Rick Seidel of Fike Corporation examines the shifting demands that PFAS and HFC regulation are putting on special hazard fire suppression in the United States.
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom in the US has led to a resurgence in interest and demand for special hazard fire suppression systems, the likes of which we have not seen since the original internet boom of 20 years ago.
Even though the processors themselves are much smaller and more powerful in their computing capacity, so many more of them are needed to keep up with the AI demand. Consequently, the data centers that house the AI chips are more complex than ever before, and they cannot be built fast enough!
The fire protection of these facilities is extremely critical to maintain their functionality, thus bringing special hazard fire suppression systems back into the mainstream, and many times chosen over sprinkler systems for a variety of reasons.
Decades ago, Halon 1301 was the only standardized approach for these types of facilities, becoming extremely popular for its fast and effective fire extinguishing properties and leaving no residue behind after discharge.
Halon was subsequently banned from production due to its Ozone Depletion Potential, which led to the advent of products like FM-200, FE-25 and Novec 1230 (FK-5-1-12) to take its place as the predominant clean agent suppression gas options for normally occupied mission critical spaces.
While these alternatives do not possess Ozone Depletion Potential, they have recently come under environmental scrutiny for other reasons. In some cases, this has prompted users to question their long-term sustainability and to look for more environmentally friendly solutions to avoid any possible regulations from affecting their fire protection specifications.
It is important to understand the underlying principles of these chemicals and to be able to explain to users that although they are mentioned in environmental conversations, they will still be available and popular for use for at least the next several decades.
FM-200 and FE-25 are specifically affected by recent EPA regulations that govern HFC gases and a phase down schedule has been published to reduce (not eliminate) the manufacturing and importing of new HFC gases in the United States over the next several years.
These gases, however, remain extremely popular for use around the rest of the world and even when their new manufacture or import levels reach their ultimate limits circa 2035, there are millions of metric tons available on the reclaimed market that will support their sustainability for many decades to come. For example, Halon 1301 was completely banned from production over 30 years ago and remains in adequate supply.
When it comes to the FK-5-1-12 products, they are now subject to attention that pertains to global discussion and regulations for “forever chemicals,” commonly referred to as “PFAS.” The fact is there are over 15,000 chemicals and hundreds of thousands of products that fall into the PFAS category that we all encounter and use and rely on a daily basis.
The regulators are starting to realize that the science points to “Not all PFAS are created equal” and that only a small percentage of all PFAS are in fact permanent, bio-cumulative and toxic (PBT), which are of primary concern and worthy of restriction and development of alternatives.
While the HFC and FK gases used in today’s fire suppression systems can certainly be classified as PFAS, they are fortunately non-PBT and when utilized per their intended purposes and listed designs they present the environment and society with much more benefit than detriment.
While there are some completely “green” and naturally occurring fire protection alternatives available in the market, such as inert gas and water mist systems, neither of them match all of the benefits and performance capabilities of the FK and HFC gases.
Regulators have also started using terminology including “Currently Unavoidable Use”and “Derogation Status” to help sustain HFC and FK gases in our industry and for users until newer agents or fire suppression methods with similar performance charecteristics are discovered or invented, keeping them available for purchase and in use for many years.
As I heard a manufacturer of suppression agents put it: “Even if we discovered a completely new and revolutionary agent today, it would take at least 10-12 years for it to be commercially available to the market” and they don’t expect to discover or invent anything new anytime soon.
The ultimate message or knowledge to be gained from being educated on all of the fire suppression systems there are, including inert gas, water mist and HFC and FK-5-1-12 gases, is that there always will be at least a few options for a user to choose from based on their specific mission critical or business continuity needs.
If the best choice continues to be one of the gaseous systems, they should feel confident that their fire suppression system will outlive whatever current technology they are looking to protect and sustain.
