PREAMBLE (NOT PART OF THE STANDARD)

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END OF PREAMBLE (NOT PART OF THE STANDARD)

(Reaffirmed 2010)

IS 2878 : 2004

Indian Standard
FIRE EXTINGUISHER, CARBON DIOXIDE TYPE (PORTABLE AND TROLLEY MOUNTED)—SPECIFICATION

(Third Revision)

ICS 13.220.10

© BIS 2004

BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS
MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI 110002

August 2004

Price Group 8

i

Fire Fighting Sectional Committee, CED 22

FOREWORD

This Indian Standard (Third Revision) was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards, after the draft finalized by the Fire Fighting Sectional Committee had been approved by the Civil Engineering Division Council.

One of important types of fire extinguishers used for Fire extinguishment is the carbon dioxide type which is suitable for Fire fighting in oils, petroleum products and gaseous substances under pressure (Classes B and C Fires) and also for fires involving electrical equipment. This standard was first published in 1964 and revised in 1976 and 1986. This revision is being prepared so as to include squeeze grip valve and aluminium body of fire extinguishers besides updating the requirements in respect of the materials, performance and to bring it in line with international practices specially as a replacement to Halon 1211 and high effectiveness weight ratio.

The cylinders used for manufacturing of CO2 extinguishers shall be approved by Chief Controller of Explosives.

A scheme for labelling environment friendly products known as ECO Mark has been introduced at the instance of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF), Government of India. The ECO Mark would be administered by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the BIS Act, 1986 as per the Resolution No. 71 dated 21 February 1991 and No. 425 dated 28 October 1992 published in the Gazette of the Government of India. For a product to be eligible for marking with ECO logo, it shall also carry the ISI Mark of BIS besides meeting additional optional environment friendly requirements. For the purpose, the Standard Mark of BIS would be a single mark being a combination of the ISI Mark and the ECO logo. Requirements to be satisfied for a product to qualify for the BIS Standard Mark for ECO friendliness being included in the relevant published standards through an amendment. These requirements are optional; manufacturing units are free to opt for the ISI Mark alone also.

The amendment is based on the Gazette Notification No. 160 dated 1 April 1999 for Fire Extinguishers as environment friendly products published in the Gazette of Government of India.

For the purpose of deciding whether a particular requirement of this standard is complied with, the final value, observed or calculated, expressing the result of a test or analysis, shall be rounded off in accordance with IS 2 : 1960 ‘Rules for rounding off numerical values (revised)’. The number of significant places retained in the rounded off value should be the same as that of the specified value in this standard.

ii

Indian Standard
FIRE EXTINGUISHER, CARBON DIOXIDE TYPE (PORTABLE AND TROLLEY MOUNTED)—SPECIFICATION
(Third Revision)

1 SCOPE

This standard covers the requirements regarding material, shape, construction and performance test of carbon dioxide fire extinguishers (portable and trolley mounted).

2 REFERENCES

The standards listed in Annex A contain provisions which through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this standard. At the time of publication, the editions listed were valid. All standards are subject to revision and the parties to agreements based on this standard are encouraged to apply the most recent editions of the standards indicated in Annex A.

3 CAPACITY

3.1

The extinguisher shall be of the following capacities:

  1. Portable:
    1. Mild steel body—2,3 and 4.5 kg
    2. Aluminium body—2,3 and 4.5 kg
  2. Trolley Mounted:
    1. Mild steel body—6.5, 9 and 22.5 kg

3.2

The capacity of the extinguisher shall be the mass of carbon dioxide when it is filled in the container to the filling ratio as in 5.1.

3.3 Operating Temperatures

Extinguishers shall be capable of operating reliably between the following temperature ranges t :

−30°C to + 55°C

NOTE—The temperature range shall be marked on the fire extinguisher.

3.4

The minimum effective discharge time of extinguishers and fire rating shall be no less than the appropriate value given in Table 1.

3.5 Rating Suitability (Class B)

The rating of extinguishers recommended as suitable for Class B fires shall be determined using the method given in 9.5. The rating shall be based on the amount of extinguishing medium used to extinguish the fire of maximum size under the conditions of the test. This amount shall be no less than the appropriate minimum value given in Table 1. Fire test as per 9.5 for trolley mounted 6.5, 9 and 22.5 litre capacities is not required.

