Printing
Printing
Printing
Then, presses appeared on the market with water Any ink mist elimination system present is includ-
wash systems and designs that make it almost impos- ed in the protection. Dust collectors at the folders
sible to run CO, fire system piping on the operators are totally flooded with CO,.
side of the press. Revised coverage by the local ap-
plication nozzles - moving them out and up a bit, Detection throughout is by rate compensated, heat-
plus a recalculation of the CO, resulted in a design type fire detectors.
with piping on only one side. A number of installa-
tions and extensive testing proved that the CO, cov- Safety Concerns: When the carbon dioxide system
erage was more than adequate and resulted in a more is designed, the provision for personnel safety must
cost effective system. be considered as strongly as the fire protection. A
safe system includes provision for:
The placement of the nozzles is such that they are . Alarms that absolutely, positively indicate that
not in the way of the pressmen, a distinct advantage.
the system is about to discharge.
Nozzles are directed at the roll stacks, plus a nozzle
is directed into the press arch to assure flooding of . Analysis of the CO, gas flow to identify where
that area. Coverage in the drive areas is as needed. the CO, will be after a discharge. (Provision for
odorizing the CO, may be appropriate.)
The fire hazard area of the folders, by their very . Adequate instructions and training, including
nature, is not well defined. Flat surfaces tend to accu- warning and instructional signs.
mulate paper lint, so nozzles are placed at two levels
NFPA Standard No. 12 provides good information
on both sides of the folder to cover the deck at the
in this regard.
rollers (above) and drive equipment slitters (below).
Again, see Printing Industry Bulletin #0205 for more
information on protecting folders.
Hosereels
CO, for each press unit is calculated for the roll Almost every low pressure CO, system installed
stack and the color decks/half decks using the rate- for press room fire protection includes hand hose
by-area method, with the projected area about 4.5 ft. lines served from hosereels located on the perimeter
by 7 ft. It is treated as a coated surface. The arch of the press room and in the reel room, as shown on
of the press is treated as rate-by-volume. the drawing. These units supplement the fixed pro-
tection by extending the capability of the system to
CO, for the folder is rate-by-area on the upper fight fires external to the press line itself. They have
portion and rate-by-volume on the lower portion. high CO, discharge capacity and a projection of 30 to
35 feet, giving them unique first aid protection ca-
A 30 second liquid discharge is used, and the sys- pability. The entire contents of the storage unit is
tem is sized and arranged to protect a complete press available, affording the opportunity to discharge for
row as a single hazard, even when it is broken down a long time if this should ever be needed for fire
into several hazard sub-units. A long press row can control. The projection of the discharge allows the
be broken down into groups, with controls arranged operator to be remote from the press in the reel room
to cover just the press units and folders in that group. and still direct the discharge at the drive areas.
But in case the fire spreads to another group or Extinguishing fires in the areas of the press drives is
someone in the press area operates the wrong manual the most common use of these hand lines. See Indus-
control, adjacent groups can be discharged simulta- trial Facilities Bulletin #0760 covering hosereel pro-
neously. tection for more details.
CnEmErRon
Fire Systems co 2 Application Bulldin
Fire System;
CARBON DIOXIDE FIRE SUPPRESSION -
First, in the last few years there have been several potentially
serious fires originating in the folder area. There is a lesson to be
learned from these as discussed below.
The fire hazard on the folder comprises the paper dust, scrap paper
pieces, and lint that quickly accumulate on flat horizontal surfaces of
the folder equipment and framing. When ignited, this material burns
very rapidly and can ignite the web and printed papers. The purpose
4801 Southwick Drive of the CO, discharge is to quickly extinguish this fire to prevent any
Third Floor damage to the equipment.
Matteson, IL 60443
Telephone: 708/748-l 503
Fax: 7081748-2847
Q 1996 CHEMETRON FIRE SYSTEMS, all rights reserved. (g/96)
CHEMlETROn
Fire Svstemg CO2 Application Bulktin
Local application CO, nozzles are placed such that protection reduces the cost while still meeting the
the discharge will cover these surfaces and extinguish purpose of Special Hazards fire protection - the
the fire in seconds. protection of production continuity.
