Passive fire protection in HVAC

In case of fire, the extraction of smoke and the limit of the spread of fire and smoke through the ventilation system is key.

Different scenarios for fire spread

Based on EN 1366 and in order to ensure performance according to the different fire resistance criteria – load bearing capacity (R), integrity (E) and insulation (I) – it must be ensured that fire doesn’t spread to other rooms and that the temperature increases only inside the room on fire. A fireproof installation needs to be suitable for both scenarios, i.e. where the fire is either inside or outside the duct. Another scenario that must be prepared for is where the duct is installed either horizontally, where it can penetrate different fire compartments, or vertically.

As ducts are passing through several compartments, passive fire protection systems applied on ducts need to ensure the reduction of the spread of fire and smoke between them. How the systems on the market are certified is reflected in the system description.