US International Airport Extends Life of Largest Hangar With Fire Suppression System Upgrade
Challenges
At 276,000 ft2, the SuperBay Hangar is an immense building that can house four 747 aircraft at one time. The facility is a working maintenance hangar servicing two major international carriers and is subject to a continual flow of aircraft in and out of the building. The SuperBay’s decades old protein foam system needed to be replaced with a modern, more efficient solution.
Solutions
In July 2020, this complete fire suppression installation was commissioned and approved with a full capability demonstration of the ANSUL® high-expansion foam system. This four-year collaborative effort between Johnson Controls’ technical support teams and OCI’s engineering staff delivered a state-of-the-art fire protection solution that will keep SuperBay servicing the aviation community for years to come.
Outcomes
ANSUL® high-expansion foam systems have provided successful fire and vapor suppression for over a thousand hangars and storage facilities around the world.With impressive expansion ratios (up to 1000:1), the foam output is designed to suppress a jet fuel fire on the bay floor in minutes with minimal water consumption. The system also incorporates Tyco DV-5 deluge valves, which have a unique remote-resetting feature. In the event of an accidental activation, these valves allow for a system override from one or more locations within the hangar – a feature that can limit unnecessary downtime within the facility.
BACKGROUND
Protecting an impressive footprint
In 2016, planning began on a fire suppression system upgrade for the SuperBay hangar located at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). OCI Associates, Inc. (OCI), the engineering firm responsible for this overall project, chose to partner with Johnson Controls, a global leader for smart, sustainable buildings, to deliver a fire suppression system powerful enough to help protect the hangar’s massive footprint.
After extensive evaluation, OCI selected an ANSUL® non-fluorinated JET-X High-Expansion Foam System from Johnson Controls for primary fire protection of the hangar’s assets. High-expansion foam technology produces an enormous volume of foam in a very short period of time, helping to smother a fire, suppress vapors and combat reignition, all while minimizing water usage. The fully engineered foam system solution from Johnson Controls incorporated JET-X 2% High-Expansion, non-fluorinated foam concentrate, JET-X Model 27 High-Expansion generators, and ANSUL® 400-gallon pre-piped horizontal bladder tanks (Model No. 444088) fitted with between the flange proportioners.
“Our deep understanding of NFPA codes and standards, our decades of experience in hangar protection, and our wide portfolio of product, uniquely positioned us to tailor a system to help protect this immense hangar.” — Dennis Phillips Senior Business Development Manager, Johnson Controls
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION
Partnership has Its Advantages
The expertise of the Johnson Controls team helped bring a comprehensive solution that included:
- ANSUL® high-expansion foam systems (bladder tanks, generators, and non-fluorinated foam).
- Tyco® remote-resetting deluge valves to provide easy system override in the event of an accidental activation.
- Tyco® standard coverage, extended coverage and extra large orifice sprinklers to help protect the building structure.
