As it became apparent to the shipping industry that water sprinkles were not effective at combating fires on ships, the industry began searching for an affordable option.Eventually, several regulatory bodies and industry leaders adopted liquid CO2 extinguishing systems, as the next solution for suppressing fires.CO2 abundant in nature is inexpensive to produce and can be stored in relatively small volumes to combat fires in various spaces. Upon activation, the CO2 is released from its pressure canister and expands through the distribution manifold in the form of a gas. The gas then floods the environment, displacing oxygen, to create a fire-extinguishing atmosphere.CO2 is relatively effective at extinguishing fire, however, it is often used only as last resort. There are several high risk factors associated with CO2, which are as follow:

Lethality, first and foremost,CO2 systems are lethal to human beings, anyone inhaling the fire extinguishing mixture will suffocate
Delayed activation, the lethal nature of CO2 leads to several other complications; the system is usually restricted to manual activation after everyone has cleared the area. An alarm must first be sounded before activation. In the evacuation time, a small and controllable fire may quickly escalate to catastrophic proportions.
Static sparks and explosions, the European Industrial Gases association’s safety advocacy group(SAG) published a report in 2003 outlining several fatal incidents in which CO2 systems meant to prevent explosions, actually caused explosions.Apparently,as the liquid CO2 turns into a gas on its path to disperse, significant quantities of dry ice form in the distribution network. The friction between the gas and the solid causes large build ups of static electricity that have been blamed for sparking vapor explosions.
Fallibility, there are several recorded instances of CO2 systems failure due to electrical failure. Many CO2 systems are reliant on system power but emergency scenarios often involve power outages.

The examination of the RESOURCES NITRO GUARD FIRE PREVENTION system indicates that the prevention application when combined with suppression is a promising option for protecting vessels at sea. Military, ammunition vessels, Ferries, car carrying vessels, Cargo ships and dry Bulk carriers, also the actual loading and unloading of dry bulk cargo which creates static electricity, which can create explosions and fires.

Annually, on board fire emergencies account for millions in damaged equipment, lost earnings and pose a monumental risk to human occupants. Despite the best attempts of fire protection engineers current systems are still riddled with problems and may be deemed insufficient to protect against the myriad of fire threats facing both naval and commercials vessels.
Heightened security concerns since 9/11, coupled with tightening environmental regulations governing fire-suppression devices has prompted the examination of current fire protection systems and the search for innovations .

NITRO GUARD (Reduced oxygen) used in prevention mode has the unique ability to create a breathable environment that prevents fire ignition from any source or origin. Fire preventative hypoxic air environment provides an interesting new solution in fire protection. In preventive mode, the environment in a normally occupied facility is perpetually maintained at 15% by volume of oxygen, which is healthy for occupants to breathe and work. A volume of 15% oxygen corresponds to an altitude of 2600 meters in terms of oxygen partial pressure. When flying in an air plane the oxygen volume is 15%.

Fire prevention has long dealt with the familiar fire triangle consisting of heat, fuel and oxygen. All three of which are required to initiate and support combustion. It is also well established that nitrogen, constituting 79% of the Earth’s atmosphere can significantly influence combustion. Nitrogen molecules at common flame temperatures do not return the absorbed thermal radiation. Rather it is continuously removed from the combustion zone by the convection process. Because of this an increase of nitrogen concentration in the air causes a mass proportional increase in the total loss of emitted thermal energy which inhibits combustion. Increasing the nitrogen content in the gaseous mixture affects its molecular kinetic properties reducing the availability of oxygen molecules for ignition

An important advantage of preventive system is that it creates and constantly maintains a slightly positive barometric pressure inside a protected facility, which prevents warfare-aerosolized agent from permeating. At the same time, the intake-air can be decontaminated and filtered from aerosolized biological and chemical agents. Surprisingly, in most applications, implementation of the RESOURCES system in a preventative mode does not require costly re-engineering of the protected space to achieve a drastic improvement in the current level of fire safety. The compressed air generated by the vessels engines will be utilized to generate the nitrogen required for hypoxic levels, maintaining a safe fire prevention environment for humans.

When the RESOURCES prevention system is installed in an environment such as a ship cargo compartment, the primary concern would be to minimize leakage of ambient air. This can be accomplished through inexpensive measures such as weather proofing and vent closure. As long as the protected area is isolated from any greater ventilation system that supplies the room with non-oxygen reduced air it will be suitable for prevention.

Pure nitrogen is already used as a fire-suppression agent to create an inert condition in fuel tanks. Its inhibiting action is purely physical in nature (i.e. by dilution, and to some extent by heat absorption). However, the principle difference between nitrogen inerting and Resources fire prevention system is you can work and breathe in our atmosphere.