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3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fluid Fire Wire – Winter 2019

Fire Wire is 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid’s quarterly fire suppression newsletter, developed for specifying engineers, architects and everyone else working in special hazards fire protection.

Johnson Controls and 3M Host Fire Suppression Seminar Series

Johnson Controls and 3M teamed up in the fall of 2019 to bring a series of seminars on clean agent fire extinguishment to cities around the U.S., including St. Paul, MN, Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA. As the interest in special hazard fire suppression applications has grown, industry innovation has risen to match it with new technologies and approaches to protecting people and business operations from fire.

In addition to discussing the codes and standards governing clean agent fire suppression in a presentation tailored for specifying engineers and authorities having jurisdiction, the seminar featured Johnson Controls’ new SAPPHIRE® PLUS gaseous suppression system using 3M Novec 1230 fluid. This system increases system pressure to 70 bar to enable smaller pipe diameters as well as allowing the containers to be located farther from the protected space and enabling an increased ability to use selector valves to protect multiple spaces. In addition, the SAPPHIRE® PLUS system demonstrated was fitted with a new acoustic nozzle that reduces the noise of discharge in 360 degree discharge applications.

Would you like to arrange a clean agent fire suppression Lunch & Learn at your business or for your customers? Contact us to schedule a visit from our team.

Recognizing 15 years of marine solutions: Minimax and 3M Novec 1230 Fluid

Since 2004, 3M and Minimax have collaborated to bring exceptional, effective fire protection to critical spaces aboard marine vessels of all types. The marine environment includes unique stresses for systems, thanks to challenges like highly limited space on board, saltwater corrosion (for oceangoing vessels), vibration from engines, and marine-specific safety standards that vary depending on the country in which a ship is registered and the waters in which it sails.

Yet after meeting stringent certification requirements, Minimax MX 1230 systems using 3M Novec 1230 fluid have been used aboard hundreds of ships, including 40+ river cruise ships on the Viking river cruise line (PDF, 4.97 MB).

As the Montreal Protocol phase out of HCFCs in marine applications kicks in on January 1, 2020, sustainable and effective solutions for clean agent marine fire suppression are more important than ever.

Join 3M at Intersec in Dubai from January 19-21, 2020

3M is proud to be a sponsor of Intersec 2020 in Dubai! There’s a lot to see at the conference, with 35,000 visitors and over 1,000 exhibitors gathering at the Dubai World Trade Center to explore the latest products and solutions in security, safety and fire protection.

But there’s only one 3M Novec 1230 fluid. We’ll be there to talk about what makes this smart, safe, sustainable fire suppression clean agent unique and potentially one of the best solutions for your toughest fire suppression special hazard applications.

Fact or Fiction: 3M Novec 1230 fluid is stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas

Fact. 3M Novec 1230 fluid is produced, shipped and stored as a liquid, which gives it unique flexibility in how it can be transported and installed when compared to compressed gases – it takes up less space in storage and it isn’t subject to hazardous materials requirements for labeling and packaging. In addition, for expedited shipments such as replacement after a discharge event, the product can be shipped by express air freight because Novec 1230 fluid is not stored under pressure.

But when it discharges, 3M Novec 1230 fluid rapidly transforms into a gas. It has a low heat of vaporization, meaning that 25 times less energy is needed to evaporate it than water, and it has a much higher vapor pressure, so the air can hold more than 12 times as much 3M Novec 1230 fluid than water before it is saturated. As it’s discharged, the fluid absorbs all the energy it needs from the air and rapidly converts into a gas, filling the protected space.

Plus, once the fire is out, that low heat of vaporization means that it quickly evaporates and leaves no residue behind. Learn more about the unique physical properties of 3M Novec 1230 fluid in our fact sheet (PDF, 50.81 KB).

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