Halotron™ I is a clean fire extinguishing agent intended to replace halon 1211 in streaming applications. NFPA 2001, "Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems" defines a "Clean Agent" to be "electrically nonconducting, volatile, or gaseous fire extinguishant that does not leave a residue upon evaporation." Halotron™ I is a safe, effective, environmentally acceptable replacement for halon 1211. It is discharged as a liquid which rapidly evaporates (i.e. it is volatile). It is a proprietary three component chemical blend based on HCFC-123 that is approved by the U.S. EPA under its Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program for commercial/industrial, military, and maritime use in streaming applications as a substitute for halon 1211 (bromochlorodifluoromethane or "BCF").

The following are selected Halotron™ I approvals and listings:

• US EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program approved for commercial/industrial,maritime, and military use.
• US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved for airport fire fighting (on flight lines and at gates).
• UL and ULC listed portable fire extinguishers offered by Buckeye Fire Equipment Company.
• UL Component Recognized (File EX 5107).
• US Coast Guard approved.

There are other approvals not noted above which pertain to specific countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and other parts of the world. Please contact Halotron, Inc. for further information on these approvals.

The application areas for Halotron™ I include Office Buildings, Retail and Wholesale Sales Facilities, Art Galleries, Automobiles, Short and Long Haul Trucks, Light and Medium Weight Delivery Vehicles, Warehouses, Computer Rooms, Manufacturing Plants, Clean Rooms (for computer chip manufacturing), Textile Plants, Laboratories, Heavy Machinery, Hazardous Material Storage Areas, Aircraft Engine Nacelles, Aircraft Flight Lines, On-Board Aircraft (portables), Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Vehicles, Military Electronics Facilities, Military Training, Commercial Vessels, Yachts, Pleasure Boats, Ship Control Rooms, Ship Engine Rooms, Passenger Crew Areas, Conventional and Nuclear Generation Plants, Transmission Facilities, Telecommunications Facilities, Railroad Equipment, Auto Racing, Libraries, FAA Control Towers, and Spacecraft Facilities.

The stated objective of the US EPA Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) program is to evaluate proposed substitutes for ozone depleting substances, including CFCs and halons, in a variety of end uses for effects on human health and the environment and to characterize them as either acceptable or unacceptable. The SNAP rule was initially outlined by EPA in 1992. In the final SNAP rule, published in the Federal Register on March 18, 1994, Halotron™ I (or "HCFC Blend B" in the rule) was listed as an acceptable streaming agent substitute for halon 1211 in commercial/industrial, maritime, and military uses. The EPA updates the SNAP list periodically and has done so several times since March, 1994.

A full-scale fire test evaluation sponsored by the FAA commenced at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida in March, 1993. The program was initially designed to measure the fire fighting performance of Halotron™ I and perfluorohexane relative to halon 1211 in a series of fire tests that included three dimensional running fuel fires, jet wheel brake fires, pool fires, and agent throw range fires. The following briefly describes those tests:

• Dry Pool Fire Extinguishment Test: JP-4 jet fuel was poured directly onto a large concrete surface (up to 800 square feet) and ignited. Typically pool fire tests for extinguishing agents are conducted on pools of water and the intent of this test was to more accurately resemble real world aircraft flight line spill fires where fuel falls directly onto a concrete surface.
• Three Dimensional Inclined Plane Test: JP-4 jet fuel was used to simulate a common situation where fuel flows from a ruptured tank down a sloping surface, such as an aircraft wing. In this test, fuel flows down a 20 foot long, 5 foot wide ramp into a steel catch basin, measuring 4 foot by 8 foot, which is then ignited.
• Simulated Engine Nacelle Running Fuel Fire Test: This test simulated a fire in the afterburner end of a simulated F-100 jet engine. JP-4 jet fuel was allowed to run through the 8 1/3 foot high by 16 foot long test article onto a concrete surface below and then ignited. The fuel source was continuous throughout the test.
• Simulated Wheel Brake Fire Involving Hydraulic Fluid: This test was designed to simulate a hot wheel brake hydraulic fluid fire. It consisted of an F-4 aircraft tire and magnesium rim mounted on a stand with a steel pan underneath. Flammable hydraulic fluid was poured over the tire and rim into the pan and then ignited.
• Agent Throw Range Tests: This test attempted to measure the effective throw range of agents through use of a stationary nozzle positioned over an array of small steel pans, at various elevations, that contained fuel, which was ignited.

All tests were conducted with a wheeled 150 lb. (68 kg) type fire extinguisher. The test program evolved over time to include active participation of the US Air Force. In addition, a 500 lb. (227 kg) type unit, of the same type used on aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles was used on some of the events in the latter stages of the test program. This FAA sponsored series of tests was intended to simulate the types of fires encountered by aircraft flight line fire fighting personnel.

On June 12, 1995, the FAA issued CertAlert 95-03, which describes the approval of Halotron™ I for use in airport fire fighting. The primary application for Halotron™ I at commercial airports has been in aircraft rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) vehicles. Copies of this CertAlert are available upon request. As of June, 1997, Halotron™ I is in use in more than 12 international airports.

