Fire Protection System for the Friedrich Loeffler Institute: Minimax Equips a New Research Facility
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Bad Oldesloe - The new, highly modern research facility of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) sprawls across the small, idyllic Baltic Sea island of Riems. The only connection to the mainland is an 800 m long causeway based on rockfill. And there's a good reason for it, because the main focus in this facility is on notifiable animal diseases. Hence safety is an absolute priority on the island of Riems, to prevent the dangerous viruses from leaving the island. With a whole range of innovative extinguishing systems and exceptional concepts Minimax ensures optimal fire protection for the entire newly-erected building complex consisting of nine segments.
At their headquarters on the island of Riems, the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health maintains a total of 89 laboratories, including laboratories and animal stables equipped at protection level 4, the highest protection level. These S4 rooms constructed in a box-in-box system are specially secured inside the buildings.
Minimax has installed MX 1230 gas extinguishing systems using Novec(TM) 1230 extinguishant in the laboratories. This is an optimal solution for these sensitive rooms which require extinguishing systems that can detect fires as early as possible, extinguish them very quickly and sparingly and thus prevent damage to sensitive equipment as a result of fire or extinguishant residues.
The extinguishing tests conducted in advance in a sample laboratory show that safety is a top priority in this project. The tests served to optimise the interaction between the extinguishing and ventilation system to prevent the germs from being discharged into the environment during the fire extinguishing activities. MX 1230 extinguishing systems also protect the sensitive server rooms, where similarly strict requirements apply. In total, 240 extinguishing nozzles were installed in 67 extinguishing areas; these nozzles are supplied with approximately 3,500 kg NovecTM 1230.
Minimax developed a tailor-made concept to ensure optimal fire protection for the areas where the technical systems are located, the 163 stable units and for a part of the fodder rooms. The special fire risks in this case require a special solution on the basis of the innovative high-pressure water mist technology. The water-conserving high-pressure system technology, equipped with special sprinklers and nozzles, fights fires efficiently with fine water mist and cools down the environment at the same time. Conventional Minimax sprinkler systems are installed in the other fodder rooms.
The entire water extinguishing system segment covers 107 extinguishing areas and is supplied with water via five main sprinkler control panels and six sprinkler slave panels, which illustrates the dimension of this project.
After a three-year construction phase and fully equipped with fire protection by Minimax, the Friedrich Loeffler Institute has already taken up its work in some of the newly constructed segments. With this high-security facility the FLI has become Europe's leading animal disease research institute.
Minimax Group
The company founded in the year 1902 with its head office in Bad Oldesloe is an internationally leading full service fire protection provider. The company group generated sales in the year 2010 of around 960 million euros and employs a worldwide staff about 6,000. The company*s own research centre is one of the most modern in Europe. Further information at www.minimax.de.
