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Sustainable Technology
What do you mean when you say that Novec 1230 fluid is a “sustainable technology?
Sustainable is a term for a technology expected to be available far into the future. In the case of Novec 1230 fluid, it refers to a product that performs in a fire protection system, is low in toxicity, has low environmental impact and is commercially viable.
What do you mean when you say that Novec 1230 fluid is “viable”?
Viable means that Novec 1230 fluid can be produced and can be used in many applications at an acceptable cost, considering its value as a fire protection fluid.
Chemistry
What is Novec 1230 fluid and why was it chosen for use in fire suppression?
Novec 1230 fluid is a fluorinated ketone with a chemical structure of CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2. The six carbon molecule of Novec 1230 fluid was chosen, after carefully considering many others, because it provided an ideal balance of performance, toxicological and environmental properties.
Are there concerns about product stability of a material like Novec 1230 fluid that is tropodegradable?
Novec 1230 fluid is photolitically sensitive to sunlight. It must be stored away from direct sunlight. This is not expected to be a problem since it is stored in steel or UV resistant plastic containers. When stored in pressurized cylinders, it is obviously kept away from any direct sunlight.
Performance
Why is 3M referring to 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid as a fluid?
Novec 1230 fluid will have utility in both streaming as well as certain flooding applications. Therefore, it performs both as a gas and a liquid— both of which are, by definition, fluids.
Is Novec 1230 fluid better suited for streaming or for flooding applications?
It is designed for use in both types of fire suppression systems. Ultimately, performance is dependent upon the complete system design.
Environmental
How does Novec 1230 fluid degrade in the atmosphere?
A study conducted by MIT1 examined the atmospheric loss mechanisms for Novec 1230 fluid The authors of this study determined that this compound does not react with hydroxyl radical (OH) but that substantial decay occurs when exposed to UV radiation The authors measured the UV cross-section for Novec 1230 fluid finding a maximum wavelength of absorbance at 306 nm Since this compound shows significant absorbance at wavelengths above 300 nm, photolysis in the lower atmosphere will be a significant sink for this compound.
The authors concluded; “In fact, the absorption spectrum is similar to that of acetaldehyde2 a species whose lifetime against solar photolysis is about 5 days 3 The absorption cross sections [of Novec 1230 fluid] are somewhat larger; hence, we expect the atmospheric lifetime [of Novec 1230 fluid] against solar radiation to be of the order of 3 to 5 days ” Recent laboratory measurements of the photodissociation rate of Novec 1230 fluid found it to be equivalent to that for acetaldehyde, within experimental error 4 Hence, an atmospheric lifetime of 5 days is appropriate for Novec 1230 fluid .