to protect stand-alone equipment only, such as diesel engine generator sets, transformers, and deep fat fryers, by discharging water directly onto the fire risk. Their use is advantageous when a specific risk is disproportionately higher than the risk in the rest of the space.

Local application solutions typically use open nozzles within a ‘dry system’, activated by a separate fire detection system, or automatic nozzles with thermal elements. The nozzles may have different spray angles, positions and flow rates to maximise coverage and protection of the equipment in the event of a fire.

Volume protection

Volume protection systems are used to discharge water mist into a specific volume, compartment or room to enable it to counter the fire. They may be done with automatic nozzles where the heat of the fire actuates individual nozzles to facilitate water discharge only in the vicinity of the fire or in higher hazard or sensitivity environments, the nozzles may be zoned to allow for the quick or more strictly controlled discharge of one or multiple nozzles at once. Typical applications include areas such as machinery spaces, domestic occupancies and hotel bedrooms.

Zoned Protection

A hybrid between a volume and local application system, that sprays water mist at a region of a compartment as opposed to the whole compartment or to a fixed location. This is typically achieved with electronically controlled nozzles or zone control valves and open nozzles which, once the fire location is determined, release water mist only in the region of the fire.