Municipal

Fire departments realise the benefits of foam concentrate in numerous ways. First agents make water up to five times more effective on fires. More effective in terms of faster flame knockdown, control and securement. Second, because water is made so much more effective, less water is used, That means less water damage to property and less water shuttling to rural areas where hydrants aren't readily available. Third because foam adheres to vertical surfaces. Adjacent buildings and structures can be protected with a durable insulating blanket of foam. Finally, foam agents are versatile. It can be premixed in the water supply tank, educted at the hoseline, or injected into the water stream with an on-board foam concentrate system. There are also portable balance-pressure proportioning systems that operate solely on water flow.

Forestry

Silv-ex foam concentrate permits forest fire fighters to employ offensive tactics as well as well as defensive measures to minimise the loss of trees, property and lives. The agent is uniquely effective because the solution draining from the foam bubbles deeply penetrates Class A fuels such as trees and surrounding forest bed. This increases the moisture content of the fuel thereby inhibiting ignition.

Silv-ex  concentrate is used at very low mix ratios - 0.2% to 1% - which requires less storage space and is easier to transport. Applied from the ground through backpacks and handline nozzles, Silv-ex foam is especially effective for building a fire line, direct attack, mop-up operations or prescribed burning.

Dropped from the air from helicopters or fixed wing aircraft, the foam could greatly assist fire fighters in directly attacking the fire, controlling its spread or creating a fire break.

Industrial

In industry the versatility of foam concentrates is a major benefit. Equally useful through a fixed sprinkler system or in a hose line application. Foam agents are effective in a variety of situations:

• Petro Chemical Industries

• Paper manufacturing and storage

• Refineries

• Wood processing

• Lumber mills

• Saw mills

• Tyre manufacturing and storage

• Power plants

Existing sprinkler systems can be easily converted using a variety of Ansul balanced pressure proportioning systems. Ansul manufactures a complete line of foam proportioners, tanks and equipment.

Mining

Whether the fire problem is on the surface or underground, foam concentrate is an excellent choice for suppressing fires in coal mines. One the surface - the cooling, wetting and penetrating effects of foam make it more effective than water alone. When used with a compressed-air foam system (CAFS), foam agents forms a tough, clinging blanket of foam over the entire surface area. The water trapped in the foam bubbles is then able to penetrate the Class A fuel.

Underground fires are safely controlled from the surface by injecting the solution through bore holes. When correctly applied, foam has been shown to dramatically reduce the ambient temperature below the surface. The solution can also be expanded using compressed air and actually flood the mine area with a tough, durable blanket of foam. 

Product range

* Also available in low temperature versions
** Equipment Key:
    1 - Handline Nozzle
    2 - Educators
    3A - Standard sprinkler head
    3B - Foam water sprinkler head
    4 - Balanced pressure proportioners
    5 - Foam Chambers
    6 - High back-pressure foam makers
    7 - Monitors
    8 - Medium and high expansion foam generators
*** Only an alcohol-resistant concentrate is recommended for polar solvent fuels (i.e. alcohols, ketones, ethers, glycol ethers, aldehydes, carboxcylic acids).
Certain polar solvents require use of air-aspirated nozzles.