4 MATERIAL

The material for construction of various components is given in Table 2.

5 CONTENTS

5.1

The carbon dioxide gas shall conform to IS 15222. The extinguisher shall be cleaned internally and shall be filled with liquefied carbon dioxide to the filling ratio of not more than Image percent. The quantity shall be determined by weighing. The filling ratio is the ratio of mass of liquefiable gas that is allowed to be filled into the container in view of safety considerations to the mass of water required to fill the container at 15°C.

5.2

Weigh the extinguisher and compare mass marked on it for fully charged extinguisher as per C-7(b) of IS 2190. It shall not be less than 10 percent of mass.

6 CONSTRUCTION

6.1 Body

The typical shape showing the cylinder with other components is shown in Fig. 1. The extinguishers shall have concave base. In case of steel body, it shall conform to IS 7285.

6.1.1

In case of aluminium body, seamless container shall conform to IS 15660.

1
Table 1 Minimum Effective Discharge Time and Rating of Extinguishers
(Clauses 3.4 and 9.1)
SI No. Nominal Size/CO2 Content, kg Discharge Time, s Class B Rating Diameter of Tray/Fuel (n-Heptane)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
i) 2 8-16 13B 0.41 m2 (13 1)
ii) 3 8-18 21 B 0.66 m2 (21 1)
iii) 4.5 10-18 34 B 1.00 m2 (34 1)
iv) 6.5 10-20 55 B 1.73 m2 (36 1)
v) 9 15-36 70 B 220 m2 (47 1)
vi) 22.5 20-60 89 B 2.80 m2 (60 1)

 

Table 2 Materials of Construction of Various Components
(Clauses 4 and 6.2.1)
SI No. Component Material Conforming to Relevant Indian Standard
(1) (2) (3) (4)
i) Discharge valve IS 3124 (wheel type or squeeze grip valve as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3)
ii) Safety device IS 5903
iii) Syphon tube a) Brass
b) Copper
c) Aluminium
Alloy No. 2 of IS 407
IS 1545
IS 738
iv) Hose The minimum bursting pressure shall be 275 kgf/cm2 in control discharge and 140 kgf/cm2 without control discharge  
v) Discharge horn Non-conductor of electricity like polyethylene, fibre-glass and similar materials  
NOTES
1 Safety device conforming to IS 5903 shall be in-built in discharge valve conforming to IS 3224.
2 Carbon dioxide extinguisher with metal horn does not qualify for electrical fire rating.

 

2

Fig. 1 General Features of Carbon Dioxide Type Fire Extinguisher, Trolley Mounted

Fig. 1 General Features of Carbon Dioxide Type Fire Extinguisher, Trolley Mounted

3

Fig. 2 Squeeze Grip Valve—General Arrangement

Fig. 2 Squeeze Grip Valve—General Arrangement

4

Fig. 3 Squeeze Grip Valve—Assembly

Fig. 3 Squeeze Grip Valve—Assembly

5

6.2 Discharge Valve or Operating Head

The valve shall be provided and it shall be squeeze grip type or wheel type.

6.3 Discharge Fittings

6.3.1

The discharge tube shall be provided to 2 and 3 kg capacity extinguishers fitted to discharge valve by swivel joints.

6.3.2

The hose of suitable size internal diameter shall be provided for 4.5, 6.5, 9 and 22.5 kg capacity fire extinguishers. The length of the hose shall be not less than 1 m for 4.5 and 6.5 kg capacity fire extinguisher, 2 m for 9 kg, and 5 m for 22.5 kg capacity fire extinguishers.

6.3.3

A discharge horn with a suitable handle shall be provided (see Fig. 1).

6.4 Trolley

The details of trolley are given in Fig. 1. The dimensions of trolley shall be 132 mm × 28 mm × 20 mm for sizes up to 9 kg and for higher sizes 300 mm × 50 mm × 25 mm. The tolerance on trolley dimensions shall be ± 5 mm.

8 PAINTING

8.1

Each extinguisher shall be painted fire red or post office red conforming to shade No. 536 or 537 of IS 5.

8.2

A picture showing operation of the extinguisher in the correct manner shall be provided on the body of the extinguishers.