During a fire in a West Coast plant on a large The sketch on page 3 shows a typical folder with
folder, the CO, system operated as designed and pre- an enclosure around the lower part. We have had the
vented any damage in the Press Room. Unfortunate- opportunity to visit many plants and noticed that while
ly, the system was not tied in to shut down the con- the equipment is designed for operation with almost a
veyor, which carried some burning paper through the complete lower enclosure, some presses are operating
wall to the Mail Room, igniting other paper. Eventu- with only portions of the enclosure in place. Also,
ally extinguished by the sprinkler system, the combi- almost all new installations are equipped with dust
nation of fire and water damage caused very serious collection systems where pick-up ducts suck up a large
operational problems for this newspaper. This was portion of the created dust and discharge it into bag-
preventable. type dust collectors. The dust collection system is
protected simultaneously with the folder in case burn-
The lesson is: for a CO, system to do its intended ing material is drawn into it. Some dust collection
job, it must cover the entire hazard and include systems serve just one folder, while others serve more
provisions to prevent the fire from being carried than one. In that case, the CO, system is designed to
outside the hazard. flood the collector if the system operates on any of the
folders served.
For example, we carefully design systems for adja-
cent hazards that are individually protected, but inter- For the CO, discharge to do its job, its imperative
expose one another. Good CO, system design ensures that the discharge envelop the entire hazard. Nozzles
protection of both hazards, even if the fire starts in are carefully placed so that the discharge pattern
one zone and is carried from that zone to the next. covers the complete hazard with enclosure structure
This is done by shutting down equipment and overlap- and panels in place or not. With the panels in place,
ping CO, coverage. Similarly, shutting down the con- there may be interference with direct application of
veyor at the folder and CO, screening are a necessary the CO2 discharge. But this is acceptable if the enclo-
part of the fire protection design, even though the sure helps retain the CO, around the equipment, re-
adjacent area may be protected by something other sulting in localized CO, flooding. However, the local
than the CO, system. application nozzles must be used for the case where
enclosure panels are not in place.
It has been noted in flexographic press operations
that, without the oil from the ink that apparently traps The approach that Chemetron recommends is a
some dust, dust accumulation is more of a problem, design to worst case conditions. This may mean a
causing protection concern. few added nozzles - some that directly cover the
protected surfaces when enclosure panels are not in
CO, discharges have a proven track record in the place, and some that flood the folder when they are in
quick, clean extinguishment of paper dust, lint, or place.
scrap paper fires.
We have also noted another new press design fea-
Although Chemetron recommends that protection ture that can affect proper protection. Some new
concern for flexo presses should also include the press presses have an added slitter area above the press that
drives, a number of CO, systems have been installed is removed from the folder itself. This is also an area
that just protect the folder. This reduced scope of of accumulated dust/lint, and thus, needs protection.
CHEmETROn
Fire Svstems co2 Application Bull&in
With new printing technology constantly de- Unfortunately, no press design will ever be
veloping, it should be expected that protection totally fire safe. With paper and other combusti-
needs will also continually require modification bles, fire and subsequent press shutdown will al-
and update. Chemetrons 40 plus years of press ways be a problem. Chemetron is dedicated to
protection experience is available to analyze such helping keep such a shutdown to an absolute min-
needs. imum.
Dust Collector
Printing lndustr y Bulletin #02 10
Fire Systemi
CARBON DIOXIDE FIRE SUPPRESSION -
co2 Newspaper
Press Configurations
This press consists of double width units, with the press units stacked
one on top of another up to four high. This allows the printing of process
color on every newspaper page, greatly enhancing flexibility.
n The
unit and
channels
press units are driven by a horizontal drive shaft under the base
power is transferred to all units by a vertical shaft. Vertical
are designed into the press at the operators end of the stacked
units for piping and wiring runs.
a
The units are substantially larger in physical size than those covered
by the earlier bulletin. The folder used is a 3:2, with 3-high formers. The
drawing prepared for this bulletin shows one of the more comprehensive
configurations.
First of all, the potential for the fire spreading from one press unit to
the next is much greater when the press units are stacked on top of one
4801 Southwick Drive another because of fires natural progression vertically. The potential for
Third Floor greater loss in a shorter time with a fire involving multiple units emphasiz-
Matteson, IL 60443 es the need for quick, complete coverage.
