A water mist system is a fire protection system which uses very fine water sprays (i.e. water mist). The small water droplets allow the water mist to control, suppress or extinguish fires by:
- cooling both the flame and surrounding gases by evaporation
- displacing oxygen by evaporation
- attenuating radiant heat by the small droplets themselves
The effectiveness of a water mist system in fire suppression depends on its spray characteristics, which include the droplet size distribution, flux density and spray dynamics, with respect to the fire scenario, such as the shielding of the fuel, fire size and ventilation conditions.
The use of water mist fire suppression, when compared to the use of gaseous agents and traditional sprinkler systems, has revealed advantages such as:
- Immediate activation
- High efficiency in the suppression of a wide variety of fires
- Minimized water damage
- Environmentally sound characteristics
- No toxic problems