halon 1301 Bromotrichlhoromethane

CF3Br

A colorless odourless gas. As a gas it is non-corrosive, when it is dissolved in

water it is highly corrosive .Nitrogen for super-pressurisation is added due to
the low pressure energy of halon, typically to 42bar at 20 oC

by a little understood process it disrupts the chain of reaction that

is combustion thus extinguishing fires.

Toxicity

When comparing toxicity to extinguishing concentration halon is the safest

agent. Concentrations upt to 7% can be breathed for 5 minutes without effect,
at 10% this is reduced to 1 minute.

At a temperature above 510oC halon will decompose. Two of the

most important products are Hydrogen Bromide (HBr) and Hydrogen Fluoride
(HF). In small concentrations these gases are an irritant which will forewarn
personnel of increasing concentrations.

It is considered that these gases pose a much lesser threat than

the other products of fire- poisonous smoke, carbon monoxide etc.

Required concentration

A concentration of 4.25 to 5% by volume is required

Advantages

 clean with no residue

 Easy and safe to store
 Electrically non-conductive
 Good penetration
 Suited to automatic release
 Low working concentrations means relatively safe for personnel
 Fast
 Regulations

 Only permitted machinery space, pump rooms or cargo spaces

solely for carriage of vehicles not carrying cargo.
 No new installations
 System designed so minimum quantity of medium is discharged to
space based on liquid phase within 20s
 Means of safely checking pressures
 Volume 0.16m3/Kg
 Fire resistant release mechanism
 Over pressure device fitted
 Leakage warning alarm
 for locally operated devices the concentration should not go above
7% not halon 1301 and 5.5% for halon 1211 at 20 oC, discharge time
for liquid phase no more than 10s

Montreal convention

Following the Montreal protocol the usage of Halons was agreed to be phased
out by the year 2000 and halved by the year 1995.
In response to this, IMO has planned the following;
 No new installations after July 1992
 Testing of systems banned by January 1992, integrity test on spaces
required
 A requirement that stocks of Halons be recorded
 Existing Halon systems phased out by 2000

With regard to the second requirement, guidelines state that Halon should only be
used as a fire fighting medium in a space where there is no other suitable means of
extinguishing the fire to protect personnel and property. This guideline is only valid
until January 2000. Companies are required to replace there fire fighting Halon with
a suitable alternative, it is envisaged that companies will have difficulty in restocking
Halon systems as the production of these gasses is phased out by industry. It is a
requirement that they have a suitable alternative method fitted should the system be
utilised and so it is in the operators best interest to replace the system at their
convenience rather than as necessary. Halon systems are still in use as of August
2000