Presenter: Jeffrey Rosen, Stephen Jaskolka and Michael Szkutak

The use of antifreeze in a water mist fire suppression system offers a potential alternative to the current applications of these systems in subfreezing environments. This session investigates the use of antifreeze of various chemical compositions and concentrations in water mist systems by evaluating variables for spray characteristics, risk of system failure, and interactions of the discharged agent with the fire. Extensive testing and analysis demonstrated that no antifreeze solution behaves ideally with respect to key study variables; however, some antifreeze solutions are potentially suitable at certain discharge pressures and solution concentrations. This testing provides the baseline information for the selection of such an antifreeze for use in water mist systems.