Telephone: 7081748-I 503
I
Fax: 7081748-2847
B 1996 CHEMETRON FIRE SYSTEMS, all rights reserved. (9196)
CHEmETROn
Fire Svstemg CO2 Application Bulktin
Printing Industry Bulletin #02 10 Page 2
Secondly, the mere size of the units prohibits pro- the unit. Discharge testing of a number of completed
tection with CO, discharge nozzles mounted on one installations has further verified this design.
side of the press. Proper nozzle positioning to use the
maximum nozzle coverage of the tested nozzle ratings The press manufacturer drills the frame for piping
is not possible. access to internal mounting of the nozzle at such a
location that it provides good coverage, but yet is not
Thirdly, with the upper units of the tower, there is in the way of press operation or maintenance. The
no adjacent press equipment on which to mount noz- linear nozzle is made of stainless steel.
zles if you want to discharge in at the printing couples.
In the traditional protection configuration, CO, dis- The CO, feed to the press nozzles from the main
charge nozzles are mounted on one unit and aimed to CO, pipe header in the reel room is located in the
discharge across at the adjacent units. This gets the vertical pipe chase that is part of the press, as men-
nozzles far enough back to allow use of the full dis- tioned earlier.
charge pattern.
Between the second and third units of the 4- high
Lastly, the aesthetics of this very attractive printing unit, there 1s a large arch where the back sides of the
equipment would not be supported by a lot of CO2 rolls are exposed. This area is covered by 4 small spot
nozzles hanging on the outside of the press. nozzles mounted such that 2 discharge across at the
rolls from each side using local application of CO, for
Therefore, Chemetron fell back to a technology we the protection needed. Similarly, the lower arch of the
developed years ago for the protection of very large tower units is covered by 2 nozzles - one on each
combustible liquid surfaces that involved the use of side.
linear nozzles.
The inking equipment at the very top of the tower
The linear nozzle consists of multiple nozzle orifices is also covered by local application from spot nozzles.
along a pipe, all aimed to discharge back into a chan-
nel (see the illustration at the bottom of page 3). The The single units are protected in a variation of the
result is a flat, solid CO, pattern emerging from the traditional method utilizing 4 spot nozzles covering the
open side of the channel, the entire length of the noz- unit completely from the corners. Due to size and
zle. equipment configuration, nozzles are not very visible
and they can be painted the color of the press, if de-
It was determined that this nozzle - built to the sired, to make them even less noticeable.
width of the rolls, mounted inside the press, and aimed
to discharge down across the rolls behind the mist An interesting aspect of this fire protection scheme
guards and across the inking system - would give is that when calculating CO, quantities, less CO, is
excellent coverage. required than would have been necessary if the tradi-
tional method of protection could have been used.
To get the CO, back around behind the rolls to$ood
the backside of the roll stack inside the press, small Looking at the folder used and Supplement A of our
spa? nozzles were made a part of each end of the linear earlier newspaper protection bulletin, Bulletin #0205,
nozzle assembly as shown on the nozzle detail. (This . . . Protection of Folders & Newspaper Flexographic
detail is omitted from the full press drawing.) Presses, you will note this press has a third level of
formers. This results in another set of surfaces on
Extensive testing for Rockwell, Factory Mutual, and which dust and lint can accumulate, necessitating CO2
a large Rockwell customer verified that adequate CO, coverage. Two added spot nozzles provide this cover-
fire extinguishing concentrations were achieved inside age.
CHEmETROn
Fire System{ CO2 Application Bull&in
Printing Industry Bulletin #02 7 0 Page 3
The lower part of the folder (below the lower level Chemetron is continuously monitoring all new
of the former) is boxed in by four spot nozzles. How- press developments and new press designs as they
ever, it has been found that the addition of 2 small enter the market so we can modify protection methods
nozzles in the very bottom of the folder helps get CO: to meet the needs of any new press design.
quickly to this area where the hazard is greatest.
These are included.
Notes
This detection system is particularly valuable as 3 At the 1991 ANPA/Tec Conference, Rockweili-
presses get larger and more extensive. I Goss introduced a MetroColor Press that will be
used in a somewhat less comprehensive printing con-
Conclusion figuration than the Colorliner, but will still use stacked
(tower) type units. The protection requirements are
As long as paper is used for printing, a fire hazard similar to those of the Colorliner. Its primary market
will exist. This hazard may be increased or decreased is expected to be adding process color to existing
depending on the inks and printing methods used. MetroLiner or Headliner offset press lines.
