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Fire-fighting systems - Foam systems

Foam systems

Firefighting foam is highly effective to control and extinguish two-dimensional and three-dimensional fires, mainly fuelled by flammable solids and liquids.
Firefighting foams are available in three types and can be classified as being low, medium or high expansion, depending on the expansion ratio of the solution and air mixture of the various foam-generating equipment, with respect to the liquid phase generated by the mixing systems.

Low expansion foams, due to their good adhesiveness and density, are typically used as a
fire-extinguishing medium for flammable solids or liquids, but they are also suitable for the suppression of three-dimensional fires, involving machines with potentially flammable parts and confined storage spaces of flammable materials.
Low expansion foams have an expansion ratio of about 1:10, which means that 1 litre of foam liquid solution forms 10 litres of finished foam, highly flowable and durable.
Low expansion foams are applied from dedicated foaming equipment such as monitors, low expansion foam making branch-pipes, fixed or portable branch-pipes, foam chambers, etc...

Medium expansion foams are used whenever it is necessary to produce a thicker foam layer, yet with a high density to create an effective foam blanket to extinguish fires. This type of fire extinguishing foam is normally used for protecting large containment basins of flammable liquids vessels and tank farms, or complex networks of pipes and valves that must be completely submerged in case of fire.

These foams feature an expansion ratio of about 1:70.80, which means that 1 litre of foam liquid solution forms about 70-80 litres of finished foam, with good flowability and average durability.

High expansion foams are a very powerful extinguishing medium for fire protection of large volume spaces, such as large storage units where the interior layout of the rooms would prevent other types of foam from flowing freely, or would not allow the use of other extinguishing systems.
This fire suppression system is based on the complete submerging of all those parts or goods that can cause fire, and for this reasons, only extinguishing systems that can produce a foam with a high expansion ratio can be used. The typical expansion ratio of this type of foams is about 1:450 – 1:800, which means that 1 litre of foam liquid solution forms about 450-800 litres of finished foam, featuring average flowability and durability.
The generated foam forms very large bubbles which, in case of higher expansions, would be large enough to support human respiration, but that reduce the oxygen concentration in the room below the ignition point, so to prevent the production of flames and the spread of fire.

SDM Antincendio can manufacture the entire range of equipment for the generation and application of all different types of foam concentrates.