oSIST prEN 15004-10:2015

Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-541 extinguishant

This document gives specific requirements for gaseous fire-extinguishing systems, with respect to the IG-541 extinguishant. It includes details of physical properties, specification, usage and safety aspects and is applicable to systems operating at nominal pressure of 150 bar, 200 bar and 300 bar at 15 °C. This does not preclude the use of other systems; however, design data for other pressures were not available at time of publication.

Ortsfeste Brandbekämpfungsanlagen - Löschanlagen mit gasförmigen Löschmitteln - Teil 10: Physikalische Eigenschaften und Anlagenauslegung für Feuerlöschmittel IG-541

Installations fixes de lutte contre l’incendie - Installations d’extinction à gaz - Partie 10: Propriétés physiques et conception des systèmes pour agent extincteur IG-541

Vgrajeni gasilni sistemi - Sistemi za gašenje s plinom - 10. del: Fizikalne lastnosti in načrtovanje sistema za gašenje s plinom za gasilo IG-541

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 30-Mar-2015
• ICS: 13.220.20 - Fire protection
• Technical Committee: POZ - Požarna varnost
• Current Stage: 98 - Abandoned project (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 25-Jul-2016
• Due Date: 30-Jul-2016
• Completion Date: 25-Jul-2016
• Ref Project: prEN 15004-10 - Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-55 extinguishant

Relations

• Revised: SIST EN 15004-10:2008 - Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-541 extinguishant (ISO 14520-15:2005, modified)
• Effective Date: 08-Jun-2022
• Revised: SIST EN 15004-10:2008 - Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-541 extinguishant (ISO 14520-15:2005, modified)
• Effective Date: 01-Mar-2015

Overview

prEN 15004-10 (CEN draft) specifies the physical properties and system design requirements for fixed gas extinguishing systems using the IG‑541 extinguishant. IG‑541 is an inert gas mixture (nominally 52% nitrogen / 40% argon / 8% carbon dioxide) used for total‑flooding fire suppression. The standard covers composition tolerances, physical data, extinguishing and inerting concentrations, personnel safety considerations and system storage/fill pressures for systems operating at nominal pressures of 150 bar, 200 bar and 300 bar (at 15 °C).

Key topics and technical requirements

• Mixture specification: nominal composition and allowed ranges (CO2 ~7.6–8.4%, Ar ~37.2–42.8%, N2 ~48.8–55.2%) and minimum component purities.
• Physical properties: molecular mass (≈34.0), boiling and freezing points, specific vapour volumes and other thermodynamic data needed for system sizing.
• Extinguishing and design concentrations: tested extinguishment concentrations and minimum design concentrations for Class A, B and specific fuels (heptane, PMMA, common hydrocarbons), plus inerting concentrations for fuels such as methane and propane. Design tables provide required agent volume per protected volume across temperatures.
• Sizing formulas: methods and coefficients to calculate required agent mass/volume (QR = m · SR; SR and S approximated by linear formulas with given coefficients) so designers can determine cylinder fill and discharge quantities.
• Storage and fill pressure limits: prescribed fill and maximum working pressures for specified nominal container pressures (tables for 150/200/300 bar systems and corresponding pressure/temperature relationships).
• Personnel safety: hazards from oxygen displacement and combustion products; physiological guidance (NOAEL ≈ 43% by volume, LOAEL ≈ 52% by volume, corresponding to oxygen minima) and reference to EN 15004‑1 for minimum safety measures.
• Environmental and contaminant limits: requirements for moisture, oxygen and principal contaminants in component gases (tight limits specified in the standard).

Applications and who uses it

• Fire protection engineers and system designers: to size IG‑541 total‑flooding systems and specify cylinder storage/fill.
• Installers and commissioning agents: to confirm fill pressures, agent quantities and compliance with design concentrations.
• Facility owners / risk managers (data centres, telecom, museums, archives, control rooms): to select safe, effective inert gas suppression for sensitive equipment or irreplaceable assets.
• Authorities, specifiers and testing laboratories: to reference validated extinguishing/inerting concentrations and safety criteria.

Related standards

• EN 15004‑1 (General requirements for gaseous fire‑extinguishing systems) - normative reference.
• Other parts of EN 15004 cover different agents (FK‑5‑1‑12, HFC‑125, IG‑55, IG‑100, etc.) and should be consulted when comparing agent options.

