The International Water Mist Association explains how water mist systems are advancing through targeted fire testing, demonstrating adaptability and efficiency across emerging risks.
Over the past three decades, water mist technology has developed into one of the most versatile and efficient fire protection solutions available. Its ability to deliver high suppression performance with minimal water usage has made it suitable across a wide range of applications, from commercial kitchens to tunnels, buildings, transportation systems, industrial facilities and increasingly complex infrastructure environments.
A defining feature of water mist systems is their performance-based nature. Unlike more prescriptive technologies, water mist solutions are typically validated through fire testing tailored to specific applications. This has driven an exceptional level of research and development within the industry. In many sectors, including marine, tunnel and special hazard protection, large-scale fire testing programmes have been led by water mist manufacturers and research organisations.
While standards such as the EN 14972 series have matured significantly and now cover many common applications, the pace of technological change continues to outstrip standardisation. New risks emerge faster than formal test protocols can be developed and adopted. In practice, this means that tailored fire testing remains essential. The water mist industry has demonstrated a strong capacity to respond rapidly to these emerging risks through targeted research programmes, often supported by public funding and international collaboration.
Two recent research initiatives are presented as examples illustrating this capability and the suitability of water mist for modern fire safety challenges.
Battery Energy Storage Systems
As lithium-ion batteries are increasingly installed indoors for energy storage, questions around fire safety are becoming more prominent. Thermal runaway events can escalate quickly, producing significant heat and venting toxic and flammable gases inside a battery room, which not only contribute to potentially rapid fire growth but also introduce an explosion risk if the vented gases are allowed to accumulate. To study these scenarios and their interactions with different suppression technologies, RISE Fire Research in Norway has conducted a series of unit scale fire experiments. These experiments, carried out as part of the SafeBESS project, included evaluations of both high and low pressure water mist in a purpose built battery room.
The experiments were conducted inside a 3 × 6 × 3 metre battery room. The room was equipped with balanced mechanical ventilation, deflagration panels, gas and smoke detection, and many temperature, pressure and gas measurement points. A multi module lithium-ion battery cabinet equipped with NMC pouch cell modules representative of indoor battery energy storage systems was installed. The room was further equipped with several fixed suppression systems, including high pressure water mist, low pressure water mist, a sprinkler system and an IG 541 inert gas system. Thermal runaway was intentionally triggered by applying controlled electrical heating to four neighbouring pouch cells within one module.
