F.A.Qs
1. How does water mist fire protection work?
Water mist is produced by pushing water under pressure through an atomising nozzle. This produces small droplets which provide a large surface area for absorbing heat. Steam is also created providing an inactive gas which deprives the fire of oxygen. The flame plume acts like an air pump and draws water mist particles towards it.
2. Where are the differences between traditional sprinklers and water mist systems?
One of the key advantages of water mist systems over conventional systems is that they use significantly less water to control a fire and therefore cause much less damage. Mist systems use up to 75% less water than conventional water sprinkler systems.
3. Will the system go off when I’m cooking?
Unlike optical and ionisation smoke alarms, a heat alarm won’t go off while cooking as
it requires an ambient temperature 20˚C above room temperature to be triggered. The majority of domestic fires start in the kitchen and this is why Heat Alarms were added to the Building Regulations, Approved Document B (Government Fire Statistics).
4. Can water mist systems wash out smoke?
Fire tests have shown that water mist, in the right conditions, is able to scrub soot particles from smoke. Water mist captures smoke particles by mixing it with airborne droplets.
5. Can high pressure water mist be a danger to people?
Since the momentum of water mist dissipates quickly after it is discharged, the disperse water mist sprays in general are harmless a few decimeters away from the nozzle.
6. Can water mist fight fires in areas with draft or ventilation?
Yes, depending on the nozzle layout. Water mist systems have been successfully tested in tunnel fires and outdoor fires with significant ventilation and draft conditions. However water mist systems should only be installed in locations and conditions for which they are designed and tested.
7. Where did the idea come from?
Automist evolved from a research project at the Royal College of Art in 2005. It went on to win the Imperial Business School Ideas Challenge, Business Challenge and Helen Hamlyn Lord Snowdon Award. Automist was designed by a multi-disciplinary team of designers and engineers. It is being developed by a new start-up company called Plumis Ltd within Design London “Business Incubator” at Imperial College London. Automist is based on an existing system used on offshore oil and gas platforms where space and weight are limited.
8. How big a problem are fires in the kitchen?
In the UK alone there are 300,000 dwelling fires each year: 60% of these start in the kitchen. Little real impact has been made in reducing domestic fire property losses despite public and private sector fire safety campaigns. Student housing, care homes for the elderly, sheltered accomodation and flats with shared kitchens are all high risk categories. UK Government research suggests that socially deprived households are 31 times more likely to suffer fires than households in general.
Fire Safety Support Information:
The International Water Mist Association - the IWMA is the first association of its kind dedicated exclusively to water mist fire fighting and related technology.
Bre Fire suppression in buildings using water mist, fog or similiar - 3022kb [Techincal report 4/2005 - an independant report in 2005 by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) commissioned by the Office of the Deputy of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
Fire safety in the home - home and community fire information
