Optimum protection, around the clock

The risk analysis

The oxygen concentration is lowered by introducing nitrogen so that no fire can spread. Photo: Wagner

Possible cable fires caused by overheating on conveyor motors or technical system defects are statistically the most common cause of fire in automated high-bay warehouses. Once a fire has broken out, the extent of the damage is influenced by the design and the materials stored in the warehouse. The height and nature of the warehouse itself is a fire protection challenge: high racks and narrow spaces mean that a fire can quickly spread to below the warehouse ceiling, making it difficult to extinguish the fire using conventional methods such as foam or water. Added to this are the large quantities of highly flammable and combustible storage materials such as paper, cardboard or plastic, which encourage the fire to spread and spread uncontrollably.

Small load carriers burn like gasoline

In Imperial's small parts warehouse, wire harnesses for the automotive industry are stored in small load carriers (KLT). These are standardized polypropylene plastic boxes that are used in various sizes for storage and transport purposes. From a fire protection point of view, both the small load carriers and the cable harnesses are problematic. There are two main problems when KLT and plastics are used: One is the very good flammability of the material. Polypropylene and polyethylene behave like flammable liquids in a fire and release heat comparable to gasoline. If a certain pre-burning time is given, i.e. if sufficient material has liquefied, there is a so-called pool fire below the storage constellation. The burning dripping material ignites all neighboring materials, while the high heat energy continues to fuel the fire. A second problem is that such a fire is difficult to extinguish, as water is difficult to apply to plastic surfaces. The water simply runs off.

The solution

The high degree of automation of the small parts warehouse and the delivery obligation and dependence on the car manufacturer's just-in-sequence processes do not allow any fire-related interruption to the delivery capability. Imperial Automotive Logistics GmbH therefore opted for highly sensitive early fire detection using Titanus Pro Sens aspirating smoke detectors in order to be able to detect even the smallest smoke particles in the very early stages of a potential fire. As a further preventive measure, the operator relies on active fire protection by means of oxygen reduction. This drastically reduces the risk of a fire starting and spreading and creates a protective atmosphere in which staff can still move around without restriction. The OxyReduct fire prevention system from Wagner was chosen.

www.wagnergroup.com