Self Expanding Fire Fighting Foam Systems

SEFF Systems by Heartland Repair and Coatings

Welcome to this short presentation by HRC, Heartland Repair and Coatings, introducing the newest and most effective technology in foam water suppression systems in the world. Self-expanding firefighting foam, or SEFF, systems are engineered and designed to provide the strongest foam solution delivery of any foam system offered today. We’re introducing the next generation of foam firefighting.

The SEFF Advantage

Imagine manual or fixed foam systems that are on demand. These systems require no fire pumps, no proportioning, no concentrate pumps, no stored water supplies, no stored foam concentrate, and no concentrate bladder tanks. It is just fluorine-free foam solution ready at a moment’s notice—all you have to do is open a valve. From the first drop to the last, you get a consistent 3% foam solution flowing on demand.

Whether you’re using manual operations or a fixed automatic or semi-automatic system, SEFF solutions remain the same. Over the past 20 years, SEFF systems have been installed around the world, providing protection for all types of hazards in various system configurations. Verticals such as aviation, bulk liquid storage, loading racks, process equipment, and warehousing are just a few of the major markets protected by SEFF systems.

System Design and Technology

SEFF systems are not complicated to design or manufacture and are even simpler to maintain. SEFF is a pre-mixed solution made up of potable water, a listed low-expansion fluorine-free concentrate, and inert gas, creating the only approved pre-mixed solution available on the market today. What makes SEFF systems so unique is the patented mixing process used to create the most advanced firefighting foam solution available anywhere.

By using inert gas in the mixing process, SEFF solutions create patented inert bubbles. These inert bubbles significantly outperform traditional air-filled bubbles by providing foam blankets with superior strength and exceptional cooling and heat absorption capabilities. Furthermore, with this inert mixing process in a purged environment, the SEFF solution stays in a complete homogenized, inert state indefinitely, making it the longest-lasting pre-mixed foam solution on the market.

Core Components

A basic SEFF system includes two major components:

• ASME Stainless Steel Pressure Vessel: This main component is sized to protect the most demanding hazards.

• Stainless Steel Manifold: Designed to maximize the unique flow characteristics of the SEFF solution.

From this point, SEFF systems integrate into downstream piping networks and discharge devices typical to traditional systems, including pre-action, deluge, and manual firefighting configurations.

Simplicity and Performance

It is easy to distinguish a self-contained SEFF system from traditional options. They need no permanent, automatic, or stored water supply, as allowed by NFPA 11. Because they are pre-mixed, there is no need for bladder tanks, stored concentrate totes, proportioning, or specialized piping, making them the easiest systems to install and maintain.

SEFF systems are the next generation of compressed air foam systems. While both are pre-mixed, only SEFF systems are self-pressurized, meaning no external pressure sources like fire pumps or nitrogen bottles are required. One of the advantages of this technology is self-pressurization, allowing for application rates three to four times the minimum of traditional systems.

Beyond higher application rates, SEFF systems have super-cooling capabilities that attack the fire triangle from multiple sides. Not only do they create a foam blanket to separate vapor from the air, but the inert bubbles remove heat and cool the hot surfaces, accellerates extinguishment while lowering the chance for re-ignition. In tests, a surface at 1200 °F was cooled to below 60 °F within 30 seconds and to 35 °F after another 30 seconds.

Scalability and Versatility

SEFF systems deliver a strong foam blanket with expansion ratios matching or exceeding proportioned systems, even when using the exact same concentrate. In a full-scale test, a 2,000-gallon system discharged across eight 1-1/2″ nozzles for approximately four minutes and 30 seconds, achieving an application rate of  .60 gallons per minute per square foot.

These systems are ultra-scalable; multiple zones can be piped from a single SEFF vessel. They can be configured as fixed systems, prefabricated skids, or mobile units. For example, a SEFF skid can replace existing CAF systems on offshore helidecks, providing enough pressure to drive oscillating monitor systems. Mobile 1,000-gallon trailer units offer an effective throw of 175 feet and a total reach of 210 feet.

Manual firefighting also becomes faster and easier. Rapid response is improved because there is no need to find water supplies, hook up hoses and totes, or dial in pressures. You simply roll out the hose and open the valve for 3% fluorine-free foam on demand.

Conclusion

From low-profile quick attack trucks to fully equipped fire trucks with 4,500-gallon SEFF vessels, there is no limit to the possible configurations. These vehicles require no pumps or mechanical systems—just pre-mixed, homogenized, self-pressurized foam ready at the turn of a valve.

This has been a brief look at what SEFF systems and patented inert bubble technology can do. For more information, please contact us by phone, email, or visit our website at www.seffsystems.com.