What is BS EN 1568-2 - High expansion foam concentrates about?
BS EN 1568 is a European Standard that discusses foam concentrates that are a part of fire extinguishing media. The specifications have been designed to ensure that fire extinguishing media have the minimum useful firefighting capability.
BS EN 1568-2 is the second part in the BS EN 1568 series that specifies requirements for chemical and physical properties, and minimum performance requirements of high expansion foams suitable for surface application to water-immiscible liquids. Requirements are also given for marking.
Firefighting foams are widely used to control and extinguish Class B fires and to inhibit re-ignition. These foams can also be used for prevention of ignition of flammable liquids and, in certain conditions, to extinguish Class A fires.
Who is BS EN 1568-2 - High expansion foam concentrates for?
BS EN 1568-2 on foam concentrates is relevant to:
- Manufacturers of components used in foam firefighting systems
- Manufacturers and suppliers of high expansion foam concentrates
- Fire safety department
- Entities involved in fire safety engineering
- Quality control and testing agencies
- Marine industry
- Oil and gas industry
Why should you use BS EN 1568-2 - High expansion foam concentrates?
Foam firefighting systems make use of foam for fire suppression. The foam is an extinguishing agent that cools the fire and coats the fuel to extinguish a fire, effectively separating the fuel from oxygen. You would generally find foam systems in spaces that hold a large amount of combustible and flammable liquids. In this regard, high expansion foam is defined as foam which has an expansion ratio greater than or equal to 200.
BS EN 1568-2 provides guidance and requirements for grades of foam concentrate, sampling, determination of percentage sediment, freezing point, surface tension, viscosity, as well as expansion and drainage time and temperature conditioning.
Testing and compliance with BS EN 1568-2 can thus ensure that high expansion foam concentrates play a positive role during a fire emergency and incidents of product failure are significantly minimized.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 1568-2:2018 supersedes BS EN 1568-2:2008, which is withdrawn. The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
- Freezing point test introduced
- Stability/Separation test of foam concentrate introduced
- Occupational health and ecotoxicological testing introduced