Testing

The Bonneville Power Administration, one of 32 utility companies in the U.S. that services the Pacific Northwest, ran a 30-minute lightning strike simulation test on two utility poles, one coated with Sun FireDefense’s SPF3000 fire-retardant and one without. Both poles burned while the voltage was applied. The pole treated with SPF3000 burned less vigorously and extinguished itself more quickly than the untreated pole. The conclusion: the treatment will not prevent electrically caused utility pole fires, but it may limit the damage done to the structure in some cases. (Test results here)

Turner Maclane Environmental Consulting, an experienced EPA testing agency in Hayward, CA, conducted an evaluation of wood treated with patented SPF3000 to determine if it would pose an environmental or health threat. Additionally, it was tested to define if a normal treatment process would render the treated material to be classified as “hazardous waste” by State or Federal regulatory standards.  All results were “non-detect” for Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs), indicating that there are no VOCs present at concentrations above the laboratory reporting limits. The results also showed that the wood products treated with SPF3000 did not exhibit properties of hazardous waste and do not show any evidence of posing an environmental threat to the structure to which they are applied.   (Test results here)

Virgin Orbit completes a fuel thrust test on a rocket stand equipped with Sun FireDefenses’s FireShield Fabric as insulating wraps on the steel support beams. Combustion temperatures were just under 6000°F (wildfires average ~2,000° F).