WAGNER UK’s OxyReduct® system has been chosen to protect the British Library’s new book storage facility at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire from the risk of fire.
The facility, which will be constructed alongside the Library’s existing buildings at Boston Spa, will provide additional storage capacity for 7 million items from the UK national collection, which is currently expanding at a rate of 12.5km of linear shelf space per year. The British Library chose OxyReduct® as it creates a fire-free environment and thus offers the ultimate form of fire protection for its valuable book collection.
With such a valuable archive it is imperative that a fire cannot start and no matter how good a fire detection, extinguishing or suppression system is, a fire has to start for the system to work – causing inevitable damage. OxyReduct® creates an environment where fires cannot start, by continuously reducing the oxygen level in a closed area by adding nitrogen to the air. The oxygen is reduced to a level in which most combustibles do not inflame and an open fire is impossible. Importantly, people can enter and work in the area of risk at any time.
OxyReduct® is the ideal solution for the 85,000m3 facility as its plant footprint is relatively small compared to other fire protection technologies such as sprinklers, which would also cause damage to the archive, and the area is too large for gas suppression systems. The system can be installed very quickly and its operation will not affect the environment’s constant temperature and humidity.
WAGNER UK’s TITANUS® TOP- SENS® air sampling smoke detection system has also been chosen to provide a secondary backup fire protection for the facility in the case of pyrolysis. A networked system of 18 TOP- SENS® units will be installed and interfaced together with OxyReduct® to the existing fire alarm system. Both systems will be able to be remotely monitored via the internet.
WAGNER UK’s OxyReduct® system has been chosen to protect the British Library’s new book storage facility at Boston Spa, West Yorkshire from the risk of fire.
The facility, which will be constructed alongside the Library’s existing buildings at Boston Spa, will provide additional storage capacity for 7 million items from the UK national collection, which is currently expanding at a rate of 12.5km of linear shelf space per year. The British Library chose OxyReduct® as it creates a fire-free environment and thus offers the ultimate form of fire protection for its valuable book collection.
With such a valuable archive it is imperative that a fire cannot start and no matter how good a fire detection, extinguishing or suppression system is, a fire has to start for the system to work – causing inevitable damage. OxyReduct® creates an environment where fires cannot start, by continuously reducing the oxygen level in a closed area by adding nitrogen to the air. The oxygen is reduced to a level in which most combustibles do not inflame and an open fire is impossible. Importantly, people can enter and work in the area of risk at any time.
OxyReduct® is the ideal solution for the 85,000m3 facility as its plant footprint is relatively small compared to other fire protection technologies such as sprinklers, which would also cause damage to the archive, and the area is too large for gas suppression systems. The system can be installed very quickly and its operation will not affect the environment’s constant temperature and humidity.
WAGNER UK’s TITANUS® TOP·SENS® air sampling smoke detection system has also been chosen to provide a secondary backup fire protection for the facility in the case of pyrolysis. A networked system of 18 TOP·SENS® units will be installed and interfaced together with OxyReduct® to the existing fire alarm system. Both systems will be able to be remotely monitored via the internet.
