CO2 GAS FLOODING SYSTEM
1. Liquid Density (762 kg/m³)
This is the density of liquid CO₂ at a specific temperature and
pressure (usually around 20°C and 56 bar for typical fire suppression
systems).
This is the CO₂’s natural liquid phase when kept under high
pressure.
It’s denser because the molecules are packed tightly in the liquid
form.
This value is a standard physical property of liquid CO₂ and does not
change unless temperature and pressure change significantly.
2. Cylinder-Filled Density (680 kg/m³)
This represents the average density of the CO₂ inside the
cylinder, which includes both liquid and some vapor CO₂ above the
liquid level.
When a cylinder is filled, it’s never completely filled with liquid
CO₂ — there’s always a vapor space to allow for thermal
expansion.
This lower density results from the presence of both phases — the
liquid phase being denser and the gas phase being much lighter —
so the average density decreases.
NFPA 12 (Standard on Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems)
recommends the fill density for high-pressure CO₂ cylinders should
not exceed 68% of the water capacity of the cylinder, which
translates to roughly 680-700 kg/m³ for safety.
Overfilling the cylinder can cause dangerous pressure spikes if the
temperature rises, and underfilling would mean you don’t have
enough extinguishing agent.
