Once a fire is detected the Fogmaker system generates a high-pressure mist of water mixed with 3% aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) to suppress the fire in seconds. The AFFF is meant to prevent the fire recurring after the dousing.

“In essence, our solution attacks the three components of the fire triangle, namely heat, oxygen and fuel,” explained Managing Director John Russell. “We call it the Fogmaker Triple Action effect.”

The Fogmaker is a mechanical device without electrical wiring to enable the system. If a fire occurs in the engine compartment, a trip line burns through, causing the pressure to drop, and this activates the fire suppressant.

According to Russell, the mechanical system comprises a small pressurised piston accumulator containing water (H2O) and nitrogen (N2), coupled to 8 mm stainless steel piping with patented nozzles installed within the engine compartment.

The Fogmaker system is compact and smartly engineered to be installed in any orientation inside space constrained machines and vehicles. This applies particularly to the military, marine, mining, commercial, industrial, as well as freight and passenger transport sectors including airports and harbours.

“At the previous Africa Aerospace & Defence event, our daily live demonstrations attracted much interest,” said Russell. “Our team ignited diesel fuel in a mock engine compartment in which gas temperature rose to 800°C before the Fogmaker was manually activated to extinguished the fire successfully in seconds.”

This demonstration highlighted the total flooding capability of water-mist technology, as well as the ability to integrate the system into OEM equipment to ensure safe operation.

More than 250 000 Fogmaker units, designed and manufactured in Sweden, have been installed in 50 countries around the world since 1995. Fogmaker South Africa is the sole distributor for Southern Africa, with representative offices in several cities in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana, as well as distributor partners in Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.

Manufactured according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, the system has been certified by globally recognised authorities to meet global fire suppression standards.

Among its global certifications and approvals are the United Nations UN R-107 Vehicle Registration, the Australian AS5062 standards, Sweden’s PCR 197/183 Swedish Fire Protection Association and the SMA, Swedish Maritime Administration. Fogmaker also holds approval from the Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa and the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

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According to chief executive Arend Späth, a high level of worker or asset protection can only be achieved if an explosion is suppressed within 100 milliseconds (a millisecond is one-thousandth of a second).

Seeing that a combustion explosion develops rapidly in ten milliseconds, after which the temperature and pressure start to exceed human tolerance, the ExploSpot system has to kick in immediately.

“Tests have shown that our ultra-high-speed ExploSpot detectors can detect and verify the explosion within two milliseconds, whereafter suppression is automatically activated,” Späth explained. “Within 100 milliseconds total flooding has occurred, thus keeping the pressure and temperature far below human tolerance.”

Among the systems ExploSpot showcased at Securex 2024 in Midrand this week were its automatic truck cab fire suppression module (ATFSM) and the automatic generator fire suppression module (AGFSM). ExploSpot also offers a compact automatic fire and explosion suppression module weighing only 9.2 kg.

The fire is detected by optical infrared (IR) sensors positioned inside the vehicle cabin for optimal performance. ExploSpot states that the detectors are designed for false alarm immunity, i.e. it is able to distinguish light sources like direct sunlight, a rifle flash or a match being lit.

The extinguishant bottles optimally installed throughout the vehicle interior contain an extinguishing agent that is mostly clean agent gas (class ABCEF). In the case of the automatic generator fire suppression module, suppression options could be clean agent gas, carbon dioxide (CO2) or powder (class ABCE).

A key safety feature of the activation mechanism of the bottles is dual activation pins.

A control box allows for built-in test and alarm indications, e.g. to detect wiring and pressure faults or low power. Additionally, it enables manual operation of the system. All components connected to the control box are monitored in real time to make installation, servicing and commissioning as easy as monitoring the user interface.

The company has a proven record, having supplied a variety of systems to several defence forces around the world. Some of these include fire and explosion suppression for the vehicle engine compartment and wheel wells.

ExploSpot Systems is the only South African explosion suppression system original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It is also the only company in the world to have developed and produced the ultra-fast, fully effective and reliable explosion suppression system to stop methane and coal dust explosions in mining operations in accordance with the SIMRAC Protocol (Safety in Mines Research Advisory Committee).

“Our Active Explosion Barriers are used to contain and suppress a methane gas and/or coal dust explosion propagation,” Späth said. “Research done in 1998 indicated that active explosion barriers are well suited to be used on mechanised cutting machines, making it the only technology that could suppress a methane gas and/or coal dust explosion during its propagation phase at the cutting face.”

The company’s explosion detection and suppression systems are also used in the transportation and storage of explosive in goldmines. These systems are quick enough to mitigate the risk of secondary explosions in explosive magazines or modular units used in the cargo bay of vehicles transporting the explosives.

In recent times, with the proliferation of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in numerous applications, ExploSpot’s technology is much sought after. According to Späth, classic fire detection and suppression might not apply, hence ExploSpot’s solution is thermal runaway suppression material. It has been tested by TUV in Germany, Dekra and the Fraunhofer Institutes.

“The material extracts the heat from the Li-ion source, thereby isolating the thermal runaway and suppressing any occurring fire,” he stated.

ExploSpot Systems produces in South Africa, but has a global footprint, mainly Australia, China, the USA and the Middle East.

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