You may have recently heard about the Dubai Torch Tower fire - most importantly that no one was harmed.
What you may not know is how well the building's overall integrity maintained during and after the fire - most relevant to us, the electrical wiring. Where as the building’s structure was reported to remain uncompromised with only some of its pipelines and electrical channels damaged - the elevators were reported to be still functional even after the fire was extinguished. There is a high chance this was because they used Fire Rated cables.
Reference: Yahoo News
What is a Fire Rated Cable?
Q) Does Fire Rated mean the cable can resist high temperatures?
A) No, not really any better than a normal cable.
Q) Does Fire Rated mean the cable will not be damaged by a fire?
A) No, Fire Rated cables are no better off after a fire than any TPS. Fire Rated cables burn just as quick.
So what is special about Fire Rated cables?
Fire Rated cables are designed to continue working even if the cable is exposed to direct flames. This is achieved by wrapping a Mica tape around each of the conductors. Long after the cable sheath and insulation have melted off, the Mica tape will remain around the conductors and will stop them shorting between each other. The cable is completely ruined, but power continues to flow long after.
Essentially the cable will melt, but the mica tape will remain around each single conductor stopping them from shorting to each other or earth. Fire Rated cables are designed to last more than 2 hours with direct flames on them.
Why do you still want the cable to operate during a fire?
During a fire most power is not critical. For example if your building is on fire and the cable that runs the microwave in your cafeteria burns, this is not a major concern. You can just replace it later.
However, especially in larger buildings, it is important that certain equipment continues running no matter what. In case of a large fire; Elevators, escalators, extraction fans, emergency lighting, warning sirens; you want these running as long as possible so people can get out. By using Fire Rated cables then this equipment will run for hours.
Like with the Dubai Torch Tower, if the emergency evacuation devices are still going then the people can get out. You will still need to replace any cables which have been damaged by fire, but at least you might save their lives.
ECS - Providing High Quality Fire Rated Cable
At ECS we have introduced a new range of Fire Rated Cables to the market now abailable on our online EXPRESS Store