Project description
A new fire protection system in a vacuum atmosphere
Automated water sprinklers are currently the most common systems used to contain fires in homes and buildings around the world. With origins going back to Leonardo da Vinci who developed the world’s earliest fire sprinkler system in his kitchen, so much has changed. Vacuum technology is the latest evolution of the sprinkler system. The EU-funded VACTEC project is developing a new system that will be a more reliable, more durable and easier-to-operate system. It will also be dry and provide a natural response to the problems of frost, as well as corrosion. For instance, this new system maintains a vacuum atmosphere within the pipe network and has a double activation sequence to avoid both false activations and flooding.
Objective
The property damage as well as the environmental and human impact caused by the increased number of fire damages has resulted in an annual loss of €153-billion in the EU. This has seen an increased spend on fire protection systems both within the EU and globally. However, these systems have had major challenges which include leaks, obstructions, accidental activations and freezing that necessitate the ambition to deliver a more reliable system in a bid to protect and maintain critical infrastructure while avoiding catastrophic disasters due to fire systems malfunctions.
There is therefore a need for developing a solution that is suited for different operational environments but maintain a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. As EXEC, we have developed that very solution Vactec a vacuum technology-based solution that is highly responsive and reliable with a <5s activation sequence. Vactec will enable us to provide a solution that suits new installations as well as upgrade existing systems with minimal disruptions. Our solution maintains a vacuum atmosphere within the pipe network and has double activation sequence to avoid both false activations and flooding.
Vactec is able to reduce operation costs by 30% and enables the reduction of fire protection system installation cost as well as minimise building maintenance costs by use of mesh-type networks that uses less pipe length and lowers the load on the building’s structure. Furthermore, our solution prolongs the pipe lifespan through real-time monitoring of the vacuum atmosphere as well as removing residual water and air- making very difficult for the corrosion process to initiate.
By the fifth year of commercialisation, we anticipate that we will generate a cumulative turnover of €19 million and cumulative profit of about €8.5 million creating a total of 47 jobs.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
95190 Goussainville
France
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.