The Hindu Business Line : New gas for firefighting systems

The Centre for Fire, Explosive, and Environment Safety, a defence laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has developed a new gas called Hepta Fluropropane for firefighting systems. This gas would soon replace Halon gas, currently used in fire fighting systems for critical infrastructure, said Dr A.K. Kapoor, Director of the Defence Laboratory. The market size for this Halon substitute is about Rs 150 crore.

The DRDO has passed on the technology for this Halon alternative to Mechvac Fabricators (I) Pvt Ltd, a Mumbai-based engineering firm. Mr R.K. Chodankar, Chairman of Mechvac Fabricators, said that other than India, the technology for making Hepta Fluropropane was only available with the US. Mechvac has already spent Rs 10 crore in setting up a manufacturing facility for the gas and the production will start next year.

The company has already received advance orders for 500 tonnes of the gas and is considering setting up three more facilities to meet the demand, said Mr Chodankar.

Since Montreal Protocol of 1989, attempts are being made to replace Halon gas with other substitutes as scientific evidence showed that Halon causes depletion of the ozone layer.

Mr Chodankar said that the domestic requirement for the gas would be 750 tonnes annually and Mechvac will only be able to provide about 300 tonnes during the first year of operation.

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