Tina's Technology Blog

If you are involved in manufacturing, transporting or storing pharmaceuticals, you are doubtlessly already aware of the importance of keeping pharmaceuticals properly refrigerated at all times. Many types of pharmaceuticals, especially the newest biologic medications used to treat previously unmanageable chronic illnesses, are extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and can quickly become neutralised and worthless if not kept refrigerated at all times.

However, keeping your pharmaceuticals in cold storage until they are needed can make proper fire safety and suppression more challenging. Since many medications must be stored at below-freezing temperatures, you may be unable to install a conventional, 'wet' fire detection system in your pharmaceutical cold storage facility. Fortunately, there are other options, and a 'dry' fire detection system is an excellent addition to any cold storage facility used to store pharmaceuticals. 

What are dry fire detection systems?

An ordinary, or 'wet' fire detection system uses sprinklers filled with pressurised water, which are automatically activated when the system detects the signs of a fire. They are highly efficient at dousing sudden blazes, but unfortunately, they cannot be used in most cold-storage facilities, including those used to store pharmaceutical products. The icy cold temperatures required to preserve many pharmaceuticals would cause the water held within the sprinklers to freeze.

Dry fire detection systems work on the same principles, activating sprinklers that douse fires with water as soon as they are detected. However, dry fire detection systems do not store the within the sprinklers themselves. Instead, the water is kept in a pressurised tank outside the cold storage room, and the sprinkler heads themselves are filled with inert gas, such as nitrogen.

When a dry fire detection system activates, the sprinklers release the gas trapped within their heads. This causes air pressure inside the sprinkler system to drop suddenly, creating a near-vacuum inside the system that 'drags' water from the offsite tank directly to the sprinkler heads.

Why should I install a dry fire detection system in a pharmaceutical cold-storage facility?

Dry fire detection systems tend to be more expensive than wet detection systems, and they are also more difficult to repair and maintain due to their increased mechanical complexity. Because the water in the tank takes a while to get to the sprinkler heads of a dry system, there is also a noticeable delay between the time the system is activated and when the sprinklers start producing water. 

However, they are by far the best (and in many cases only) option when it comes to installing effective fire protection systems in an extremely cold storage facility used for storing delicate pharmaceuticals. Cheaper wet fire detection systems simply will not function properly in such a cold environment. Even if temperatures in your storage facility remain above freezing, close-to-zero temperatures can affect water pressure and cause the almost-freezing water to expand, badly damaging the pipes and valves of many wet fire detection systems.