Keywords: IG‑541, IG‑55, fixed firefighting systems, gas extinguishing systems, EN 15004, total flooding, design concentration, cylinder fill pressure, fire suppression design.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-marec-2015
9JUDMHQLJDVLOQLVLVWHPL6LVWHPL]DJDãHQMHVSOLQRPGHO)L]LNDOQHODVWQRVWL
LQQDþUWRYDQMHVLVWHPD]DJDãHQMHVSOLQRP]DJDVLOR,*
Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10: Physical properties and
system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-55 extinguishant
Ortsfeste Brandbekämpfungsanlagen - Löschanlagen mit gasförmigen Löschmitteln -
Teil 10: Physikalische Eigenschaften und Anlagenauslegung für Feuerlöschmittel IG-541
Installations fixes de lutte contre l’incendie - Installations d’extinction à gaz - Partie 10:
Propriétés physiques et conception des systèmes pour agent extincteur IG-541
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 15004-10
ICS:
13.220.20 3RåDUQD]DãþLWD Fire protection
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
DRAFT
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
December 2014
ICS 13.220.20 Will supersede EN 15004-10:2008
English Version
Fixed firefighting systems - Gas extinguishing systems - Part 10:
Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing
systems for IG-55 extinguishant
Installations fixes de lutte contre l'incendie - Installations Ortsfeste Brandbekämpfungsanlagen - Löschanlagen mit
d'extinction à gaz - Partie 10: Propriétés physiques et gasförmigen Löschmitteln - Teil 10: Physikalische
conception des systèmes pour agent extincteur IG-541 Eigenschaften und Anlagenauslegung für Feuerlöschmittel
IG-541
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 191.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United
Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to
provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without notice and
shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2014 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 15004-10:2014 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents
Page
Foreword .3
1 Scope .3
2 Normative references .3
3 Terms and definitions .3
4 Characteristics and uses .4
4.1 General .4
4.2 Use of IG-541 systems .5
5 Safety of personnel. 10
6 System design . 10
6.1 Fill pressure . 10
6.2 Superpressurization . 11
6.3 Extinguishant quantity . 11
7 Environmental Properties . 12

Foreword
This document (prEN 15004-10:2014) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 191 “Fixed
firefighting systems”, the secretariat of which is held by BSI.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 15004-10:2008.
EN 15004 consists of the following parts, under the general title Fixed firefighting systems – Gas extinguishing
systems:
 Part 1: Design, installation and maintenance”
 Part 2: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for FK-5-1-12 extinguishant”
 Part 3: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for HCFC Blend A
extinguishant”
 Part 4: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for HFC 125 extinguishant”
 Part 6: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for HFC 23 extinguishant”
 Part 7: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-01 extinguishant “
 Part 8: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-100 extinguishant”
 Part 9: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-55 extinguishant”
 Part 10: Physical properties and system design of gas extinguishing systems for IG-541 extinguishant”
1 Scope
1.1 This part of EN 15004 contains specific requirements for gaseous fire-extinguishing systems, with
respect to the IG-541 extinguishant. It includes details of physical properties, specification, usage and safety
aspects.
1.2 This part of EN 15004 covers systems operating at nominal pressures of 150 bar, 200 bar and 300 bar
at 15 °C. This does not preclude the use of other systems, although design data for other pressures are not
available at this time.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 15004-1, Gaseous fire-extinguishing systems — Physical properties and system design — Part 1: General
requirements.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this part of EN 15004, the terms and definitions given in EN 15004-1 apply.
4 Characteristics and uses
4.1 General
IG-541 is a colourless, odourless, electrically non-conductive gas with a density approximately the same as
that of air.
It is an inert gas mixture consisting nominally of 52 % nitrogen, 40 % argon and 8 % carbon dioxide. The
mixture specification for IG-541 (based on 8 % carbon dioxide with tolerance of ± 5 %) is as follows:
a) carbon dioxide percentage range 7,6 % to 8,4 %;
b) argon  percentage range 37,2 % to 42,8 %;
c) nitrogen  percentage range 48,8 % to 55,2 %.
Individual container or batch analysis is based on carbon dioxide measurement only.
Extinguishant IG-541 shall comply with the specification shown in Table 1.
The physical properties are shown in Table 2.
IG-541 extinguishes fires mainly by a reduction of oxygen concentration in the atmosphere of the hazard
enclosure.
Table 1 — Component gas specification for IG-541
Argon Nitrogen Carbon dioxide
Purity 99,997 % by 99,99 % by 99,5 % by volume,
volume, min. volume, min. min.
–6 –6 –6
Moisture
4 × 10 by mass, 5 × 10 by mass, 10 × 10 by mass,
max. max. max.
–6 –6 –6
Oxygen
3 × 10 by mass, 3 × 10 by mass, 10 × 10 by mass,
max. max. max.
NOTE Only principal contaminants are shown. Other measurements may include
–6
hydrocarbons, CO, NO, NO , CO , O , etc. Most are < 20 × 10 .
2 2 2
Table 2 — Physical properties of IG-541
Property Units Value
Molecular mass — 34,0
Boiling point at 1,013 bar (absolute) –196
°C
Freezing point –78,5
°C
Critical temperature —
°C
Critical pressure bar abs —
Critical volume cm /mol —
Critical density kg/m —
Vapour pressure 20 °C bar abs 152
Liquid density 20 °C kg/m —
Saturated vapour density 20 °C kg/m —
Specific volume of superheated vapour m /kg 0,706
at 1,013 bar and 20 °C
Components N  52 % by volume
Ar  40 % by volume
CO 8 % by volume
Chemical name Nitrogen/argon/carbon dioxide

4.2 Use of IG-541 systems
IG-541 total flooding systems may be used for extinguishing fires of all classes within the limits specifie
...