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Fire suppression — Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid
3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is a clean agent fire extinguishant which was developed as a halon replacement and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) alternative. It belongs to a family of chemicals called halocarbons, a group which includes HFCs and fluoroketones. Novec 1230 fluid is a fluoroketone, while chemical clean agents like FM-200™ and ECARO-25® are HFCs (HFC-227ea, HFC-125). Novec 1230 fluid has a global warming potential (GWP) of less than one while these HFCs have a GWP of more than 3000. Novec 1230 fluid has the highest margin of safety for human occupancy among clean agents, including inert gas.
Clean agent fire suppression designed for the future
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When you specify a fire protection system, your choices can determine whether a person, valuable asset or even an entire business survives a fire. When that system uses Novec 1230 fluid, you may confidently offer your client a solution that:
- Extinguishes a fire in seconds, before it even starts and long before water-based systems discharge.
- Helps protect irreplaceable paper documents and electronics. Because Novec 1230 fluid is a waterless fire suppression solution, it leaves no residue and is electrically non-conductive.
- Provides the highest margin of safety for human occupancy of any clean agent solution.
- Is not subject to the Halon 1301 phaseout or HFC phasedown under any global regulatory body, including the Montreal Protocol.
- Comes with a global environmental warranty — the 3M™ Blue Sky℠ Warranty, designed to provide additional peace of mind.
- Is stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas.
- Is appropriate for Class A, B and C fire hazards.
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How does Novec 1230 fluid work?
Novec 1230 fluid extinguishes a fire before it starts by rapidly removing heat. In a typical total flooding system, the fluid is stored as a liquid in cylinders pressurized with nitrogen. Automatic detection sensors trigger release when the fire is at the incipient stage, extinguishing it in mere seconds.
Novec 1230 fluid evaporates 50 times faster than water. In fact, you could soak a paperback book in a bath of Novec 1230 fluid and within a minute, pick it up and read where you left off.
In this video you’ll see a controlled test of a fire in a simulated data center. Watch to compare the performance of Novec 1230 fluid to a water sprinkler system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about Novec 1230 at a glance — get answers to typical questions and see why specifiers call it a clean agent with no known equal.
Case Studies for Novec 1230 Fluid
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With more than 50,000 installations in more than 90 countries, systems using Novec 1230 fluid help protect occupants, buildings, equipment and operations.
Data Centers: Telegraph Media Group Chooses Novec 1230 Fluid Over Inert Gas to Save Space (PDF, 113 KB)
Data Centers: U.S. Government Stays Connected with 200+ Million Taxpayers (PDF, 151 KB)
Power Generation and Transmission: Replacing CO₂ to Protect Workers and the Power Grid (PDF, 261 KB)
Aviation: U.S. Air Force Replaces Halon with Environmentally Sustainable Solution (PDF, 119 KB)
Museums, Art and Archives: Preserving Records in the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library (PDF, 19 KB)
Museums, Art and Archives: Integrating Fire and Theft Protection Systems (PDF, 242 KB)
Transit: Northern Ireland Railways Manages Risk and Worker Safety (PDF, 124 KB)
Comparing fire protection solutions
Novec 1230 fluid offers unparalleled value. Whether you’re looking to:
- Replace a halon fire protection system
- Find an environmentally sustainable and cost comparable alternative to FM-200™, ECARO-25® or other HFCs
- Select a clean agent with a high margin of safety for occupied spaces
See at a glance how it stacks up against other common fire suppression systems in terms of performance, safety, sustainability and design flexibility.
Or compare in-depth against HFCs, inert gases, water and CO₂.
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Access 3M Novec 1230 Academy
Create a 3M Novec 1230 Academy account today to explore online education modules for fire suppression engineers. We cover clean agents, Novec 1230 fluid, specifying safe agents for occupancy and more. Or check back for the latest content.
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Access Novec 1230 Fluid Partner Portal
If you are a Novec 1230 fluid OEM or one of their distributors, we’re here to help you promote your systems. Visit our Partner Portal for exclusive access to Novec 1230 digital copy, photos, videos and answers to your frequently asked questions.
Each specification for a fire suppression system using Novec 1230 fluid reflects the unique circumstances of the application as well as each client’s special considerations, such as sustainability, occupant safety or protecting delicate assets such as hard drives.
Quickly and easily build a specification that meets your client’s needs with our Build a Spec tool.
We have worked with our approved original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to optimize Novec 1230 fluid’s performance in their listed or approved systems.
Featured resources and tools
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Novec 1230 fluid brochureDownload brochure (PDF, 1.32 MB)Novec 1230 Technical Data SheetDownload Technical Data Sheet (PDF, 339 KB)Novec YouTube channel
3M™ Blue Sky℠ Warranty
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Establish your environmental legacy — guaranteed. Because we intentionally developed Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid with sustainability in mind, we are able to offer the industry’s only global environmental warranty — the 3M Blue Sky Warranty. If 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is banned from or restricted in use as a fire protection agent within 20 years after installation due to its environmental properties, we’ll refund the purchase price of the fluid.
Let us answer your fire suppression questions
Turn to our team of engineers and experts to answer your questions and give you the support you need regarding fire suppression systems, regulations and Novec 1230 fluid.