Fire Supression at the Fuel Cell

[tom_sprecher]

I am putting in a fire supression system and am interested in hearing ideas as to what part of the fuel cell do I point the nozzle at.

1. Side where fuel pump, filter and associated AN plumbing is located.
2. Side where exhuast pipe and muffler are within 2 " of fuel cell.
3. Top where fill, pickup, return and vent are located.

Maybe I can take a poll if I knew how to set it up. I did just that and added it.

TIA

 

[jc836]

You might want to contact Firefox Industries (my supplier) as they have done extensive testing on this subject. Most of the cars I have seen with a nozzle in the rear attempt to flood the area in the 'trunk' of the car. Another thing to consider if you are doing an AFFF setup is the engine compartment itself. Again, there is sufficient proof that foam in that part of the car works. May I warn you that sizing a system can be an interesting experience. It is very important that you have enough capacity for each part of the car you are trying to cover. There are NASCAR and NHRA teams that are currently using more than 1 bottle to accomplish the task. In fact, several pro road racing teams use such a setup. Let me know via e-mail if you need contact info for Firefox.

 

[tom_sprecher]

You are right, I guess I should have asked someone about the size but instead I went by the number of nozzles each manufacturer provided with the system. With Halon, most 5# systems have 2 nozzles and 10# systems have 3. Also, someone said get the biggest you can since space and weight are not really a consideration like in Formula cars.

What I have seen is a nozzle at the carb, one on the driver and one at the fuel cell. But, a 15 gal fuel cell covers a lot of real estate hence my question. Also, others have suggested that the system is really there to give you time to get out of the car, it will not put out a nasty fuel cell fire. It should however put out a small carb fire before it trashes out everything under the hood.

 

[jc836]

Our 5# AFFF system uses 2 nozzles facing the intake and will flood over the top of the valve cover. The spread to each side is 160 degrees, which covers the entire engine bay. Foam sinks and will fill the area around the back of a D16 where the oil and fuel filters are. If a fire is in the area of the exhaust manifold it will be suppressed due to the material flowing over the top. As to space and weight-don't be fooled. These things take up some serious room overall and are not lightweight. Want a picture of my install drop me an e-mail. A 10# AFFF system or even one with approved gas (Firefox has that too) is going to occupy space that is greater than a 5# unit.
According to Firefox the ideal setup is similar to what I have for a FWD car. THey do put 2 nozzles on the top of the intake on a top fuel car, btw. As to the driver nozzle, the recommendation made to me was to add a second 2.5# bottle to the CRX or go with a 10# system to accomodate the 3rd and possibly a 4th nozzle.
As I said before-you will do yourself a favor by contacting Firefox directly. They have an excellent product that is environmentally friendly.