Articles & Issues
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
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Received March 31, 2026
Accepted June 30, 2026
Available online November 25, 2026
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This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Sustainable Fire Suppression: A Techno-Economic Assessment of Gas-Hydrate-Based Agents
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-026-00783-3
Abstract
The accessibility of conventional fire suppression equipment is limited in specialized environments such as high-rise buildings
and underground facilities. Although gas-hydrate-based suppressants offer potential advantages through their compact
design and effective dispersion, systematic techno-economic and environmental evaluations remain limited. In this study,
the techno-economic performances of CO2, HFC-125, and HFC-23 hydrate-based fire suppression systems were analyzed
using an Aspen Plus V14 process simulation. An integrated assessment combining production and environmental costs, as
well as specific energy consumption (SEC), was conducted to evaluate their practical viability against conventional suppressants.
In particular, CO2 hydrate-based fire suppression demonstrated the most favorable economics, with production
and suppression costs of $0.52/kg and $0.6/m3
, respectively, rendering it competitive among conventional suppressants.
The HFC-125 hydrate achieved the highest energy efficiency (SEC=0.008 kWh/kg) and superior fire suppression performance;
however, its production cost ($1.36/kg) limits current competitiveness. Moreover, the HFC-23 hydrate showed limited
economic viability. This study provides a systematic techno-economic assessment framework that integrates economic
viability, energy efficiency, and environmental impact. Consequently, the developed framework establishes comprehensive
evaluation criteria for hydrate-based fire suppressants related to conventional suppression systems.