Other Halotron™ I Testing and Approvals

Development in Sweden

Initial development of Halotron™ I occurred in Sweden at the University of Lund and the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute. The work at the University of Lund was on a laboratory scale and the work at the Swedish National Testing and Research Institute involved indoor fire tests.

New Mexico Engineering Research Institute

An initial evaluation of Halotron™ I in the US occurred at the New Mexico Engineering Research Institute (NMERI) in early 1992. The full scale outdoor tests included a toxicity screening and full scale fire tests with JP-4 jet fuel. These fire tests involved round pans and three dimensional running fuel fires. Hand held portable and wheeled fire extinguishers were used in these tests.

US Navy Sponsored Tests at the US Marine Corps Air Station at Beaufort, South Carolina USA

The US Navy sponsored a series of full scale fire tests at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) at Beaufort, South Carolina, USA in October, 1992. The test series consisted of four different types of tests intended to simulate aircraft-related fires, commonly encountered by flight line fire fighting personnel, where halon 1211 has been used in the past. A US EPA contractor was present who coordinated fire fighter exposure by monitoring for potential unhealthful gas exposures. None were found. Other US DOD representatives were also present. All tests used JP-5 jet fuel.

The test events included a pan fire, two jet engine fire simulations (including a running fuel fire), and a large pool fire. For each type of test, halon 1211 was tested twice, followed by four tests with Halotron™ I. The Marine Corps report issued in November, 1992, stated that using data based on typical incidents involving fire in US DOD flight line operations, and on the performance of Halotron™ I relative to halon 1211, the number of existing halon 1211 fire extinguishers in the field would not need to be increased in order to use Halotron™ I. In addition, the report states that Halotron™ I is suitable for combatting aircraft fires.

Underwriters Laboratories, Inc./UL Canada Listing in Portable Fire Extinguishers

A full test program was initiated in 1995 with Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) and UL of Canada (ULC) for listing Halotron ™ I in portable extinguishers. This test program was conducted in compliance with ANSI/UL 711 and ANSI/UL 1093. The extinguishers were tested for the following fire classes:

The initial UL and ULC listings were achieved by Buckeye Fire Equipment Company in early 1996. Initial charge amounts for specific ratings have been reduced over time. The initial charge amounts are still available and offer the user, if desired, extra agent capacity. The following are current UL and ULC listings. Please contact Buckeye Fire Equipment Company or Amerex Corporation for more information.

UL Component Recognition

Halotron™ I is component recognized by UL in the Clean Agents for Fire Extinguishers and Extinguishing System Units category. The file number is EX5107 (N).

US Coast Guard Approval

Halotron ™ I is approved by the US Coast Guard. UL listed portables that comply with performance and hardware test requirements are authorized to be marked "Marine Type, USCG Approved." The following minimum agent weights and categories apply:

NFPA 10 Tentative Interim Amendment

Halotron™ I is incorporated into NFPA 10, Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, by way of Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) 94-2. This amendment revises the definition of "Halogenated" Agents in NFPA 10 to include "Halocarbons" including HCFCs.

Halotron™ I Physical Data

HCFC Phase-Out Issue

As stated previously, Halotron™ I is based on HCFC-123. HCFC-123 has a non-zero ozone depletion potential of 0.016 (CFC-11 = 1.0). It is considered a "transitional substance" under the Montreal Protocol and the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAA) of 1990. "Consumption" in the Montreal Protocol and CAA is defined to be production, plus imports, minus exports, minus feedstock. The Montreal Protocol and CAA require consumption limits on newly manufactured materials based on the baseline year of 1989. The baseline amount for each country is calculated to be 2.8% of ozone depletion potential (ODP) weighted CFC consumption plus the ODP weighted HCFC consumption. HCFC-123 is widely used in the refrigeration sector as a replacement for CFC-11, and therefore, is produced at levels that are quite high. The relative production for fire fighting purposes (including Halotron™ I) has been estimated to be less than 1%. The consumption cap reduction is 35% on January 1, 2004; 65% on January 1, 2010; 90% on January 1, 2015; 99.5% on January 1, 2020; and 100% on January 1, 2030. The consumption cap does not restrict the use of existing Halotron™ I extinguishers and does not restrict the use of recycled materials. The time period of availability of Halotron™ I for new fire extinguishers and servicing existing fire extinguishers is expected to go beyond the year 2030. For more information on this issue, please see the publication that is available in the Technical Information section.

Halotron™ II: Replacement for Halon 1301

Halotron™ II is a clean fire extinguishing agent intended to replace halon 1301 for normally unoccupied areas. Halotron™ II has been tested extensively for fire fighting performance. It is currently listed as "pending" on the US EPA SNAP list.

Halotron™ II Physical Data

© Halotron, Inc. 1997. All Rights Reserved. Retransmission, reproduction or distribution without express written consent of Halotron, Incorporated is prohibited. Halotron and the Halotron logo are registered trademarks of Halotron, Incorporated.