Survitec Tests New Alcohol-Resistant Fire Fighting Foam

Survitec has successfully completed extensive performance testing of new alcohol-resistant fluorine-free fire fighting foam concentrates.

The results validate the compatibility of the new foam concentrates with marine foam mixing systems and demonstrate that a safe transition away from PFAS (Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances) based products is not only feasible and ready for operational deployment across a range of vessel types, but also technically proven.

The latest performance tests are a continuation of extensive due diligence work by Survitec on the new fluorine-free formulae. Last year, Survitec’s fire safety specialists conducted laboratory fire tests to assess performance in accordance with maritime rules and regulations using various types of foam sprinkler nozzles on different burning media across different setups. The results confirmed that the foam remained stable and performed well, even against challenging fuels such as methanol.

However, in the case of alcohol-resistant, fluorine-free foam concentrates, there was an additional challenge to address: viscosity. These new formulations rely on different active ingredients to maintain fire fighting effectiveness without using fluorinated compounds. The result is a denser, more viscous fluid that behaves differently under varying flow conditions, posing new challenges for marine dosing systems originally designed for lower-viscosity foams.

“Standard proportioners are not