The AirCore solution is based on the idea of distributing water mist with a jet of air produced by a turbine, which can extinguish fires much more efficiently. The firefighting turbine is therefore mounted on a tracked vehicle commanded from remote or onto a truck.
In the firefighting sector, water mist is known to be an effective extinguishing medium: the cooling effect is greater and less water is used. Up to now, however, the obstacle to its application was the limited range of the water mist. Therefore, in 2014, EmiControls and Magirus combined efforts to solve this problem: thanks to the use of a turbine with a propeller, water mist can now be projected to cover greater distances (even up to 80 meters). Water consumption can be regulated from 0 to 4700 litres per minute.
The firefighting turbine combines the following 5 functions:
- higher cooling capacity and lower water consumption
- greater effectiveness proven in the abatement of harmful substances
- quicker, more efficient fire extinguishing, compared to traditional methods
- suitable also for producing foam
- ventilation
The mobile Solution: The Firefighting Robot "AirCore TAF35" and the Truck "AirCore MFT35-H" with Turbine
Water mist itself is an extremely versatile extinguishing method. In order to increase the safety of the emergency services, EmiControls and Magirus have mounted the fire-fighting turbine on various mobile devices.
Firefighting Robot “Magirus AirCore TAF35”
The remote-controlled “AirCore TAF35” fire-fighting robot can reach the source of the fire without risking the lives of the firefighters. Cameras installed on the turbine and on the lower structure help with this. The turbine itself has an outer nozzle ring which atomises water into a fine mist and then distributes it by means of a propeller. The water mist removes heat from the fire very quickly and lowers the temperature significantly. It can also be raised up to four metres due to the integrated tilt function.
Firefighting Robot „Magirus AirCore TAF60“
The advantages of the water mist turbine also apply to the TAF60: thanks to the finest misting technology, the extinguishing and cooling effect of the turbine is very high (even with small amounts of water.
The AirCore TAF60 fire-fighting robot is remote-controlled and is capable of carrying up to a total of 6,000 litres of water per minute. Its total height is less than 2 metres, making it ideal for use in low buildings (e.g. underground car parks). As an option, the TAF60 can also include a water monitor that can be swivelled to the side and is located inside the turbine (+/- 17°C) - for maximum flexibility in the spray pattern.
Firefighting Truck with Turbine “TLF AirCore”
The TLF AirCore is a fire-fighting vehicle with a water mist turbine. It has space for 3,000 litres of water and 200 litres of foaming agent, but can be expanded as required by the customer. The vehicle has two water cannons for different volumes of water and maximum flexibility. This allows flow rates of 500 to 6,000 litres per minute.
Tracked fire engine with turbine “Magirus Firebull”
The FireBull with AirCore extinguishing technology is the world's first tracked fire-fighting vehicle ready for series production. With a gradeability of 31°(60%) and a maximum inclination across the slope of up to 21°(40%), the FireBull AirCore transports water (10,000 litre extinguishing agent tank) safely up and down slopes. The turbine's water mist technology enables efficient firefighting and humidification of the vegetation as well as deep penetration into the vegetation. The water can be dispensed while driving in Pump & Roll mode.
Fire-fighting vehicle with turbine “AirCore MFT35-H”
Safety is also an important aspect for fire-fighting vehicles equipped with a turbine: on the one hand, the driver of the fire-fighting vehicle can provide his or her colleagues with protection from behind (e.g. when moving forward in tunnel fires) with the water mist jet, and on the other hand, he or she can stay at a moderate distance during dangerous operations thanks to the turbine’s casting distance (up to 80 metres). The turbine can be mounted on various chassis such as an Iveco Daily 4×4.
