TECHNOLOGY
F
ire is a notable hazard anywhere that
plant machinery and vehicles are in
use, and the extremely dry conditions
being experienced in parts of the country
make this issue more pressing than ever. The
World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO)
provisional Statement on the State of the
Global Climate in 2017, published late last
year, lists 2017 as one of the three hottest
years on record, with devastating wildfires
raging across Europe, the US, and even South
Africa, putting the spotlight on the issue of
fire suppression.
Against this backdrop, fire protection
should be front-of-mind for any operation,
particularly those making use of heavy
equipment. However, without conducting
a proper risk analysis, even an operation
that complies with fire regulations can have
in place systems and measures that are
ineffective against the types of threats they
face. And this is where Pretoria-based I-CAT
comes in.
I-CAT is an environmental management
company, and its Fire Solutions Division
offers a range of innovative fire suppression
technologies and solutions to the industrial
and mining sectors. The company even has
a product range specifically designed to
deal with vehicle fires — a significant risk
for both man and machine. Vehicle fires
occur when least expected, and can cause
major damage to equipment, resulting in
production losses and, more importantly,
can result in human fatalities.
Protecting your machines
I-CAT’s TRT–VPS–FM system — an acronym
for T-Rotor Technology–Vehicle Protection
System–Foam Mist — makes use of the
company’s T-Rotor technology, with foam mist
as the agent, to extinguish all classes of fires.
The system creates a fine atomised mist,
charged with kinetic energy, to penetrate the
heat radiation caused by a fire, displacing
oxygen through its rapid expansion.
Through its gradual cooling properties,
the TRT–VPS–FM system controls the risk
of re-ignition and the spread of a potentially
devastating fire, while the foam mist prevents
thermal shock and poses no threat to hot
surface equipment that may crack or damage
through rapid cooling. A foaming agent
(0.5%) added to the system prevents any
B-class fire from spreading when fuel lines or
hydraulic lines rupture, causing engine fires.
MARCH 2018
21