The majority of deaths in a fire are due to inhaling dangerous gases. It is vital to reduce the exposure time to these gases by facilitating safe evacuation with the best possible visibility.

Low Fire-Hazard cables ensure lower smoke opacity and gases emissions, prevent flame from spreading and reduce heat release.

A low level of opacity of smoke produced and acidity of the effluent are basic criteria in the selection of materials that, in the event of fire, make it possible to reduce the presence of dangerous gases and to facilitate escape. It is essential that the production of opaque smoke and harmful emissions is as low as possible during a fire.

Research has proven that cables could contribute strongly to contain a fire and to reduce smoke, toxic gases and heat release (Simulation of critical evacuation conditions for a fire scenario involving cables and comparison of two different cables - Patrick van Hees, Daniel Nilsson, Emil Berggren - Department of Fire Safety Engineering and System Safety - Lund University, Sweden - Brandteknik och Riskhantering. Lunds tekniska hogskola. Lunds universitet - Report 3147, Lund 2010)

Fire resistant cables are an essential component of any alarm circuit.
During fires, buildings should remain functional to help in the evacuation process. People’s safety is the priority: fire safety equipments like warning systems, smoke detector, smoke extractor, emergency exits, and fire lighting equipment are key and must remain functional. Electrical cables are the backbone of all these equipments.

Alsecure® range: Low Fire Hazard cables

Reduce smoke production and harmful emissions 

A low level of opacity of smoke produced and acidity of the effluent are basic criteria in the selection of materials that, in the event of fire, make it possible to reduce the presence of dangerous gases and to facilitate escape. It is essential that the production of opaque smoke and harmful emissions is as low as possible during a fire.

The majority of deaths in a fire are due to inhaling dangerous gases. It is vital to reduce the exposure time to these gases by facilitating safe evacuation with the best possible visibility

Restrict the propagation of fire and the heat release

Cables can be the means of propagation of a fire from one room to adjacent rooms; so the control of fire propagation along cable runs has been required in some National Regulations for many years in order to reduce this hazard.  

Benefits of ALSECURE® wires and cables

• Significantly delay the propagation of a fire, thus gaining precious time for evacuation and fire-fighting
• Reduce to a minimum opaque smoke and acid gases, the prime cause of fire-related deaths, and damage to equipment and structures
• A wide range fitting the different country regulations, building types and electrical applications.

      
The ALSECURE® range is already available and can already contribute to changing the level of safety in your projects. Anticipate the future adopting the new generation of safe cables ALSECURE® by Nexans.

Alsecure® Plus & Alsecure® Premium: Fire resistant cables

Fire resistant cables ensure integrity of function during a fire by enabling the security systems (video surveillance, smoke ventilation, audio alarms...) to continue functioning for a certain time after the fire has started. Nexans ALSECURE cables comply with these requirements..

Alsecure Plus is Nexans’ full range of Fire resistant cable  based on different technologies (silicone rubber or mica tape)  in accordance with the national standards.

Recently  Nexans broaden its cable range with a new product bringing exceptional mechanical performance, making the installation  easier: the Alsecure Premium range, based on the patented INFIT insulation technology.

It delivers the same fire-performance characteristics as its predecessors; however, it adds new value to your installations by creating important time-saving and thus cost-saving advantages

Fire-resistant cable sizing

Designed to function flawlessly in the event of extreme temperatures and without a hint of performance decline, they lie at the heart of the safety system and play an crucial role in guaranteeing a constant supply of energy and information to critical equipment. When designing your building's Fire-Safety system, it's absolutely vital to select cables that are classified and certified as fire-resistant. Furthermore, determining the cable size, specifically its cross-section, is critical in ensuring optimal protection. 

Sizing fire resistant cables is usually done considering their use in normal conditions (70°C, 90°C), which does not take into account the temperature increase due to the fire conditions. However, fire exposure leads to a high increase of the electrical resistance affecting the performances of the fire safety systems. 

Europacable, the European Cable Manufacturer Association, and the European Copper Institute (ECI) issued a position paper to address this issue last year  The objective was clear: to raise awareness about the risks related to having undersized conductors supplying the critical equipment that must remain functional during a fire. Cable sizing under fire conditions differs drastically from doing it under normal operating conditions.

This fact is often ignored, potentially leading to unsafe installations. The document jointly issued by Europacable and the European Copper Institute offers a practical method for evaluating the potential impact of fire on cable integrity. It goes a step further, by proposing the use of a correction factor to ensure the precise selection of the right design.