8.3

The extinguisher shall be marked with the letters B and C indicating their suitability for respective classes of fires as laid down in IS 2190. The letters B and C shall be of 2.5 cm size printed in white colour centrally contained in a square of 4 cm size and a circle of 2 cm radius respectively and shall be coloured black. For 2 kg capacity, size of square shall be 2 cm and a circle of 1 cm radius and size of letter 1.5 cm.

8.4

The paint shall conform to IS 2932.

9 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

NOTE—Extinguisher should be conditioned for 1 h before testing.

9.1 Discharge Duration

The design and construction of the extinguisher shall be such that when operated at an angle of not more than 45°C from the vertical at a temperature of 27 ± 2°C, it shall expel not less than 95 percent of the contents in the form of a continuous discharge within the following period from the time of operating the valve. The body shall be weighed 30 min after the discharge period and shall be wiped and dried before checking the contents. The minimum effective discharge time of extinguishers shall not be less than the appropriate value given in Table 1.

9.2 Intermittent Operation

An extinguisher shall be capable of being operated intermittently without freeze up of the valve seat and causing any leak when conditioned at 27 ± 2°C. The valve shall be opened for 3 s and closed for 10 s and the cycle shall be repeated and shall discharge at least 95 percent of the contents.

9.3 Leakage Test

The extinguisher without its attachment shall be filled with CO2 gas to the specified filling ratio and dipped in water for 2 min and then check that no bubbles come out or soap solution test for leakage be carried out.

9.4 Class B Test Fire

9.4.1 Construction

Class B test fires utilize a range of welded-sheet 7 steel cylindrical trays (dimensions given in Table 1). The sides are vertical. The bases of the trays are set horizontal and level with the surrounding ground.

NOTE—Reinforcement of the base of the larger test fire trays will be necessary to minimize distortion. In such cases it will be necessary to ensure that the underside of the trays are not exposed to the atmosphere.

Details of Class B test fires are given in Table 1. Each test fire is designated by a number followed by the letter B.

9.4.2 Fuel

Use an aliphatic hydrocarbon having an initial boiling point of no less than 88°C and a final boiling point of not more than 105°C. Most suitable and universally used fuel is n-heptane.

NOTE—Typical fuels meeting this requirement are n-heptane and certain solvent fractions sometimes referred to as commercial heptane.

9.4.3 Procedure

9.4.3.1

Add the appropriate volume of water and n-heptane specified in Table 1. Add additional water to compensate for distortion of the base so that all points are covered, subject to a maximum liquid depth of 50 mm and a minimum heptane depth of 15 mm at any point.

9.4.3.2 Ignite the fuel
9.4.3.3

Permit the fuel to burn freely for a minimum of 10 s before operating the extinguisher.

9.4.3.4

Operate the extinguisher and apply the extinguishing medium to the test fire.

NOTES

1 The extinguisher may be discharged continuously or in intermittent bursts at the discretion of the operator. The operator may move round the fire in order to obtain the best results. Operator should use proper fire protective suits, helmet and gloves.

2 For reasons of safety the operator shall not reach over the edge of the tray, and at no time shall the operator reach onto or into the tray.

9.4.4 Low-Temperature Extinguishment Test

An extinguisher, charged with its rated capacity of extinguishing agent and expellant gas, and conditioned at the minimum storage temperature for 18 h, shall extinguish a Class B test fire two classification sizes smaller than the rating of the extinguisher given in Table 1.

9.5 Special Requirements

The extinguisher horn shall be constructed to withstand crushing when 25 kg is applied to its extremity for 5 min immediately after having completely discharged the extinguisher through the horn.

Subject the horn to the following test:

  1. Condition the horn at 55°C for 18 h;
  2. Attach the horn to a fully charged extinguisher;
  3. Discharge the extinguisher with the valve fully open;
  4. Subject the horn to a static load of 25 kg using a circular contact surface of 50 mm diameter for 5 min applied at the end of the horn; and 8
  5. Check that the horn does not show any evidence of cracking or breakage.

10 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ECO MARK

10.1 General Requirements

10.1.1

Any fire extinguisher having BIS Standard Mark qualifies for consideration of ECO Mark.

Price Group 2

22

10.1.2

The products manufacturer must produce the consent clearance as per provision of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 respectively, along with authorization if required under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Rules made thereunder to the Bureau of Indian Standards while applying for ECO Mark.

