MXPA98003312A - Passive systems for fire protection in conduct - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a passive fire protection system for the protection of conduits, cable boxes, support rods, and structural steel against fire and heat in a severe total fire-type environment such as a hydrocarbon fire. which includes a flexible (11, 12, 13, 14) multilayer material (laminate) containing a plurality of layers of intumescent materials. This multi-layer material (11, 12, 13, 14) is configured to provide a containment system for the carbonaceous foam arising from the expansion of intumescent materials

Description

PASSIVE SYSTEMS FOR THE PROTECTION OF FIRE IN DUCTS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the design of a passive system for fire protection and more particularly, to an insulating and resistant / fire retardant casing suitable for protecting conduits, cable boxes, support rods, structural components and others. of destruction during a fire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The following are three types of materials that have been used to protect conduits, cable boxes, support rods, structural steel, and other construction materials from excess heat during a fire and to retard the fire itself: (1) wrappers of insulation, (2) endothermic wraps, and (3) coatings and intumescent materials. Each category of these insulating materials has its disadvantages.

There are two main problems with insulation wrappings such as alumina silica blankets or mineral wool blankets. In order to achieve appropriate fire protection in a severe total fire-type environment, viz, a hydrocarbon fire, the material has to be very thick and as a result it causes the two inherent problems in such systems. First, the fact that the material is coarse causes problems with the spaces between the protected article and the adjacent or interfering articles. Second, insulation systems cause a problem during normal operations due to the insulating factor. This problem is called "ampacity reduction", which means that the heat generated by electrical cables inside the conduit or cable box is restricted from escaping and causes the level of operation to remain within the permissible current in such cables is reduced and overheating will occur . As the fire protection requirement becomes more severe, this "catch 22" will be more difficult since the only way to increase the fire protection effect is to make the system thicker. When using this option to try to solve fire problems, it is common for the user to have to reduce the product of the amperage of the system inside the conduit or cable box, thus losing the efficiency originally designed in the systems. Endothermic materials are composed of compounds that are activated in a fire situation by dividing at the molecular level and releasing enclosed water that then cools the protected article. The most common example of this is alumina tri-hydrate, which is a dry white powder that releases large amounts of water at approximately 593,274 ° C. A well-known endothermic product is the NTERAM ™ E-50 series I flexible wrap systems available from 3M Fire Protection Products, St. Paul, Minnesota. Endothermic wrapping materials have proven useful in fire protection in that some "thick" problems inherent in insulation systems are somewhat reduced, but endothermic have their own problems. Due to the fact that the material has water molecules enclosed in dry form, the packaging of the total system tends to be quite heavy. Also, there is still a problem with inherent insulating properties in products such as the 3M I NTERAM ™ E-50 wrapping system as the system is usually installed in several layers with careful sealing requirements on all joints to maintain water that will be released in a fire. The net effect of this is that, in everyday operations, the heat is still enclosed within the system leading to reduced ampacity. Endotherms, such as the 3M I NTERAM ™ E-50 wrapping system, are also usually difficult to install, with very high associated labor costs. Also, once installed, these systems are very difficult to remove and replace in order to do maintenance work on electrical conduits or cable boxes. Intumescent products have recently gained a high level of interest due to the problems associated with insulations and endotherms as noted above. Intumescent materials are products that "grow" or "thicken" only when exposed to heat, creating a layer of insulation that separates the protected article from fire. A main advantage of intumescent materials is that the unreacted material is very thin and not insulating. This feature makes the intumescent materials ideal for insulating conduits and cable boxes, since these materials do not require reduction of ampacity such as insulation and endothermic systems. In addition, these materials are simpler to install than insulation or endothermic systems. In fact, intumescent materials are often applied as a light weight coating over the area to be protected. In general, intumescent coatings are a preferred insulating material since they are thin, non-insulating (except in a fire), and light in weight. However, there are two serious problems with the use of intumescent products that make it difficult to provide consistent insulating protection. These two problems are: (1) The carbonaceous "foam" that arises when the intumescent materials expand when exposed to heat, is always very fragile and is usually damaged by the turbulence of a fire. In addition, expanded intumescent materials will commonly leave the coated surfaces due to the force of gravity. This fragile nature of the intumescent materials leads to the formation of "fissures" in the material that allow heat to penetrate the protected surfaces. These fissures appear randomly and give the system an incalculable skill quality that is undesirable for fire protection systems. These "fissures" are prominent in particular where intumescent materials have been used on curved surfaces or at the cornof sudden turns. (2) In addition to fissure formation, when expanded intumescent materials are exposed to direct heat and fire in a Hydrocarbon Fire Exposure Test, the external carbonaceous foam that is in direct contact with the fire tends to be eroded, as well exposing lower layof materials. The lower layalso undergo erosion, causing a geometric reduction in the effectiveness of the product over time. This erosion effect increases the incalculable ability of the system. In addition, this erosion of materials accelerates the growth of the aforementioned "cracks", once formed. In this way, there is a need for a fire protection system that can take advantage of the favorable qualities of the intumescent materials, at the same time providing a means to stabilize the carbonaceous foam that arises from the reaction of intumescent materials with heat. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system that can stabilize the expanded intumescent materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fire protection system that is easily formed to meet the specific needs for fire protection of different environments. Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible fire protective envelope that can be easily installed, removed or replaced in conduits, cable boxes, support rods and structural members. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fire protection system with low ampacity reduction, lightweight, thin. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a fire protection system that can be custom-made with ease to any size or shape structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention meets the need discussed above when describing a multilayer containment system for intumescent materials. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a fire protection system is provided that contains multiple layers of fire resistant materials with intrinsic materials located between the layers of fire resistant materials. The resulting multilayer material provides a flexible wrap that provides stability to expanded intumescent materials. In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a fire protection system is provided that includes alternate layers of fire-resistant materials and intumescent material that is designed to expand one layer at a time and that will expand in all directions to provide a system consistent and effective fire guard. A feature and advantage of the present invention is that it provides a thin, lightweight fire protection system with a low ampacity reduction. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it provides a fire protection system that takes advantage of the favorable qualities of the intumescent materials and stabilizes the carbonaceous material that arises from the expansion of the intumescents in response to heat. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it provides a fire protection system that can be optimized to meet the needs for fire protection of different environments. Another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it is easily installed, removed and / or replaced in conduits, cable boxes, support rods, and any other structural member. Yet another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it allows the intumescent material to expand evenly in all directions, no matter which configuration is being protected. Yet another feature and advantage of the present invention is that it provides a protective system that can be made to fit any size or shape structure. A further feature and advantage of the present invention is that it provides a fire protection system that is non-toxic to plants and animals, does not contain petroleum derivatives, and does not essentially generate smoke during exposure to fire or heat. The foregoing has in some way delineated the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order to better understand the detailed description of the invention below. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described after forming the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the concept and the specific embodiments described may readily be used as a basis for modifying or designating other structures to accomplish the same purpose of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should realize that said equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of the multilayer material used in the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention, illustrating the manner in which the layers of material are folded; Figure 3 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, illustrating the manner in which the layers of material are folded; Figure 4 is a rear view of one embodiment of the multilayer material, showing a method used to secure both sides of the material during manufacture; Figure 5 is an end view of an insulating strip showing a mode that allows the joints to overlap during the installation of the strip; Figure 6 is a cut drawing of two overlapping strips illustrated in Figure 5; Figure 7 is an end view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention installed around a typical duct; Figure 8 shows a typical complete installation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention over an electrical conduit; Figure 9A is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention installed around a cable box; Figure 9B is an end view of an embodiment of the present invention installed around a cable box; Figure 10 illustrates the growth stages of an embodiment of the present invention during a fire situation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the design and manufacture of an improved passive fire protection system used to protect conduits, cable boxes, support rods, and structural steel from the fire and heat of a total fire-type environment, such as a hydrocarbon fire. Referring now to the drawings, and initially to Figure 1, it is emphasized that the figures, or drawings, are not intended to be scaled. For example, simply for clarity in the drawings, the thicknesses and spaces of the layers are not made as they actually exist in the assembled modalities. Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of a flexible multilayer material (laminate) 10 that is used to construct a protective or fire-insulating wrapper. For example, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is composed of four layers of heat resistant materials. An exploded view of those layers is seen on the left side of Figure 1. The component layers of this material in multiple layers 10 may be composed of the same heat resistant materials or different heat resistant materials. Separated between the layers of fire-resistant materials is a high-level intumescent material that will expand significantly during a fire. Although any fire-resistant material can be used in the present invention, preferred embodiments will include metal foils, fire resistant fabrics, or a combination of materials such as aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, fiberglass or silica cloth. of alumina. