Chris_Stannard
New member
I have now had a long talk with the UK company. The pyrogen works by releasing a fine aerosol of chemicals which both inhibit the fire and provide cooling. The name pyrogen is used because when the extinguisher operates the chemicals are forced out by a small chemical charge. The device is designed for use in enclosed spaces and the maximum exposure for people is 5 minutes.
The company claims that, for a given engine space, the pyrogen extinguisher will be smaller than the halon equivalent by a factor of two to three times. It is in use in super yachts and is MCA approved.
The extinguisher can be triggered either by a thermic fuse, which is said to operate at about the same temperature as the alcohol bulb on a halon extinguisher (170C), or from a control panel. It could be rigged to operate from a smoke detector or similar device. There is also a manually operated version, you pull the pin and lob it into the engine space.
I asked about after affects, the answer was that it would not stop your engine, and if it did there would be no damaging after affects. (My engine would stop as if I had a fire in the engine compartment I would use the remote fuel cut off). The residue can then be brushed or vacuumed up. If the engine space is damp the crystals may take up moisture and become sticky in which case they can be hosed away.
There are various sizes of the extinguisher depending on the volume of space to be protected. A price indication was that an extinguisher for a 1cubic metre volume is about £125, 2 cubic metres about £170 and 5 cubic metres about £335.
The product has a life of up to 10 years but should be inspected for corrosion, being aluminium. It should be replaced if the case is damaged or dented.
Be interesting to know how this compares with CO2, halon etc on a volume for volume basis and a through life cost of ownership if anyone has data.
Chris Stannard
The company claims that, for a given engine space, the pyrogen extinguisher will be smaller than the halon equivalent by a factor of two to three times. It is in use in super yachts and is MCA approved.
The extinguisher can be triggered either by a thermic fuse, which is said to operate at about the same temperature as the alcohol bulb on a halon extinguisher (170C), or from a control panel. It could be rigged to operate from a smoke detector or similar device. There is also a manually operated version, you pull the pin and lob it into the engine space.
I asked about after affects, the answer was that it would not stop your engine, and if it did there would be no damaging after affects. (My engine would stop as if I had a fire in the engine compartment I would use the remote fuel cut off). The residue can then be brushed or vacuumed up. If the engine space is damp the crystals may take up moisture and become sticky in which case they can be hosed away.
There are various sizes of the extinguisher depending on the volume of space to be protected. A price indication was that an extinguisher for a 1cubic metre volume is about £125, 2 cubic metres about £170 and 5 cubic metres about £335.
The product has a life of up to 10 years but should be inspected for corrosion, being aluminium. It should be replaced if the case is damaged or dented.
Be interesting to know how this compares with CO2, halon etc on a volume for volume basis and a through life cost of ownership if anyone has data.
Chris Stannard
