Specially
developed fire and smoke management dampers from Actionair are
playing a major role in the safety systems protecting passenger
terminals and other facilities at the new Hong Kong Airport.
The
order worth in excess of £650,000 was one of the largest
ever placed for this type of product. Travellers to Hong Kong will
remember how the airliner used to bank hard right and drop sharply
down between the skyscrapers of Kowloon, before touching down and
screeching to a halt at the sea's edge! That all changed in 1997
when the new Chek Lap Kok Island airport was completed. Construction
engineers blasted the mountains on the island down to about three
metres above sea level and the resulting rock spoil was tipped
into the sea to form enough land for two runways capable of handling
the world's biggest jets. When work on the second runway is completed
the new airport will have a capacity of around 85 million
passengers a year.
In
the face of fierce worldwide competition Actionair won orders for
all of the fire, smoke and air control dampers used throughout
the airport. No part of the specification was more rigorous than
that for the smoke management dampers, which had to be approved
by both the Hong Kong Fire Services Department and the Airport
Authority before the order could be confirmed.
Market
Leader
So successful was the design that it led directly to the development of the
Hot/Shield Damper range, which is now a market leader in the UK building services
industry.
Research
shows that at least 80% of all recorded "fire" victims
die as a result of inhaling smoke and other products of combustion.
Smoke and toxic gases - the silent killers - have to be controlled
and extracted quickly and efficiently to protect building occupants
and ensure their safe evacuation.
Actionair
Hot/Shield dampers are designed for installation in smoke extract
systems and are suitable for use in association with smoke extract
ductwork and fans. In many situations detection of a fire in the
building will automatically close dampers on the extract system.
The Hot/Shield design, however, permits remote authorised override
control for the extraction of dangerous smoke and toxic fumes.
