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With PVProtect, Minimax presents a brand new water-based fire suppression system at the VdS-FireSafety Cologne: The holistic protection concept for roof surfaces with photovoltaic systems is the first of its kind on the market that is VdS-approved.

Roofs containing flammable insulation materials pose significant risks. Even small fires on roof constructions can lead to severe business interruptions and loss of sales. PVProtect helps to significantly reduce or even entirely prevent such damages. The system offers protection against fire hazards on roof surfaces with an incline of up to 10° on which photovoltaic systems have been installed. Consequently, Minimax is the first fire protection company to offer a solution for such previously unprotected environments.

The first water-based fire suppression system of its kind – early detection combined with automatic fire fighting

The holistic protection concept combines early detection with automatic fire fighting. By preventing fires on the roof, PVProtect, thus, can also protect the entire building against consequential damages; in addition, it alerts people on site in good time.

Heat detectors are arranged in a targeted manner around the photovoltaic modules. In case of an unusual rise in temperature, the detectors pass on the information to the fire detection and extinguishing control panel, which simultaneously alerts the fire department. The close-meshed arrangement of sensors makes it possible to precisely locate the source of fire. Extinguishing nozzles are arranged in the vicinity of the photovoltaic modules to ensure water coverage over the entire area. In this way, PVProtect automatically fights incipient outbreaks of fire before they spread widely.

Efficient water consumption, easy to retrofit – VdS-approved

Special extinguishing nozzles ensure a risk-appropriate distribution of water even at low operating pressures. Localization of the source of fire in conjunction with a suitable extinguishing control system and effective area distribution allow for water requirements to be further reduced, while also reliably keeping fire hazards under control.

Because of the minimal water requirements and low operating pressures, PVProtect can usually be connected to the existing water supply of a sprinkler system. Integration into an existing fire protection system is, therefore, cost-effective and uncomplicated.

The effectiveness of PVProtect has been evaluated in fire tests and approved by VdS Schadenverhütung. The VdS approval applies to both the system and the individual components. PVProtect, thus, provides a basis for making the building insurable again.

First-time presentation at the VdS-FireSafety Cologne – presentation included

Minimax exhibits the new PVProtect fire suppression system for the first time at the VdS-FireSafety Cologne on December 6th–7th, 2023 at booth D-07 in hall 10.1.

As part of the VdS Fire Extinguishing Systems conference, responsible Minimax fire suppression system manager Thorsten Gieseke will hold a presentation on PVProtect at 2:45 PM on December 7th at the Koelnmesse Congress Center East. Information on how to register to attend the lecture can be found here.

For further information on PVProtect, please visit here.

Minimax France was awarded by the French Association of Firefighting Professions (FFMI) for the MXOne high-performance firefighting turbine.

The “Oscars de la Sécurité” are handed out annually by a panel of experts appointed by the FFMI to honor outstanding achievements in the field of fire protection. The prize is awarded in four categories: "Innovation", "Fire protection", "Fire protection management" and "Special locations". The Security Oscars have been the benchmark event for the fire protection sector in France for more than 20 years. This year, Minimax France competed in the "Innovation" category.

The awards were presented to the laureates on November 13, 2023 by Mrs. Dominique Faure, Minister Delegate for Local Authorities and Rural Areas, during a festive ceremony at the Palais du Luxembourg.

Pascal Bichet, Country Manager Minimax France, said about the award: “Minimax France is very proud to have received this award, especially since we were recognized by our industry colleagues.”

The award-winning Minimax high-performance firefighting turbine MXOne – Next generation firefighting

The Minimax MXOne en­ables in­nov­at­ive fire pro­tec­tion using highly ef­fi­cient water mist from a safe dis­tance. Thus, it rep­res­ents a new gen­er­a­tion of stationary fire­fight­ing sys­tems. It al­lows highly ef­fi­cient, pre­cise and tar­geted sup­pres­sion from a sig­ni­fic­ant and safe dis­tance. The tur­bine achieves a large dis­charge range thanks to the ad­justable jet pipe, even when using a foam agent.​

Dur­ing a fire, the water mist ab­sorbs a huge amount of en­ergy, cools par­tic­u­larly ef­fect­ively and reaches hid­den fire sources due to the three-di­men­sional mode of ac­tion. It binds smoke gas, pol­lut­ants and odors and can quickly de­velop its ef­fect over large areas without, like clas­sic mon­it­ors with their fo­cused jets, dis­pers­ing burn­ing ma­ter­ial and pos­sibly con­trib­ut­ing to the spread of fire.

Further information on the MXOne to be found here.

The new development of the EconAqua water mist sprinkler U16 now makes EconAqua the low-pressure water mist system with the widest range of applications on the market. Moreover, it is the only one which is approved by VdS for use in car parks and underground parking areas with a ceiling height of up to 3.6 meters.