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1. In this embodiment, layers of fire resistant material numbered 1 1, 12 and 1 3 are made in Figure 1 from thin sheets of aluminum (such as 0.002 or 0.003 gauge sheets) and a folded layer 14 of a material is made fiberglass Preferred embodiments of the fire protection system include at least one layer of bent material. The material can be folded in any number of configurations. It can be bent in S, folded in accordion or in folds, as shown in figure 1 by the folds 17. The number and size of folds 17 is variable. These variations depend on the degree of fire protection required. Preferred embodiments of the present invention have folds 17 in the bent layer 14 that extend longitudinally into the material in multiple layers 10. Examples of preferred intumescent materials that can be used in the present invention to keep these materials layered together are intumescent upset material of 3M CP-25 obtainable from 3M Fire Protection Products, St. Paul, Minnesota, or an FX-100 coating material available from Fíame Seal Products, Inc., Houston, Texas. In this manner, the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figure 1 has four layers of heat resistant material held together with three layers of intumescent materials. As the expansion capacity of the intumescent materials used in the invention is greater, the fire protection ability of the insulating envelope will be greater. The preferred intumescent materials will have an expansion capacity of 700% or more. However, materials that have lower degrees of expansion may be sufficient in certain applications depending on the amount of intumescent used between the layers, the size of the bends, and the distance between the bends. A preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes two lower layers of .002 caliber aluminum foil, a medium layer of very heat resistant glass fiber, and a top layer of .003 caliber aluminum foil. The top layer uses a heavier .003 aluminum foil to increase the strength and durability of the insulating sheath during installation and daily use. The lower layers use a thinner sheet since the lower layers are protected during daily use and the thinner sheet reduces the total weight of the insulating wrapper. The outer layer of leaf is sacrificed in a fire and burns or substantially sublimes after about 3-5 minutes. The laminated multilayer material 10 described above is bent or folded when made in a fire guard or insulating wrap. These folds or bends 15, shown on the right side of Figure 1, are located on the sides on the material in multiple layers 10 approximately perpendicular to the folds 17 in the folded layer 14. Said bends 15 may be folds or bends in S simple as shown in figure 1. The number, configuration and size of the bends 15 may vary according to the degree of fire protection required, the expandability of the intumescent materials, and the size and shape of the protected surface. The primary containment of the intumescent materials is achieved by the system design of the insulating envelope. The bends 15 in the multi-layer material will typically expand, or unfold, during the first 10-15 minutes of a fire. The folds 17 in the bent layer 14 will also contribute significantly to the containment of the expanded intumescent materials. The bends 15 and plies 17 allow linear growth of the insulating shell as the intumescent material expands thus allowing the insulating shell to expand around interference structures and joined joints. These bends and folds also allow the system to expand to seal any penetration of the system. The ability of the present invention to expand in a fairly uniform diameter around protected structures during a fire, minimizes the heat exposure of the protected structure at all points in the system including sudden corners, joined joints, and points of structures that cross. Figures 2 and 3 show side views of preferred bent configurations in which the above laminate 10 is formed. The bends 15 are shown as one X wide and spaced at a distance Y from the center of a bend 15 to the center of the adjacent bend 15. An example of bends 15 in the configuration illustrated in Figure 2 would be the bends 15 which are 2.54 cm wide and spaced approximately 5.08 cm from the center of a bend to the center of the adjacent bend. Figure 3 illustrates an alternative configuration in which a similar folding of 2.54 cm would be separated so that the distance from the center of a bend to the center of the adjacent bend would be approximately 2.54 cm. The width of the bends 15 and the distance between the bends 1 5 determine the "unfolded" length of the material and contribute to the final size of the perimeter of the expanded insulating shell exposed to a fire. For example, a space of 2.54 cm between the center of adjacent bends of 2.54 cm in width, as illustrated in Figure 3, produces an expansion capacity of three times the original circumference (or perimeter) of the protected article. The spaces of 5.08 cm between bends of 2.54 in width, as illustrated in Figure 2, produce an expansion capacity of twice the original circumference (or perimeter). Figure 4 illustrates how the bends 15 in a preferred embodiment of the insulating wrap are secured to maintain the shape of the insulating wrapper for installation and daily use. The folded configuration of the multilayer material 10 is ensured by using an adhesive, such as an epoxy or a contact adhesive, between the surfaces of the bends 15. When the bends 15 are S-bent, as shown in Figure 4, adhesive is placed on both sides of the middle section 42 of the bend 15 The adhesive will maintain the insulating shell in its desired configuration during normal use, yet release the S-bend layers as each layer reaches a certain temperature and melts or softens the adhesive to allow the S-bend layer to expand and Separate from the next layer. Preferred embodiments of the insulative wrap also have a fire resistant adhesive material 46, such as an aluminum or industrial stainless steel tape, which lies over the length of the underside (or inner side) of the insulating wrapper. The lower adhesive material 46 can be cut to the appropriate length to adjust the dimensions of the protected article or surface.

