|
Safety Technologies:
Fire authorities praise cooling
effect of water mist
MARIOFF FIGHTS FIRE WITH HIGH PRESSURE
The Vantaa-based company Marioff Corporation Oy is the market
leader in supplying fire extinguishing systems for passenger
ships. The company’s water-mist extinguishing system
has proved to be highly effective. Now sights have been set
on the mass on-shore market.
“By being innovative and nimble we’ve created the
basis for a big market share in the maritime industry, and
now it’s time to take on the big companies on the mass
on-shore market,” says Petteri Saarinen, Marioff’s
president.
In addition to ships, the HI-FOG extinguishing system has
proved to be a success in protecting machine rooms, sources
of reserve power, computer premises, hotels, office buildings,
underground railways and historical buildings.
Created in six months
It all began in Yugoslavia more than ten years ago, when
Marioff’s founder, Göran Sundholm, was installing
hydraulic systems in a ship at a shipyard in Split.
“Somebody asked him if it wouldn’t be possible
to create an extinguishing system using high pressure, as
there was so little space for pipes and water. Sundholm replied
without knowing anything about the matter that, of course,
it was possible,” says Saarinen, describing the origins
of the innovation.
Sundholm came to Finland and began the design and product
development. After six months the product was in existence
- HI-FOG, “It was a really hectic time, because a new
concept had to be created for all kinds of extinguishing,
products developed, and then there were full-scale fire tests
to assure the authorities and rating agency that the system
works,” Saarinen relates.
Almost everything exported
When the extinguishing system appeared to be making an impression
on the market, all the other Marioff activities were run down
very quickly. “Today the company focuses almost one hundred
per cent on HI-FOG.”
The company’s turnover in 2002 was 64 million euros
and 95 per cent of the production is exported. Marioff has
companies in 11 countries besides Finland and a payroll of
more than 300.
Marioff still sinks a considerable amount of money into research
and development. Worldwide, the company has more than 1,000
patents relating to HI-FOG either granted or applied for.
Mist cools fire
The original innovation was the result of cramped premises.
It is important in ships that the pipes in the extinguishing
system are small. The volume of water required at high pressure
is much smaller than in the traditional sprinkler systems.
The effectiveness of water mist is based on the large cooling
surface area of the drops and the high evaporation rate. A
cooling surface 400 times the size of that created with traditional
sprinkler systems is achieved with the same volume of water
and high pressure. The output of the HI-FOG system is always
designed so that it is at least as good as that of the traditional
sprinkler.
As the amount of water used is small, the extinguishing causes
less damage. High-pressure water mist fills the premises like
a gas, penetrates latent fires and prevents the danger of
a general conflagration by blocking radiant heat. Fire authorities
have praised the cooling effect of water mist, which makes
operative extinguishing work and evacuating much easier.
Photo: Water mist extinguishes fires with a smaller amount
of water than the normal sprinkler systems.
Published 2002
|
.
Finnfacts is part of