Fire Security triples the life of electrical cables

Despite increased environmental awareness, plastics production and disposal continue to pollute the planet. Most plastics in use today are still made from fossil fuels. Only 9 per cent of plastics have been recycled.

“Electrical cables are one source of environmental pollution from industry. Most plastic components are made of crude oil and gas. At end-of-life, the plastic is normally disposed of in landfills or openly incinerated,” says Tveitnes.

Fire Security delivers an eco-friendly solution to repair and extend the life of electrical cables. Restored cables are fire protected and will remain in service for decades. The proprietary liquid coating is sprayed onto the exterior of the cables.

“Our cable coating is similar to putting on a glove. It gives the cables an extra protective layer against exposure to UV light, heat and corrosive chemicals,” says Tveitnes.

The Fire Security team begins with a visual inspection and determines whether the cables are electrically sound. If they are, application of the coating can proceed.

“One major benefit is that we can spray live cables. In other words, the facility does not have to shut down during treatment. This is different from many operations that require a two to three day closure,” says Tveitnes.

Extremely eco-friendly, the liquid coating is non-toxic, solvent-free and phosphate-free. Moreover, resource-intensive cable replacement can be postponed for years. This means less use of virgin plastic, less plastic waste, and fewer emissions from manufacturing and installation.

“To give an example of our impact, keeping just 1 000 metres of cable in service is equivalent to removing CO₂ emissions from the consumption of 76 barrels of oil,” says Tveitnes.

In addition, Fire Security substantially reduces CAPEX and OPEX related to cables. “If our product is applied before damage occurs, cables can last almost indefinitely. If a degraded cable has five years of life left, we can extend that to 15 years,” he explains.

Fire Security promotes the health and safety of workers as well. The protective coating prevents fire propagation and keeps a small fire from escalating into a major incident.

Electrical cables are used extensively in all types of industry. “Anywhere you have electrical cable, there is a potential need for our protective cable coating,” says Tveitnes.

Over its 36-year history, Fire Security has primarily served the maritime, process, and oil and gas industries. It has also been approved for use by the US Navy, including on its submarines. Now the company is moving into the renewable energy sector.

“We have worked with several offshore wind farms, and solar energy looks promising as well. Cables in both these industries are subjected to harsh conditions,” says Tveitnes

“Fire Security plans to pursue global customers in renewable energy. This aligns with our overall commitment to sustainability,” he concludes.