Welcome to the 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid Partner Portal

Evaluating special hazard fire suppression options requires not only an initial price comparison for the agent itself, but the cost of the overall system throughout its lifecycle. The total cost of ownership (TCO) of a fire suppression system using 3M Novec 1230 fluid can be comparable to or better than other competing systems.

Consider:
 

• Space requirements: Inert gas systems often require up to five times as much space for cylinder storage as systems using 3M Novec 1230 fluid.
• Structural support and infrastructure: Systems using additional cylinders may require reinforced structural elements or other architectural changes during construction.
• Global Warming Potential phasedown: As HFCs follow the path of the halon phaseout with a phase down in the U.S. and other countries based on global warming potential, refill costs may rise and code requirements may shift.
• Business continuity: Damage from a fire or water-based fire suppression systems to critical spaces can lead to high clean up, restoration and replacement costs. Employees may be unable to return to work for some time, harming the business’s bottom line.
• Downtime costs: In today’s “always-on” business world, downtime caused by an inappropriate fire protection system can cost money. For example, outage costs at data centers have been averaged at $9,000 per minute.*

*Ponemon Institute: 'Cost of Data Center Outages January 2016 Data Center Performance Benchmark Series'

Sustainability is described in the UN Paris Climate Change Agreement as an action that promotes “the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions while fostering sustainable development¹.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the base chemistry for HFC-227ea (FM-200®) and HFC-125 (ECARO-25™) are on a global phasedown schedule under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which more than 55 countries have ratified.

In the U.S., the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2020 also prescribes a phasedown schedule with a target of 85% phasedown of annual HFC production and consumption by 2036. That schedule is as follows:
 

• 2022: 10% phasedown
• 2024: 40% phasedown
• 2029: 70% phasedown
• 2034: 80% phasedown
• 2036: 85% phasedown

Industries specifically mentioned in the draft rule by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) include refrigeration and air conditioning, foam blowing agents, aerosols, solvents and fire suppression. The AIM Act also lists specific HFCs that are commonly used in fire suppression, including HFC-227ea, HFC-125, HFC-236fa and HFC-23.

Zero Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) isn’t enough to be sustainable
3M™ Novec™ 1230 fluid, FM-200® and Inergen® are all replacements for ozone depleting Halon 1301, which began phaseout in 1993. A thinning ozone layer in the stratosphere increases the amount of solar ultraviolet rays reaching the earth’s surface, contributing to increased rates of sunburns and cancer. But ozone depletion is only part of the story. To be a sustainable solution, the agent must have a low global warming potential.

Global Warming Potential (GWP) and CO₂ equivalency
Greenhouse gases, including CO₂ and HFCs, trap heat from the sun, giving us the warmth essential to planetary life. They retain heat flowing from earth to space by absorbing infrared radiation. Too much trapped heat contributes to global warming. Scientists have determined how much infrared heat is absorbed by a pound of CO₂ and they use this as a constant to calculate Global Warming Potential (GWP) for other radiative gases over a specific time interval (generally 100 years). A pound of 3M™ Novec™ 1230 fluid has less GWP than a pound of CO₂, while a pound of HFC-125 or HFC-227ea has a GWP more than 3000 times greater.

GWPs are:
 

• FM-200® (HFC-227ea): 3,350
• ECARO-25® (HFC-125): 3,170
• 3M™ Novec™ 1230 fluid: <1

_{Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2013 Method, 100-year ITH (CO2=1)}

The bottom line: HFCs contribute to global warming and are not sustainable.

If the clean agent just sits in a cylinder, why should GWP matter?
No fire suppressant sits in a cylinder forever. Every ton of every agent produced for clean agent fire suppression will ultimately be emitted or will need to be disposed of through an acceptable reclamation process. With these factors in mind, the GWP does matter and should be considered. Fire suppressant agents may be released during testing, through accidental discharges and to suppress a fire. Plus, regulators often develop draft rules using quantity of agent produced and installed; for example, the AIM Act sets its phasedown targets based on production and importation, not the amount discharged in fire suppression.

Atmospheric Lifetime is a major indicator to consider when assessing GWP
When 3M™ Novec™ 1230 fluid is discharged, it evaporates instantly without residue and stays in the atmosphere for less than 5 days. Common HFCs stay in the atmosphere for more than 20 years – and often more than 30 years.

Our commitment to sustainability
We guarantee 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid with the 3M™ Blue Sky℠ Warranty, which offers peace of mind through a 20-year warranty protecting against regulatory action based on ozone depletion potential or global warming potential.

_{1 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015
2 2014 IPCC 5th Assessment Report Appendix 8.A, Table 8.A.1}