Nitrogen fire
suppression system
In many critical environments, traditional fire sprinkler systems or chemical extinguishers are not the best option. Water can irreversibly damage sensitive equipment, while a sprinkler system in cold storage can freeze and fail when you need them most. At Presscon, we offer a cleaner, safer and more reliable alternative: nitrogen-based fire suppression. Using nitrogen gas, our systems prevent or extinguish fires by lowering the oxygen concentration in the protected area. This protects people, equipment and products, while ensuring continuity of your operations.
What is a nitrogen fire suppression system?
A nitrogen fire suppression system replaces water or chemical agents with pure nitrogen gas as the extinguishing medium. Nitrogen gas suppresses fire by displacing oxygen, removing the elemnint combustion needs to continue. These systems are classified as “clean agent” systems because nitrogen gas is safe, non-toxic at design concentrations, leaves no residue, and causes no water damage.
We distinguish two main approaches:
Fire Suppression (total flooding)
Upon fire detection, nitrogen gas is released to flood the enclosure. Oxygen drops from the normal 21% to about 12–15%, below the threshold needed to sustain combustion. This extinguishes the fire in seconds without using water.
Fire prevention (oxygen reduction)
Nitrogen is introduced continuously to maintain oxygen levels at approximately 15% or lower, preventing a fire from igniting at all. This approach is ideal for high-value or mission-critical environments such as archives, automated warehouses or data centres.
In both cases, nitrogen gas can be generated on-site for maximum reliability and cost control.
Why to use nitrogen for fire suppression
Fire protection in critical facilities requires more than simply extinguishing flames, it’s about safeguarding people, preventing damage to valuable assets, avoiding downtime, and meeting strict environmental standards. Nitrogen delivers on all these requirements, making it one of the most effective and future-proof clean agents available.
Safe for people
At properly engineered concentrations (typically 12–15% oxygen), nitrogen stops combustion while maintaining breathable oxygen levels for safe evacuation. It is non-toxic, odorless, and colorless, ensuring clear visibility during discharge and no harmful effects for occupants.
No damage to assets
Nitrogen is dry, inert, non-corrosive, and non-conductive. It leaves no residue and does not cause short circuits or chemical reactions, keeping sensitive equipment, electronics, documents, and materials fully protected.
Minimal downtime
Because nitrogen leaves no residue and requires no cleanup, operations can resume quickly after an incident once oxygen levels are restored and the system is reset.
Environmentally sustainable
With zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and zero global warming potential (GWP), nitrogen is a naturally abundant gas that complies with all environmental regulations. It is not subject to phase-outs or restrictions, ensuring long-term viability.
Proven performance
Effective against Class A (solid), Class B (flammable liquid), and Class C (electrical) fires, nitrogen has a long track record in industries such as data centres, cold storage, chemical manufacturing, and food production.
Cost-efficient and always available
On-site nitrogen generation from ambient air eliminates the cost, delay, and logistics of extinguishant deliveries. With Presscon’s N-Gen HP-PSA technology, facilities produce a continuous supply of high-purity nitrogen for both suppression and prevention.
How does nitrogen gas work for fire suppression?
The principle behind nitrogen fire suppression is straightforward yet highly effective: remove the oxygen, remove the fire. Every fire needs three elements to burn: fuel, heat, and oxygen. This is known as the fire triangle. Remove any one of these elements and the fire cannot continue. Nitrogen targets the oxygen.
In normal air, oxygen makes up about 21%. Most materials will stop burning when oxygen falls below roughly 16%. A nitrogen fire suppression system reduces the oxygen concentration in a protected space to around 12–15%, low enough to extinguish flames, but still high enough to allow safe evacuation for anyone present.
With Presscon’s HP-PSA nitrogen generation, the same principle is applied not only for rapid suppression but also for oxygen reduction fire prevention. In this mode, nitrogen is continuously introduced into the space to maintain a low-oxygen environment, making ignition impossible from the start. This simple yet highly effective method is why nitrogen fire suppression is trusted in environments where fire must be stopped quickly, safely, and without collateral damage.
Common applications of fire protection
Nitrogen fire suppression and oxygen reduction systems are used wherever fire poses a high risk to people, valuable assets, or operational continuity, and where traditional suppression methods like fire sprinkler systems or chemical agents are impractical or damaging. Its versatility makes nitrogen suitable for a wide range of industries.
With Presscon’s N-Gen on-site nitrogen generation, these systems can operate independently of external gas deliveries, ensuring continuous protection and lower operational costs.
Data centres & ICT facilities
Protecting servers, networking hardware, and switchgear without the risk of water damage or electrical short circuits. Nitrogen gas extinguishes electrical fires quickly, leaves no residue, and keeps equipment operational after an incident.
Cold storage & freezer warehouses
Traditional fire sprinkler systems can freeze and fail at sub-zero temperatures. Nitrogen fire protection systems operate reliably in these areas, either suppressing fires on detection or preventing them entirely with constant oxygen reduction.
Museums, archives & libraries
Preserving irreplaceable artworks, documents, and artefacts requires fire protection that leaves no residue and causes no physical damage. Nitrogen gas ensures that priceless collections remain intact, while maintaining a safe space for staff.
Automated storage & warehouses
In densely packed, minimally staffed storage facilities, fires can spread rapidly and are hard to reach. Nitrogen prevention systems maintain oxygen levels below the combustion threshold, stopping ignition before it can occur.
Chemical processing & manufacturing
Inerting storage rooms, process vessels, and production lines handling flammable liquids, gases, or powders. Nitrogen eliminates the oxygen needed for combustion and prevents hazardous reactions with stored chemicals.
Medical facilities & laboratories
Safeguarding sensitive instruments, cleanrooms, and hazardous material storage without risk to staff or contamination of samples.
On site nitrogen generation as fire protection system
Implementing on-site nitrogen generation ensures your fire suppression system is always ready, without relying on external deliveries. Presscon’s N-Gen, powered by High Performance Pressure Swing Adsorption (HP-PSA) technology, produces high-purity nitrogen directly at your facility – tailored to your required purity and flow.
Our modular systems are designed and built in-house, allowing seamless integration into new or existing fire suppression infrastructure. With up to 40–50% lower energy consumption than conventional generators, N-Gen offers both operational savings and sustainability benefits. Presscon’s team manages the entire implementation process, from site assessment and custom design to installation, commissioning, and 24/7 service.
OUR NITROGEN GENERATORS
PRESSCON
- Monitor and control air pressure
- Keeps the pressure constant
- Efficient nitrogen cap
- Measure water levels
- ELC - SLC buffer tank measurement
- PLUG & PLAY installation
- Monitor and control air pressure
- Keeps the pressure constant
- Efficient nitrogen cap
- Measure water levels
- Adjustable to desired blow-off pressure
- Modular design
- Low energy consumption
- Long lifespan
- Multifunctional use
- Entirely organic
- Leaves no residue on the product
- On-site nitrogen production and thus not location
- Treatment in bulk possible
