Kidde's vehicle suppression solutions protect heavy plant vehicles from the risk of explosion

Article for Mining and Quarry World, November 2005

Kidde Fire Protection not only has extensive and well proven experience in providing fire suppression systems for off-road vehicles, but is also one of the very few companies operating in this field which develops and manufactures in-house all of the major components used in its systems.

While Kidde offers both dry powder and AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam) fire suppression systems, AFFF is preferred for vehicle installations because of its cooling effect on the fire.  AFFF is delivered to the fire source by compressed nitrogen, a technique which provides a compact solution that does not rely on any source of external power.

Automatic fire detection is implemented with a combination of linear heat sensing cable, which provides excellent general coverage and which is easy to install even in cramped locations, and thermostat-type detectors which are used to monitor specific at-risk areas.

At the heart of the system is the Kidde KVS 2000 controller which has been specially developed for vehicle applications. This robust sealed unit has just three membrane pushbuttons – silence, reset and override – making it easy to operate even under difficult conditions.

The KVS 2000 accepts alarm inputs from all types of fire sensor and also provides facilities for remote manual triggering of the fire suppression system.  An anti-contact-bounce feature prevents triggering by alarm inputs which last for less than one second, a vital feature in off-road applications where high vibration levels can cause transient false alarms.

Prior to installing systems, Kidde assesses vehicles individually so that it can provide its customers with accurate advice on the best possible configuration.  Specific user requirements, such as the increasingly common requests for an independent system to protect the driver's cab, are always taken fully into account.

An excellent example of Kidde's experience in this field is the fire suppression systems the company provided for use on the massive shield-type tunnel-borers used in the construction of the Channel Tunnel.

Based principally on the use of AFFF extinguishant, the installations for these behemoths followed the general arrangement described earlier, with the addition of ionisation-type smoke detectors, and the provision of water curtains at the rear of the vehicle to protect those working behind it.

These installations proved their worth on several occasions during the course of the project, a typical case being when a fire started in the low-voltage electrical panel associated with the emergency generator on one of the borers.  The extinguishant system was automatically triggered and the AFFF extinguishant released, completely suppressing the fire before any personnel were put at risk, and allowing easy manual follow up as a precautionary measure.

Operating off-road vehicles will always have its hazards but, at least in the case of fire, a lot can be done to reduce the level of risk.  Designing, fitting and maintaining suitable installations is, however, no trivial task as each type of vehicle has its own requirements.  It pays, therefore, to choose a supplier with both experience and expertise.