Context
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On July 11, 1997 in Phuket, Thailand, Phanawatnan Kaimart witnessed a terrible fire that broke out in the Royal Jomtien Hotel. Deeply saddened by the lives destroyed, this fire was the event that inspired him to develop a better way to fight against fire. When a fire develops, the temperature can quickly reach 400 ° C: With a fire extinguisher, the worker must approach 1.50 meters from the fireplace to reach the base of the flames. Mr. Kaimart began to think of a device that could either automatically activate on contact with a flame or be launched from a safe distance to the fire by untrained people while ensuring an effective and instantaneous extinction. With this in mind, the Elide Fire extinguishing ball was born.
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How is fire born?
Fire is the production of a flame and the visible degradation of a body by an exothermic oxidation chemical reaction called "combustion". Three factors are required for a fire to occur: the oxidant (oxygen in the air), the activation energy (a spark for example) and the fuel (the burning material). The chain reaction that leads to fire occurs when all three factors are met, with the required proportion and circumstances. In order to prevent or extinguish a fire, one of the factors mentioned above must be removed. Fire extinguishers are designed to remove heat and oxygen or to build a barrier between fuel and oxygen, depending on the nature of the extinguishing agent contained.
The problem with conventional fire extinguishers
Generally, they are heavy and the user must get close enough to the fire to turn it off properly. In addition, the base of the flames must be attacked for several seconds while supporting the thermal radiation of the fire. The user facing a rapidly developing fire could then be in a dangerous situation.
The process of developing a fire consists of 3 phases:
Initial Phase: Outbreak. When a fire starts as a smoldering fire, this phase can last for hours. In the event of a gas leak, the fire may occur within a fraction of a second. In a general case, a fire start can be extinguished with a conventional extinguisher only within the first 3 minutes after the start of combustion.
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Intermediate phase: Growth. After 3 to 6 minutes, the temperature of the fire can reach more than 400 ° C. Traditional extinguishers are no longer useful. The window of devastation is beginning to become more and more important.
Fire constituted: After 8 minutes, the temperature reaches more than 600 ° C, the fire increases, its speed of propagation increases. Only heavy means can attack it. Intervention teams, in this case, must be trained and experienced. The worker wears equipment necessary to fight the fire.
Why choose the ball ElideFire ?
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1. Usable without training; Low weight of the device: 1,3kg (+/- 0,2kg)
2. Can be used more than 5 meters away from the fire, which avoids high radiation-related temperatures
3. Alarm Role (120dB) during activation to alert the occupants
4. Self-activated in contact with fire; Sentinel role in your office 24 hours a day
5. Effective on all classes of lights, more questions to ask about the type of device to use.
The main aspects of the product have been delivered as a response to its alternate defects, making it a logical evolution in fire protection products.