10.1.3

The products may display in brief the criteria based on which the product has been awarded ECO Mark.

10.1.4

The product may carry along with instructions for proper use so as to maximize product performance with statutory warning, if any, minimize waste and method of safe disposal.

10.1.5

The material used for product packaging (excluding refills) shall be recyclable, reusable or biodegradable.

10.1.6

The product must display a list of critical ingredients in descending order of quantity present in percent by weight. The list of such critical ingredients shall be identified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

10.2 Specific Requirements

10.2.1

The fire extinguisher shall not contain any Ozone Depleting Substance (ODS) relevant to fire extinguishers industry as identified under the Montreal Protocol (see Annex F).

10.2.2

Gas based extinguishing media once discharged in the atmosphere should not have atmospheric life time of more than a year (see Annex G).

10.2.3

Chemical used should not have global warming potential (see Annex H).

10.2.4

The metallic body and other metal parts of the fire extinguishers shall be free of lead or lead alloys.

10.2.5

The coating used for the metallic part shall not be formulated with mercury and mercury compounds or be tinted with pigments of lead, cadmium, chromium VI and their oxides. Excluded are natural impurities entailed by the production process up to the amount 0.1 percent by weight which are contained in the raw material.

NOTE—CO2 extinguishers may be permitted till suitable substitutes are available.

11 MARKING

11.1

Every extinguisher shall be clearly and permanently marked in accordance with the requirements laid down in 10.2 and 10.2.1.

11.2

The following information shall be marked on the extinguisher:

  1. Manufacturer’s name or trade-mark;
  2. Method of operation in prominent letters;
  3. The words ‘CARBON DIOXIDE TYPE’ in prominent letters;
  4. Capacity;
  5. Year of manufacture of extinguisher and date of refilling; and
  6. Source, year of manufacture of the cylinder and its test pressure.

11.2.1

The following information to facilitate filling or recharging shall also be marked on the head of extinguisher or on the neck of the cylinder:

  1. Empty weight of extinguisher (to include operating head, internal discharge tube and carrying handle but not any hose or discharge horn assembly), shown as EW; and
  2. Filled weight of extinguisher (to include operating head, internal discharge tube, carrying hand and gas-filled contents but not any hose or discharge horn assembly), shown as FW.

11.3 BIS Certification Marking

The extinguisher may also be marked with the Standard Mark.

The use of the Standard Mark is governed by the provisions of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 and the Rules and Regulations made thereunder. The details of conditions under which a licence for the use of the Standard Mark may be granted to manufacturers or producers may be obtained from the Bureau of Indian Standards.

12 SAMPLING AND CRITERIA FOR CONFORMITY

The details of sampling and criteria for conformity is given in Annex E.

ANNEX A
LIST OF REFERRED INDIAN STANDARDS

(Clauses 2)

IS No. Title
5 : 1994 Colours for ready mixed paints and enamels (fourth revision)
407 : 1981 Specification for brass tubes for generals purposes (third revision)
738 : 1994 Wrought aluminium alloys, drawn tube for general engineering purposes (third revision)
1545 : 1994 Solid drawn copper and copper alloy tubes for condenser and heat exchangers—Specification (third revision)
2190 : 1992 Selection, installation and maintenance of first-aid fire extinguishers—Code of practice (second revision)
2932 : 1993 Enamel, synthetic, exterior : (a) Undercoating (b) Finishing—Specification (second revision)
3203 : 1982 Methods of testing local thickness of electroplated coatings (first revision)
3224 : 2002 Valve fittings for compressed gas cylinders excluding liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders—Specification (third revision)
5903 : 1970 Recommendations for safety devices for gas cylinders
7285 : 1988 Specification for seamless steel cylinders for permanent and high pressure liquefiable gases (second revision)
15222 : 2002 Carbon dioxide as fire extinguishing media for fire protection—Specification
15660 : 2006 Refiliable transportable seamless aluminium alloy gas cylinder—Specification
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

ANNEX E
SAMPLING AND CRITERIA FOR CONFORMITY

(Clause 11)

E-0 GENERAL

The risk involved in failure of a fire extinguisher to work, when needed, is extremely large. Fire extinguisher, therefore, ought to have a high degree of reliability for performance during the entire specified period of its service. It can be achieved only through adequate design and control of quality of all raw materials, component parts and fittings followed by process control in all stages of manufacture and assembly.