Confirmed efficacy approved by VdS
With its low-pressure technology, EconAqua achieves an effectiveness comparable to high-pressure water mist sprinkler systems, meaning that the new U16 sprinkler is just as effective as conventional sprinklers. This was proven in a series of standardized fire tests in accordance with VdS 3883-4 and prEN 14972-5, where the arrangement of vehicles typical of a parking garage was simulated in the Minimax fire safety research center. In the fire tests supervised by VdS Schadenverhütung, it was possible to show that the EconAqua low-pressure water mist system provides fire protection with a ceiling height of 3.6m similar to classic water sprinkler systems, while using far less extinguishing water.

Consequently, Minifog EconAqua has far greater efficiency regarding water used to extinguish fires than conventional sprinklers. This can even mean savings of up 85 percent in water in certain cases. Due to the extremely low amount of water required, possible extinguishing water damages in the event of a fire are kept to a minimum.

Minifog EconAqua water mist extinguishing equipment can also be used to safeguard against fires in car parks and other areas at risk of frost without the need to install costly pipe heat tracing, because dry pipe systems can be set up like with conventional sprinkler equipment. In a standby state, these are filled with compressed air.

Minifog EconAqua systems also have an advantage over conventional sprinkler systems because they take up considerable less space. This is due to the compact water supply and the smaller pipe diameters in the pipe network – especially within suspended ceilings. This not only saves on construction costs. In many existing buildings, it makes it possible, for the very first time, to retrofit an extinguishing system at all.

Consequently, Minifog EconAqua provides particularly efficient fire safety in buildings, not only in offices and public administration buildings but also hospitals, museums, hotels or even car parks and underground parking areas. This is especially the case where damage caused by extinguishing water needs to be avoided at all costs, in areas where there is an acute shortage of space, or in places where a conventional sprinkler system cannot be connected directly to the drinking water supply.

More Info (Link)

In May, Minimax and its competence team ‘Steel’ carried out a series of tests with fluorine-free foam concentrate at MPA Dresden GmbH, an independent fire protection competence center. The reason for the efficacy tests, which were supervised by VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH, was conducted at the request of our customer thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG to convert its extinguishing systems to a fluorine-free extinguishing foam. All the tests were successful, and VdS approved the use of the new, 1% fluorine-free foam extinguishing agent for the protection areas and system types concerned. 

Legal background
Time is of the essence: On April 8, 2020, the EU Regulation 2020/784 was passed, further restricting the use of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). Admittedly, firefighting foams are still considered to have a special status because every fire that can be prevented means that other, incalculable environmental damages are averted. The transitional period until July 4, 2025 still applies to fire extinguishing foams that are already filled in existing systems or mobile extinguishing equipment. From this date onwards, mixtures or products must not contain more than 25ppb (=μg/kg) of PFOA or a total of more than 1000ppb11 (=1ppm=1mg/kg) of all precursors. PFOA foams will no longer be allowed for educational purposes, and for testing only if there is a possibility of capturing all releases. As early as January 1, 2023, use will only be permitted at sites where all releases can be captured. 

What needs to be done?
As a result, many operators are concerned about the future of their fire protection facilities and would like to see a switch to fluorine-free foams. However, a number of requirements has to be considered in terms of the switchover: The VdS recognition for the use of foam extinguishing agents in water extinguishing systems according to VdS CEA 4001 and VdS 2109 always refers to the recognized foam agent and defined applications. If the intended area of application (type of system / fire load) is not already covered by the proof of effectiveness from the acceptance procedure, additional proof of efficacy needs to be provided. In this case, the foam concentrate was already certified for risks associated with plastics. The testing has since been carried out for certain flammable liquids. 

Tests
In May, Minimax conducted extinguishing tests for thyssenkrupp Steel Europe at MPA Dresden GmbH. The parties involved were VdS Schadenverhütung as the testing and certification institution, the risk manager, the foam agent manufacturer Dr. Sthamer, the operator, and Minimax with its competence team ‘Steel’ and the extinguishing system management ‘Water’. 

The configuration of the tests was prepared at length and tailored to the specific application. For the tests, Minimax installed both a deluge system and a water mist suppression system matching the real conditions of the existing system in terms of sprinklers, operating pressures and distances to the fire object. The extinguishing of three selected flammable liquids was tested, each using water and foam extinguishing agents. 

Successful result
The effort was worthwhile: VdS approved the tested foam agent for use in the given types of systems in combination with the three examined flammable (hydraulic) liquids and for use in accordance with the protection concept as per VdS CEA 4001 (sprinkler systems), VdS 2109 (deluge systems) and VdS 2108 (low expansion foam extinguishing systems). 

