Company Announcement - On 11 September the LFS division of Lincoln Lubrication SA held their first customer day to demonstrate the superior quality and effectiveness of the Muster II Automatic Fire Suppression System for mobile and static plant. The event was hosted at SAEC in Modderfontein.

Muster II is the first 24/7 fully monitored fire suppression system for mining machinery and is powered by a totally independent battery that lasts for a minimum of 2 years. It uses a complete electrical actuation system and monitors pressure, electrical circuits and system integrity every second. These systems have a much lower risk compared to other suppression systems. Transducer technology has full reporting capabilities with data logging. Stainless steel fittings with less parts reduce the risk of fatigue and failure. False actuation due to human error CAN NOT occur. We use a high grade 1% AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) concentrate mixed with potable water to effectively control both Class A & B fires.

The engineered Muster II system design and installations are carried out by trained and qualified personnel. Every system design starts with a thorough risk assessment of the equipment to be protected to ensure that all fuel and ignition sources are identified and assessed for protection, the end result of which is a more effective management of fire risks. The Muster II accreditation process and fire suppression system’s holistic approach gives the customer confidence in their contractors, asset management and security.

Fire suppression was first designed to be placed on mobile equipment to give a big enough window of opportunity for the operator to exit the machine safely. Today, this is a minor consideration as we look at reducing risks to the minimum and increasing safety. Most of the technologies used today still have associated risks. It is the duty of the Muster II fire suppression system to reduce risks as much as possible and at the same time protect the operator and the machine. The customer day was a huge success and sparked plenty of interest. A number of clients (end users & OEM’s) and distributors attended and everyone was blown away by the unbelievable performance of the Muster II system. After the technical overview presented by Mr Steven Phillips from JSG Industrial Systems (Australia) we did three live demonstrations with A1 Jet Fuel whilst running through the operation of the system.

The first burn was done in our MII Demo Rig with a 22 litre / 4 nozzle system. On this day we turned away 3 nozzles leaving only one nozzle aimed at the risk area. Even by doing this we were able to extinguish the fire in 3 seconds but still achieving a 52 second discharge time which is in accordance with AS5062-2006 (Australian standard for fire suppression on mobile machinery). Manual actuation was done using the fire button on the electronic alarm panel which is installed in the cab of the machine.

Second up we set alight a Toyota Hi Ace Taxi with a 66 litre / 12 nozzle system. The taxi was used to simulate an engine compartment of a large piece of equipment. Four pan fires with A1 Jet Fuel engulfed the taxi in flames after a 2 minute pre-burn to heat up the situation, as the crowd held their breaths. But the raging fire was no match for the Muster II system and it was completely extinguished in 12 seconds, with a discharge time of 76 seconds. The system was manually actuated with the remote actuator installed on the outside of a machine, accessible from ground level.

The last demonstration was done on the same taxi with the same size fires but this time we made use of automatic detection and actuation. The Muster II system uses MusterWire (Linear Heat Detection) to rapidly detect a fire and then send a signal to the alarm panel which in turn signals the electronic valve to open and release the foam and water mixture charged with nitrogen to 13.7 bar. Detection took place in 13 seconds from the time the fire was lit and again it was extinguished in 12 seconds with a total discharge time of 76 seconds.

Unlike DCP (Dry Chemical Powder) AFFF cools down the hot areas of a machine and smothers the fire by forming a film over the targeted areas. A far greater discharge time than a DCP system is also achieved, making sure that no secondary fire or re-ignition takes place. We are also able to conduct a commissioning discharge after installation to ensure the system is fully functional, achieves the desired discharge time according to the design and check nozzle alignment.  Cylinder sizes range from 15 litre to 110 litre and we can install up to 8 cylinders on a single application. 

SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services which include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 15,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2014 were SEK 70,975 million and the number of employees was 48,593. www.skf.com