A Canadian industrial company Novota Engineering, decided to install a FireDos stationary foam proportioner in a freezing environment in the middle of nowhere, the historical location of Yukon goldmine, Canada.

This case study gives an overview of how robust the FireDos technology is. It also illustrates how using FireDos products allows a tight and seamless integration into overall project designs and construction, ensuring the highest reliability and efficient foam proportioning in industrial applications, despite extreme weather conditions.

THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT OF YUKON

Yukon, formerly Yukon Territory, northwestern Canada, is an area of high plateaus and rugged mountains.  In this arctic climate, temperatures vary enormously, sometimes reaching summer highs in the mid-90s F (about 35 °C) and winter lows of −60 F (about −50 °C). The area’s extensive and varied mineral resources include deposits of lead-zinc and er, combined silver-lead, coal, iron, and some petroleum and natural gas. During the early 1870s, gold discoveries on tributaries of the Yukon River attracted prospectors to this area. However, by 1900 many of the individual miners (called “stampeders”) had given up and left Yukon. Companies that brought in large-scale mechanical mining techniques reorganized the gold-mining industry.

INSTALLATION OF THE FD500/1 FOAM PROPORTIONER

Novota Engineering designed a container with a fire pump, foam concentrate tank, alarm panel and all piping based on the harsh environment in Yukon.

FireDos stationary proportioner: FD500/1 (vertical, 1% proportioning rate) was installed in a container, complete with foam concentrate tank, fire pump, alarm control panel and heating. See the video below for more details.

FireDos proportioners are solely mechanical construction, meaning they are very reliable and provide a long service life also unter rough weather conditions. Operated by the extinguishing water flow only, they are independent from any auxiliary power supply. This makes them highly suitable for remote places like this one.

THE CHALLENGES:

• The proportioner should be able to work at low temperatures
• As the location is remote, reliability was the highest priority
• To fit the vertical propotioner in the container with limited space
• Testing and maintenance should be easy, without the consumption of foam concentrate

HARD WORKING AS A TEAM UNDER FREEZING TEMPERATURES

Installation of the equipment in cold weather requires meticulous preparation and consideration of the environment. Therefore, working as a team quickly and precisely ensures the project completed effectively. Novota Engineering and the installation team on site successfully managed the FireDos proportioner installation in freezing weather conditions. The team consists of professionals – bringing together all the expertise of their respective fields to provide the comprehensive competence required to complete such projects confidently. After the installation, the enclosure was handed over to the mine safety team, which tested the system thoroughly and, in future, do the required maintenance and annual testing.