For Marcel Esper, Head of the Minimax competence team ‘Steel’, and Thorsten Gieseke, Minimax suppression system manager, the results of the extensive extinguishing tests are even more far-reaching: "Beyond the approval, we gained a lot of additional knowledge that we will take into account for the further procedure with fluorine-free foam agents." The competence team ‘Steel’ is the specialist for stationary fire protection in the steel industry, providing single-source support in the Ruhr region for the plants of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, among others. 

For thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, the switch to fluorine-free foam concentrate is a particular concern, both to ensure fire protection and, at the same time, to contribute even more to environmental and water protection. The fact that this can be achieved with comparatively little effort means enormous potential savings for the customer. Converting the plant would incur costs and, on the other hand, production would be impaired during conversion periods.

Our company has changed its legal form in order to simplify the structure of the Minimax Viking group in Germany. With effect from August 11, 2021, Minimax GmbH & Co. KG has been renamed Minimax GmbH. 

All contracts, general terms and conditions, terms of sale and delivery, etc. are still valid. Our contact address, too, remains valid. 

You will find the current company data in the imprint of our website. 

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers and partners their trust and confidence in us and look forward to a continued successful working relationship. If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact your representative.

As part of the RWM DIGITAL SERIES, a digital format of the leading trade fair for recycling, materials and waste management, on 20 May Jan Weimann (Minimax) introduces Minimax's high-performance firefighting turbine MXOne. He will show video footage of extinguishing tests in our Fire Protection Research Center. During the lecture and afterwards you can ask questions via chat.

Certain remote, hard to reach or large areas in the industry, energy or infrastructure sector cannot be covered in an efficient or economical way by conventional fire protection systems. MXOne uniquely meets the demands posed by special fire risks in numerous industry and risk areas, both inside and outside buildings – incl.: Recycling operations, Wood-processing industry, Chemical plants/refineries, Airports/hangars, Substations/transformers.

20 May 2021 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. (BST) | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. (MET)
Register now for free:
https://www.rwmexhibition.com/rwm-digital/rwm-digital-spotlight#/

Once again, a Minimax product has been honored by the Red Dot jury. This year, Minimax received the coveted award in the “Materials and Surfaces” catgeory for the innovative Fendium pipe system. 

Fendium is a polymer-enhanced steel pipe, coated on the outside and inside with a special polymer that protects against corrosion. In contrast to a painted or powder coating, this polymer protection is built up in a multi-step chemical process. Independent research has confirmed that the polymer achieves extremely high resistance to corrosive influences. Fendium is approved by VdS Schadenverhütung and certified by FM Global. This means that it can be used for nearly all water extinguishing systems.

Michael Steinhoff, Technical Product Manager at Minimax Viking Research & Development GmbH, sees the Red Dot Award as confirmation of the concept: "It was an interesting journey – from the idea to realization and series production. Finally, we created a product, unique on the fire protection market, offering numerous advantages. Apart from the process we developed and now apply, there is currently no alternative process known to coat pipes industrially from the inside. The Red Dot Award in the "Material and Surfaces" category confirms the uniqueness of our product."

Sustainability through a longer service life
When used as intended, Fendium pipes have a significantly longer service life than pipes that have not been treated on the inside.

Consistent higher safety level
In standard pipes, corrosion can lead to rough surfaces, encrustations and deposits which, in turn, increase pipe friction and reduce the free cross-section of these standard pipes. With their internal and external corrosion protection, Fendium pipes increase the effectiveness and reliability of extinguishing systems over the long term and reduce the risk of nozzles becoming clogged up.

Greater efficiency
The low pipe friction offered by smooth Fendium pipes even makes it possible, in many cases, to use smaller nominal diameters or smaller pumps. The advantages include weight savings, easier installation and reduced space requirements.

More information: https://www.minimax.com/int/en/technologies/piping/fendium-pipes/

Minimax has received approval from the German Association of Property Insurers (VdS) for their innovative fire protection solution, which protects hazardous goods warehouses by means of a sprinkler system using a foam agent. This concept combines high safety for people and the environment with a very fast, effective and localized firefighting. Moreover, the system helps to minimize operational downtimes in the event of fire, and there are very few construction requirements. It can be used in warehouses with large containers such as IBC and warehouses with narrow aisles.

The concept is based on several modules interacting with each other. In the event of a fire, spilling fluid is deliberately directed to the rack aisles with the help of sloped rack stands and baffles installed in the racks. So-called fuel stops are embedded in the floor at regular intervals along the aisles, which collect the flammable fluid, preventing it from spreading along the aisles. Special sprinklers are placed near the fuel stops, ensuring early release and targeted distribution of the water-foam mixture into the aisles. Additional quick-release sprinklers distribute water and a special foam agent into the racks. This concept enables rapid, effective and localized firefighting, helping to keep fire damage and operational downtimes to a minimum.

