Large order from New Delhi:
Minimax to provide security for new airport building
Delhi International Airport is the most important gateway to India. Located to the south-west of the Indian capital, New Delhi, the international airport provides a crucial connection between India and the rest of the world and serves as a hub for Indian airlines. Each year, around 16 million international passengers go through its gates. In the space of two years, this figure will most likely double to approx. 32 million passengers: by March 2010 a new, state-of-the-art terminal will cater for the international airport traffic – Terminal 3.
Work began on the new terminal in December 2006 with the project scheduled for completion within a period of just over three years. With an area of two square kilometres, Terminal 3 will be the fastest completed airport project of this magnitude in the world. The total costs for this major project will run to two billion dollars.
Minimax was given the contract for fire safety throughout Terminal 3: a dense network of 85,000 sprinklers will protect all areas of the new airport building from fire hazards. The entire length of the pipework will amount to some 400 kilometres. Four pumps running on electric and diesel power will supply water to the sprinkler system. The construction standard used in the sprinkler system is the North American NFPA norm and the system will conform to seismic design category 5.
To adequately protect sensitive switch rooms and systems, 75 extinguishing systems and 54 low-pressure fine-spray sprinkler systems, 550 interior and exterior hydrants, and 10,600 water, powder, foam and CO2 extinguishers will be installed for mobile extinguishing right at the site of the fire.
The fire detection system is an additional fundamental component intrinsic to the responsible security management of Delhi International Airport: 34,000 fire alarms, connected to a total of 163 fire detection control panels, will detect and protect against fire hazards and incipient fires 24 hours a day.
In total, this immense fire protection project employs over 900 engineers, business staff and fitters. By November 2009, Minimax’s job will be done and the new Delhi International Airport Terminal 3 building will be fully fire-protected.