Case study: two FT10e water mist turbines for recycling plants in Sicily 

By the end of last year we delivered two FT10e firefighting turbines to Sicily. Their new destination: the recycling plants of Ecorek and Rekogest, near Palermo.  

The two recycling centres Ecorek and Rekogest (part of LVSGROUP) are located on the island of Sicily, near Palermo. Ecorek specializes in the processing of plastic waste. The waste is sorted on-site and delivered in 700-800 kg containers to various partners, who then take care of the rest of the processing. Rekogest, on the other hand, recycles and manages waste for companies and public institutions. Since a few years ago a fire destroyed the warehouse of a company belonging to the group, the management was looking for a suitable and safe fire protection solution for its operations.

Challenge and solution
The biggest challenge in both operations is the lack of space and the size of the outdoor warehouse. The ideal fire protection solution must not interrupt the work in the plant and must still protect all critical points.

Left: Bird's eye view of the "Ecorek" plant; Right: Bird's eye view of the "Rekogest" plant

After an initial site inspection by our project management, the following concept was developed: for both companies, the roof of the office building is the ideal position for the FT10e fire fighting turbine, since the entire outdoor area can be covered from there. Due to the elevated position, work processes are not disturbed, but the water jet of the turbine still reaches all critical points unhindered. The turbine can be operated either from the permanently mounted control panel or by remote control. The customer can decide for himself where the control panel is to be installed. In addition, both machines can be easily connected to the existing water supply.

Implementation at Rekogest
To position the turbine and make it ready for use, a 4-meter-high platform was erected on the roof of the office building. The FT10e stands at a total height of around 10 meters, allowing the water jet to reach almost the entire area. The permanently mounted control panel is located in the office building.

Graphic: The red circle represents the effective area of the turbine. The storage area to be protected can be perfectly covered by the turbine.

The photo shows the turbine on the platform on the roof of Rekogest office building.

Implementation at Ecorek
At Ecorek, the turbine was mounted directly on the roof of the warehouse. The control panel was mounted firmly on the roof next to the turbine since from there one has the best overview of the area. In addition, there is also a remote control, which makes it possible to control the turbine from a great distance.

Graphic: Here, too, the red circle represents the effective range of the turbine - the storage area can be optimally protected. The external control panel is positioned not far from the turbine.

The photo shows the FT10e on the roof of Ecorek. To ensure statics and optimize weight distribution, it was placed on a rail construction.

Experience and future prospects

"Since we store mainly outdoors in both plants, we could not install a traditional sprinkler system. When looking for an alternative solution, we became aware of EmiControls' fire suppression turbines. Thanks to the turbine, we can now cover the entire area from one central point, which is ideal for our needs," says Mr. Rubino, owner of the two companies.

"Moreover, the turbine is multifunctional: in the summer, we use it to cool the goods and the area at both sites - this way we can efficiently prevent fires and at the same time ensure a more pleasant working environment for our employees."

The group already has other sites in the planning stage, where it is being considered to equip them with the same protective measures.

The photo visualizes the combination of spray jet (inside) and water mist for cooling (outside) the fire fighting turbine.