High personal safety and environmental protection
This fire protection system does not involve complete flooding of the protected room with firefighting agent. Consequently, it offers a higher degree of safety compared to agents hazardous to humans, such as high expansion foam or CO2. With the sprinkler solution there is also less danger of firefighting agent spreading to lower levels or neighboring areas. The early and localized firefighting, combined with fairly small amounts of water-foam used to fight the fire contribute to a better environmental footprint.  

Very fast and effective firefighting
The sprinklers are arranged at close intervals, both in the racks and in the aisles, facilitating early fire detection and immediate firefighting without any pre-warning period. Together with the fuel stops and the use of a special foam agent, fast, raging fires can be fought effectively – which is essential in case of flammable liquids spilling from large bulk containers.

Minimal operational downtimes in the event of fire
Only the sprinklers in the affected area release and the fire is rapidly fought resulting in little primary and secondary damage. This includes thermal stressing of the building and rack structures, corrosion or short circuits due to the flooding of technical installations (control panels, ventilation systems, conveying equipment). The subsequent removal of the firefighting agent is also far easier than in a building completely flooded with high expansion foam.

More information...

Today, Minimax is launching the extinguishing turbine MXOne. This unique system has a 360° operating range and enables the highly precise application of water mist from a significant and safe distance. In the event of a fire, the water mist absorbs a huge amount of energy, cools particularly effectively and reaches hidden fire sources better than classic monitors. It binds flue gases, pollutants and odors, and is able to exert its efficiency quickly over large areas. The effectiveness of the turbine has been examined and confirmed in full-scale fire trials conducted by independent bodies, including DMT.

MXOne can be operated with potable water, seawater and with/without foaming agents. Spray patterns can range from a fine water mist to a full jet. The firefighting system reaches a flow rate of up to 4,000 liters per minute. MXOne can be aimed at a hot spot either fully automatically or manually via remote control. Thanks to a smart operating system, a single turbine can supply water alternately to two or more neighboring areas. Consequently, several fires can be fought in parallel, or nearby facilities threatened by fire can be specifically cooled in a targeted manner. The turbine can be easily integrated into existing plants and is suitable for use in areas with temperatures ranging from -15°C to +55°C.

A decisive innovation: throw distance
MXOne has the unique ability to fight a fire with water mist from a significant distance. The turbine is able to offset the susceptibility of small droplets to external factors such as crosswinds or headwinds using a smart control system and activating a supporting air stream. Furthermore, the system can be flexibly adapted to meet almost any challenge posed by different fire scenarios.

Efficient firefighting with water mist
When extinguishing a fire with water mist, the water is atomized under high pressure, meaning the smallest of water droplets and a larger reaction surface are formed that absorb heat. When water evaporates, its volume is increased many times over, thus displacing the oxygen at the source of the fire. The smothering effect fights the fire directly. The cooling aspect of the water mist protects people and property from the effects of heat. The volume of water consumed during the firefighting effort as well as the consequential damage caused by the water are extremely low.

Maximal flexibility in positioning and application
The control and direction of the extinguishing turbine can be done fully automatically, as follows: Information from at least two fire detectors (e.g. UniVario industrial fire detectors or infrared cameras) is assessed in the fire alarm and control panel and the location of the source of the fire is accurately determined before MXOne is activated. Alternatively, manual control of the turbine is always an option. Both stationary and mobile control variants can be implemented according to the operator's requirements.

More details

LNG facilities are exposed to fire risks. When a fire occurs due to failing equipment or inadequate  fire control and protection measures, extended business disruptions may be the consequence. These will cause substantial costs and, at worst, may cause customers to turn to new suppliers elsewhere, if the delivery delays continue. The consequences originates due to the nature of LNG processing, the potential disperse of vaporized natural gas with its high fire load and rapid fire spread. The risk can be reduced by detection, fire control and/or extinguishing systems.

LNG fire has challenging facets. Minimax has the right fire control and protection solution for the various LNG facilities. Recommended fire control and protection applications which suit the requirements of LNG facilities are for example vaporization reduction with Hi-Ex foam, gas cloud dispersion control by water curtains, fire suppression with dry chemical and suppression system with inert gas systems for fire risks in enclosures like compressors and plant utilities.

Minimax understands the safety management issues at LNG operations and has in-depth know-how of codes and standards for fire protection, like IMO IGC (81/224), NFPA, EN & BS (66/224). Additionally Minimax has the ability to adopt local requirements, great track record on successful project completion and a company culture to meet expectations of global acting companies.

Minimax provides tailored solutions wherever there is a fire threat and has a widespread fire protection experience on industrial applications, including LNG facilities, jetties, loading manifolds, compressors, machinery rooms, steam and gas turbine driven power plants. So Minimax has the competence on both landbase and marine projects and the experience to integrate them.