72
3/4 NPl
CHEmETROn
Printing Industry Bulletin #02 15
Fire System;
CARBON DIOXIDE FIRE SUPPRESSION -
Flexographic Printing -
co
2 Paper, Film & Foil Conversion
e
WD
0 Flexography is a form of rotary web letter press printing. Because
of its color brilliance, flexography is used in the decorating and packag-
I ing industry to print on foil, cellophane, polyethylene, and other plastics.
ep It is well suited for printing large areas of solid color; inks can be over-
laid to obtain high gloss and special effects. It is not suited to printing
U
work requiring accurate register or intricate design.
n press whereby two to six color printing stations are arranged in planetary
fashion around a frame. (See accompanying drawing - four color unit
shown.)
a The printers covered by this bulletin are not the same equipment as
the flexographic presses now being used in newspaper publishing.
The web is fed from a feed roll at one end of the printer, then
travels around the central impression cylinder at the other end of the
printer where it comes in contact with the plate cylinder at each color
4801 Southwick Drive station. Following the last color impression, the web passes through a
Third Floor dryer before being rewound for further finishing. The printer is often
Matteson, IL 60443 arranged with the feed and rewind rolls adjacent to one another.
Telephone: 708/748-l 503
Fax: 7081748-2847
@ 1996 CHEMETRON FIRE SYSTEMS, all rights reserved. (91961
CHErnETROII
Fire Systemi co2 Application Bulletin
Printing Industry Bulletin #02 15 Page 2
Each nozzle on a printing stage covers half temperature of the dryer exceeds 200F. CO, is
that printing stage, with the opposite nozzle cover- discharged through nozzles located in the dryer
ing the other half. The web rarely exceeds 72, so hood or chamber and the exhaust duct. If a damp-
the discharge rate per nozzle, based on covering er is used, CO2 must be discharged ahead of and
half the width of the ink pan, is usually not large. behind the damper, even if the duct beyond the
damper is not considered part of the hazard.
Nozzles directed down at ink supplies can
often cover two at the same time (as shown). CO, When the carbon dioxide system discharges,
is calculated on a rate-by-area basis. The total complete shutdown of the exhaust system is essen-
local application discharge required is full liquid tial to prevent the introduction of fresh air and
CO, flow for 30 seconds from all nozzles. possible spread of fire.
Dryers: The flexographic press dryers and Factory Mutual, In the Loss Experience Sec-
connecting exhaust ducts are protected by total tion of its Loss Prevention Bulletin 7-96, states:
flooding with CO,. The discharge is at least 1
pound per 8 cubic feet of volume. Since the local Loss experience indicates that fked carbon
application discharge is for essentially 30 seconds, dioxide protection systems on printing
the CO, required to flood the dryer and ducts presses have resulted in significant de-
must also be applied in 30 seconds. Allowance creases in both property damage and busi-
should be made for carbon dioxide loss through ness interruption.
openings, and additional CO, must be added if the
Fire System;
CARBON DIOXIDE FIRE SUPPRESSION -
Rotogravure Printing
co
2
c Rotogravure printing is used extensively in printing magazines,
0
flyers, Sunday supplements, wall coverings, packaging, etc., where
high quality color is necessary.
nn
The protection of a gravure printing press by the local application
I of carbon dioxide is shown on the accompanying drawing.
a with the excess ink removed by a doctor blade. A supply of ink of the
particular color being printed at that stage is contained in a cart located
adjacent to the unit or in a reservoir built into the base of the unit. A
small pump circulates the ink to maintain quality. A fresh ink supply
is often piped from the central ink storage room.
The paper can be fed in a web from one end through the press
stages, or fed from the center in two directions to the printing units (as
shown on the drawing).
CAaDoX The flammable solvent produced by the ink when drying is cap-
tured and exhausted to a system that removes it from the air and
recovers it for future use. The dryer is usually steam heated.
4801 Southwick Drive The arrangement of the protection system shown includes the local
Third Floor application of CO, to the ink font and rollers, with the CO, calculated
Matteson, IL 60443 as either rate-by-vohme or rate-by-area, depending on where the CO2
Telephone: 7081748-l 503 discharge nozzles can be mounted.
