Inert Gas Suppression Systems: A Safe and Effective Fire Protection Solution

Inert Gas Suppression Systems

We offer advanced inert fire suppression systems designed to protect your assets, ensure personnel safety, and maintain business continuity. Utilising environmentally friendly inert gases, our systems are designed to efficiently suppress fires without harming people or equipment. Ideal for sensitive environments such as data halls, telecommunications facilities, archives, electrical rooms and manufacturing plants, our solutions provide rapid, residue-free fire suppression. With a commitment to delivering tailored solutions, Astro Fire Systems Ltd ensures the highest levels of fire protection, safeguarding critical infrastructure and operations.

How do Inert Fire Suppression Systems work

Inert fire suppression systems work by reducing the oxygen levels within the protected space low enough to suppress the fire. Depending upon the application and design concentrations used these reduced oxygen levels can be between 11-15%.

Where are Inert Fire Suppression Systems used

  • Data centres and Server rooms
  • Telecommunications Facilities
  • Healthcare Facilities
  • Archives and Museums
  • Power Generation Facilities
  • Electrical Switch Rooms
  • Control Rooms
  • Chemical Storage Areas

What agents are used within Inert Fire Suppression Systems

Inert fire suppression systems use a variety of gaseous agents to suppress fires by reducing the oxygen concentration to a level that will not support combustion while still being safe for human occupancy. The commonly used gases and mixture of gases used include:

  • IG100 - Nitrogen (N2) commonly used due to its abundance and cost-effectiveness. It is non-toxic and non-reactive.
  • IG01 - Argon (Ar) Argon is heavier than air, which can be beneficial in certain applications. Also non-toxic and non-reactive.
  • IG55 - A mixture of 50% argon and 50% nitrogen. It provides effective fire suppression and is a suitable choice for many applications.
  • IG541 (Also known as Inergen) - A blend of three gases - typically nitrogen (52%), argon (40%) and carbon dioxide (8%). The inclusion of a small amount of CO2 helps stimulate breathing, making it potentially safer for human-occupied environments compared to other agents.

Design concentrations used for Inert Fire Suppression Systems

The design concentrations for inert gas fire suppression systems are carefully calculated to ensure the correct and sufficient concentration of agent is used for protected space. These concentrations are typically expressed as a percentage of the total volume of the protected space. Here are the typical design concentrations for the commonly used inert gases:

Hazard Classification

IG55

IG541

NOAEL

LOAEL

Surface Class A

40.3%

39.9%

43%

52%

Higher Hazard A

45.2%

45.7%

43%*

52%

* When design concentrations are above NOAEL and below LOAEL then the Fire Suppression system must be switched to “Manual Operation Only” prior to entering the protected space.

NOAEL - No Observable Adverse Effect Level
LOAEL - Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Level

Astro Fire Systems Ltd

Registered Office:

23 Bilston Street, Dudley,

United Kingdom

DY3 1J 

Pershore Office:

Astro Fire Systems Ltd

Main Street, Pershore,

Worcestershire,

WR10 2ES

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