Trelleborg’s offshore operation has introduced its next-generation Firestop™ material, which is a newly established fire-resistant material. It is thinner and lighter than any current passive fire protection materials available on the market.
Trelleborg’s Norway offshore operations Business Development director Ben Erik Jansen states: “For decades Trelleborg has supplied the oil and gas market with fire protection solutions based on our Firestop™ technology, a rubber-based compound that can withstand severe fire scenarios.
“We developed the next-generation Firestop™ material at our in-house laboratory in Norway.
“Based on proven technology, the material is lighter and thinner than our first-generation material. The newly formulated compound enables us to reduce both costs and lead time for our customers. Since the new material can easily be moulded and extruded in all shapes and profiles, we intend to identify new applications for the material in other markets.”
In addition to developing the new material, an internal investment programme was initiated to test and certify all existing Firestop™ applications for the next generation Firestop™ material.
Firestop™ is a passive fire protection material used to protect personnel and equipment by minimising fire escalation. This provides time to evacuate people, close down critical equipment and for responders to gain control of a fire. The certified rubber-based material protects structures from exceeding critical temperature limits.
The dampening, noise-reducing, flexible nature of Firestop™ can also protect equipment from vibrations, collisions, explosions and even earthquakes.