Fax: 7081748-2847
D 1996 CHEMETRON FIRE SYSTEMS, all rights reserved. (g/96)
CnEmETROn
Fire Systemi co 2 Application Bull&in
The dryer is flooded to a 65% concentration, ad- of a size that makes coverage from the CO, system
justed for the higher temperatures encountered. The not cost effective. Fortunately, they do not consti-
exhaust system is also flooded to a 65% concentra- tute the same hazard as that found in newspaper
tion. Upon system operation, fans are shut down plants. The quality of paper used does not generate
and the fire dampers closed. the lint of newsprint.
The ink carts on the ends of the unit are covered The protection systems are automatic in opera-
by local application calculated rate by area. Care tion, using rate compensated thermal detectors for
should be exercised to ensure that the CO2 local fire detection. Pushbutton stations enable operating
application covers areas of spillage and leakage that personnel to initiate a CO, discharge. Some of the
occur on the floor under and around the units. newer presses have the thermal detection system
supplemented by a flame detection system.
The local application rate is continued at full equi-
librium flow for 30 seconds. The system is designed Low Pressure CO1 systems afford the opportunity
so that the total flooding portions of the protection to supplement the protection with a spurt control.
receive the amount of CO2 required in this half For certain presses, like those used in packaging,
minute period. small fires develop; in the past these were fought by
pressmen using extinguishers. The spurt is available
The system provided should protect the entire to get an immediate discharge to extinguish small
press line as one hazard (one zone), unless there is fires without the need for the full engineered dis-
a break in the center as shown. In that case, the charge.
units at one end can be one hazard and the units at
the other end a second hazard, with provision for Safety Concerns: When the carbon dioxide sys-
simultaneous protection if same should be necessary. tem is designed, the provision for personnel safety
must be considered as strongly as the fire protection.
Larger plants with more than one press line are A safe system includes provision for:
usually arranged with each press line running paral-
n Alarms that absolutely, positively indicate that
lel to the others. The amount of separation between
the system is about to discharge.
presses is important in determining the need for
simultaneous protection. A real advantage of the . Analysis of the CO, gas flow to identify where
Chemetron LPCO, system is its ability to be design- the CO, will be after a discharge. (Provision
ed to easily handle same. Authorities having juris- for odorizing the CO, may be appropriate.)
diction often dictate the need for arranging for si- n Adequate instructions and training, including
multaneous protection, and thus should be consulted warning and instructional signs.
in the planning stages.
NFPA Standard No. 12 provides good informa-
When a solvent recovery system is present, it can tion in this regard.
be protected as part of the press exhaust or as a sep-
arate hazard, depending on the arrangement. Hosereels
The protection of folders on a small press can be Almost every low pressure CO, system installed
done in a manner similar to that of newspaper press- for press room fire protection includes hand hose
es (see Printing Industry Bulletin #0200, Newspaper lines served from hosereels located on the perimeter
Printing Presses). The larger presses have folders of the press room, as shown on the drawing.
CHEmETROn
Fire Svstems co2 Application Bull&in
These units supplement the fixed protection Other areas within the printing complex for
by extending the capability of the system to light which CO, protection is a logical choice include
fires external to the press line itself. They have the switchgear areas, ink rooms, and diesel gen-
high CO, discharge capacity and a projection of 30 erator facilities.
to 35 feet, giving them unique first aid protection
capability. The entire contents of the storage unit It should be noted that protection can still be
is available, affording the opportunity to discharge provided for many of these areas that do not justi-
for a long time if this should ever be needed for fy fixed protection when the basic system has hose
fire control. The projection of the discharge al- line coverage. This is done by providing an access
lows the operator to be remote from the hazard to the room through which the hose line playpipe
while still directing the discharge where needed, nozzle can be inserted to flood the room manually.
such as at the drive areas. Hosereels are particu- The high flow rate permits flooding within min-
larly effective in covering spills outside the basic utes.
press protection hazard area. For more detailed
information on hand hose lines, see Industrial Chemetron can provide detailed design infor-
Facilities Bulletin #0760, High Capacity Porta- mation on rotogravure printing plant protection,
ble Protection with CO, Hand Hose Lines. as well as a list of typical installations including a
variety of press sizes and configurations.
Ink tank/-
Hosereel-
(mounted
column)