Zero Halogen Cables -An Alternative to Conventional Wires and Cables in Fire Accidents
Zero Halogen Cables -An Alternative to Conventional Wires and Cables in Fire Accidents
The primary damage in fire accidents is not the flame but smoke and noxious gas emitted during the incident. They cause most casualties and even obscure the way to escape routes and exits. The PVC insulated wires application reduces the visibility by almost fifty percent in just a few minutes of fire.
Zero halogen cables are the best alternative to conventional wires for fire-prone areas as they emit five times less smoke than ordinary PVC insulated wires and cables. The properties of the wire, such as less smoke generation, no acidic gas emission, high operating temperature, high rigidity, and low corrosion, make halogen-free cables suitable for indoors, industries, high-density areas, and other hazardous places.
Gloster cables bring high-quality and safe zero-halogen wires that perform effectively in such hazardous places.
Conventional Wires vs Zero Halogen Wires
The conventional wires are usually PVC insulated. These wires may or may not be flame retardant. When exposed to fire, these wires emit thick and dense smoke, reducing visibility and creating panic. PVC insulated wires and cables contain heavy metals like lead that can lead to cancer risk. They release toxic and corrosive gases. It may lead to choking, suffocation, and fatality. And post-fire damage, these wires release HCI which is very poisonous.
Zero halogen wires or halogen-free wires get insulated with ZHFR compound. ZHFR insulated wires are 100 percent flame retardant and filled with hydrated fillers that release water during a fire. These wires emit five times less smoke than conventional wires, make easy to escape in fire situations. The release of gases during a fire is almost negligible and makes the passage of people safe. ZHFR wires are free of heavy metals and have no cancer risk. The post-fire damage due to corrosion in zero halogen wires is nil.
Zero halogen wires are user-friendly and better than ordinary wires and cables when it comes to saving life, property, and cost in fire accidents.
Features and Types of Halogen Free Wires
Halogens are very harmful to humans, and the use of halogen-free compounds in wires and cables started in 1970. And huge fire events have raised awareness of the use of halogen-free compounds in the cabling industry.
Halogen-free cables are referred-commonly as ZHLS cables. The flame-retardant properties of these cables often make them flame-retardant low-smoke cables.
Here is a list of features of zero-halogen wires and cables that makes them flame-retardant and suitable for fire-prone areas.
Use of special PVC polymer
Zero-halogen flame retardant wires and cables get manufactured from specially developed in-house PVC polymers by wires and cable manufacturers. It helps restrict the emission of smoke and halogen-free gases in the event of a fire.
High Operating Temperature
ZHFR cables can operate at a temperature of 105-degree Celsius along with excellent fire, heat retardant, and non-toxic characteristics.
Copper Conductor
ZHFR cables can have single or multiple cores. It also comprises a stranded or flexible annealed copper conductor. These cables get manufactured using a minimum 99.97% electrolytic grade, annealed bare copper having more than 100% conductivity.
Sheathing
The sheathing and outer sheathing of low smoke zero halogen cables get partly made of halogen-free cross-linked polyethylene flame retardant materials. This enables the cable to have better flame-retardant properties.
Insulation
The wires get insulated with specially formulated PVC polymer with ZHFR compound, manufactured and formulated in-house. The primary insulation materials for these wires can be EVA, EPR, XLPE, and LSZH, whereas PVC acts as the sheathing or bedding material.
Energy Efficiency, Reliability, and Safety
ZHFR cables ensure better reliability, energy efficiency & the highest level of safety during a fire. The manufacturing proficiency of these ZHFR cables helps them perform and serve uninterruptedly in adverse working and hazardous atmospheric conditions.
Halogen- Free Materials Used for Cables
Several halogen-free materials used for cables include EVA, Polyamides, EPR, EPDM, PE, PP, SHF1, and SHF2.
Polyethylene (PE) is a synthetic material with good electrical properties and an insulating effect. It is not usually flexible but can get made flexible based on molecular density. PE is stiff when density is high. It is moisture-resistant and resistant to low-temperature and aging.
Polypropylene (PP) is tough, but more flexible than PE, especially when combined with ethylene. In most cases, PP gets used as insulation material for applying a thinner insulation layer.
Denomination Used for Halogen-Free Cables
The cable industry uses several abbreviations and denominations for halogen-free cables. Some of them are
Advantage of Using Zero Halogen Wires in Households
Halogen-free cables are often suggested for indoors, public areas, and other hazardous environments, such as aircraft, railway carriages, tunnels, and underground rail networks. The advantage of using zero halogen wires and cables are as follows.
Reduction in the spread of fire
Cables with LSZH jacketing can cope with fire better as compared to normal wires because of fire-resistant jackets. The self-extinguishing properties of wires reduce the spread of fire, and its flames die out once the source of the fire gets extinguished.
Long-lasting Protection
LSZH cables have hard jacketing. Their jacketing compound contains additives that affect their flexible ability and make them rigid for offering long-lasting protection to wires and cables.
Provides People Safety
Halogen-free wires restrict the emission of smoke and halogen gases during fire incidence. It provides safety to close human habitation in house, residential and commercial complexes.
Limitation of damage
These wires have the advantage of low corrosion, which makes them perform in an adverse environment. As it doesn’t emit corrosive and toxic gases, the damage to equipment and other materials is less.
Gloster Cables- A Safe and Reliable Zero Halogen Wires and Cables Provider
Gloster cables is a cabling industry manufacturing zero-halogen wires and cables for domestic, industrial, and commercial purposes. The triple-layer ZHFR cables manufactured by Gloster Cables follow the highest safety and quality standards to perform in adverse and fire-prone areas. The team at Gloster even manufactures zero-halogen wires depending on certain specifications mentioned by the client.
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