In the long-term it is a cost-effective choice of a gaseous fire suppression system and should be viewed from the ecological perspective:

1st generation of Halon 1301 replacement agents

In accordance with the requirements of the Montreal Protocol, the Republic of Croatia has banned the use of gaseous fire suppressants depleting the ozone layer (ODP – Ozone depletion potential higher than 0).

Replacement agents used were the HFC replacement gases, such as HFC-227ea (most widely known under the brand name FM-200), HFC-125 (most widely known under the brand name ECARO 25), etc.

Properties of the foregoing gases:
HFC 227ea

HFC 125

2nd generation of Halon 1301 replacement agents

In accordance with the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol, the Republic of Croatia and the European Union have introduced restrictions on the HFC replacement gases due to their warming the atmosphere (GWP – Global warming potential).

It is important to note that the GWP coefficient shows the value equivalent to the warming of atmosphere by one kilo of carbon dioxide (this means that 1 kilo of
FM-200 gas warms the atmosphere equally as 3220 kilos of carbon dioxide).

HFC replacement agents used pursuant to the standards NFPA 2001 and ISO 14520 are:
Novec 1230 (chemical reference FK 5-1-12) with the following properties:

Inert gases (IG-01 (100% Argon), IG-100 (100% nitrogen), IG-55 (50% nitrogen, 50% argon), Inergen (52 % nitrogen, 40% argon, 8% carbon dioxide) with the following properties:

Will there be a 3rd generation of Halon 1301 replacement agents?

As Novec 1230 has outstanding environmental properties (ODP =0 and GWP=1) and very short atmospheric lifetime, the producer of gas 3M grants the users of the system a 20-year environmental warranty “3MTM Blue SkySM Warranty“.

Under this warranty, 3M pledges to replace or refund the purchase price of the agent if any environmental restrictions on the gas are introduced over the next 20 years.