E-1 SAMPLING

E-1.1

All fire extinguishers of the same type, shape, design and capacity produced by the same manufacturer from similar materials under almost identical conditions of manufacture shall be grouped together to constitute a lot.

E-1.2

Each lot shall be considered individually for the purpose of evaluation of quality in accordance with this specification.

E-1.2.1

The number of samples for testing to be taken at random from a lot and the criteria for conformity shall be as given in E-1.2.2.

E-1.2.2

From each lot, a number of samples as indicated below shall be selected at random.

Number of Items in the Lot Sample Size Percent
(1) (2)
Up to 25 3
26 to 50 5
51 to 100 8
101 and up to 200 8
E-1.2.3

They shall be examined visually, as far as possible, in respect of requirement specified in 3 to 9.

E-1.2.4

All the samples tested shall pass all these tests for the lot to be declared to conform to these requirements.

E-1.2.5

One sample shall then be examined for discharge duration and one for intermittent operation and one of these for leakage.

E-1.2.6

In the absence of a test certificate from a manufacturer about conformity of various components (see 4) and the quality of charge (see 5) to the requirements of this specification, from a sample fire extinguisher, one item each of all the component parts and fittings shall be taken separately and examined individually in respect of the relevant requirements laid down in this specification. The sample shall also meet the requirements regarding the quality of charge (see 5).

ANNEX F
LIST OF OZONE DEPLETING SUBSTANCES (ODS) CONTROLLED BY MONTREAL PROTOCOL

(Clause 10.2.1)

Trade Name ODP
Halon 1211 3.0
Halon 1301 10.0
Halon 2402 6.0
CFC-11 1.0
CFC-12 1.0
CFC-113 0.8
CFC-114 1.0
CFC-115 0.6
CCI4 1.1
C2H3C13 0.1
CFC-13 1.0
CFC-111 1.0
CFC-112 1.0
CFC-211 1.0
CFC-212 1.0
CFC-213 1.0
CFC-214 1.0
CFC-215 1.0
CFC-216 1.0
CFC-217 1.0
Methyl Bromide 0.6
NOTE—ODP values are relative to CFC-II which has been assigned arbitrary value of 1.0.

ANNEX G
LIST OF ATMOSPHERIC LIFE TIME OF GAS-BASED AGENTS

(Clause 10.2.2)

Trade Name Designation Atmospheric Life Time (Year)
Halon 13001 (CF 31) < 1 day
NAFS III HCFC (Blend A) 12
FE 25 HCFC-125 36
FE 2414 HFC-12 6
FE 36 HFC-227 fa 250
FE 13 HFC-23 250
FM 200 HFC-227 ea 41
CEA 410 FC-3-1-10 2 600
Halon 1301 Halon 1301 65
Inergen IG 541
Argonite UG 55
Argon 1 G 01

ANNEX H
LIST OF SUBSTANCES HAVING GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL (GWP)

(Clause 10.2.3)

Trade Name GWP (100 year) VsCO2
Halon 1301 5 600
Inergen
Argonite
I Argon
CEA 410 5 500
FM 200 3 300
FE 13 12 100
FE 36 8000
FE 241 480
FE 25 3 200
NAFS III 1450
CF 31 <5
20

Bureau of Indian Standards

BIS is a statutory institution established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 to promote harmonious development of the activities of standardization, marking and quality certification of goods and attending to connected matters in the country.

Copyright

BIS has the copyright of all its publications. No part of these publications may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission in writing of BIS. This does not preclude the free use, in the course of implementing the standard, of necessary details, such as symbols and sizes, type or grade designations. Enquiries relating to copyright be addressed to the Director (Publications), BIS.

Review of Indian Standards

Amendments are issued to standards as the need arises on the basis of comments. Standards are also reviewed periodically; a standard along with amendments is reaffirmed when such review indicates that no changes are needed; if the review indicates that changes are needed, it is taken up for revision. Users of Indian Standards should ascertain that they are in possession of the latest amendments or edition by referring to the latest issue of ‘BIS Catalogue’ and ‘Standards : Monthly Additions’.

This Indian Standard has been developed from Doc : No. CED 22 (7185).

Amendments Issued Since Publication

Amend No. Date of Issue Text Affected
 
 
 
 
 

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