This lower adhesive material 46 serves two purposes. One purpose is to help maintain the insulating wrapper in its everyday configuration. The other purpose is to ensure that the insulating material is held tightly against the protected article or structure during the fire expansion process. The lower adhesive material 46 will continue to secure the insulating wrapper to the protected surface during a fire since the insulating wrap will protect the protected surface from the type of high temperatures that would cause the insulating material to soften and allow the insulating wrap to disengage from the surface protected. By keeping the insulating wrap firmly in place around the protected surface, the expanded intumescent material will compact as each subsequent layer begins its expansion. The lower adhesive material 46 will thus allow the insulating material to expand in response to very high temperatures in an approximately symmetrical manner. As the insulating shell is exposed to heat, its outer layers will expand away from the protected surface as described in detail below. This symmetrical expansion prevents the system from obtaining a "bell-shaped" configuration during a fire which could result in pressure points located on the outer surface of the insulating shell and lead to cracks in the insulating shell. In this way, the lower adhesive material contributes to the ability of the insulating shell to undergo a uniform expansion in all directions adding to the efficient operation of the fire protection system. The insulating wrapper can be made in any number of configurations, shapes and sizes to fit any shape and size of surface or structural article. However, a convenient embodiment of the insulating wrapper is produced in strips 50. One or both ends of the strip 50 may have a narrow area, typically 2.54 cm wide, wherein the multilayer material 10 was constructed with an amount minimum of intumescent material to provide a thinner area, approximately one-half the regular thickness of the insulating sheath. This thinner area 55, as shown in Figure 5, provides a means for overlapping two strips 50 and ensuring that they overlap with a heat resistant insurance device 68, such as a stainless steel strip as shown in Figure 6. When the insulating shell expands during exposure to a fire, the intumescent materials will expand around the securing device 68 to protect the securing device 68 and prevent the production of "hot spots" on the protected surface. The ability to overlap thinner areas 55 provides an easy means to protect the surface 62. Figure 7 illustrates a method for joining the sides of the insulating wrapper where it has been wrapped around an electrical conduit 72 containing electrical wires 75. If The insulating wrap has been constructed so that it has a space between the bends 15, the insulating wrapper is easy to cut in such space and to join when using latches 78, such as stainless steel rings. Typically when the insulating sheath is installed in an electrical conduit 72, a latch 78 is placed each% to 2.54 cm apart on the linear joints of the insulating sheath as illustrated in Figure 8. The site where the latch 78 secures two sides of insulating wrap together can be covered with a metal adhesive tape. Although not essential, this tape adds to the appearance of the fire protection system and helps reduce the accumulation of moisture in the locks 78. Figure 8 shows the insulating sheath installed in a typical electrical conduit. Figures 9A and B show a strip 50 of the insulating sheath installed in a typical electrical cable box 92. Now changing the operation of the insulating material, the figure is a series of five drawings showing the growth stages of the described preferred embodiment of the insulating material during exposure to a fire. Figure 10A shows the insulating sheath illustrated in Figure 1 before it has been exposed to a fire. Figure 10B shows the initial activation of the fire protection system. In Figure 10B the bends 15 have been released and have increased to approximately a 90 ° angle as the internal pressures of the expanding intumescent materials begin to exert their effect. The resulting pressures of the expanding intumescent materials will seek a state of equilibrium, and therefore, due to this design, they will produce a symmetrical expansion around the protected surface. A main advantage of the present invention is that even if the insulating shell breaks or erodes, at a point where the pressure of the expanding intumescents, the expanded material will fill this break in the system, thus providing an auto system. -heating. During this initial activation stage, the outer layer of aluminum foil will burn and expose the layer of intumescent material that protects the folded glass fiber layer. Figure 10C shows the first expansion process when the first layer of intumescent material has been expanded. The expanded intumescent material will insulate the lower layers of intumescent material and delay their expansion. In Figure 10D, two layers of intumescent material are shown to expand. The outer layer of intumescent material and the first layer under the folded fiberglass layer move towards a state of equilibrium. Figure 10E shows the final configuration of the expanded insulating shell. At this point, the bends 15 and folds 17 have expanded to their design limit, the two upper layers of intumescent material have expanded to a state of equilibrium, the bottom layer of intumescent material remains in its original state against the surface protected, and the expanded ntumescent material has been compacted and reached a state of equilibrium with a common density throughout the system.

An advantage of the present invention is that it is designed to include enough intumescent material that even after it has been fully expanded, has residual expansion ability. This design feature essentially eliminates the problem of fissure formation since the expanded intumescent material will always be in the process of "compaction" during a fire situation as an intumescent material expands. Once the entire system has fully expanded and all the intumescent material has reacted and reached a balance, the expanded insulating shell will act like any other insulating material. This fact is only one of the considerations that is taken into consideration when deciding how thick the final system should be after completing the expansion. The fire protective effectiveness of the present invention has been tested for the preferred embodiment described above. The insulating wrap was installed around a 2.54 cm duct and the wrapped duct was placed in an oven. Two Teflon-lined thermocouples (T / C 1 and T / C 2 in Table 1) were placed in the oven to record the temperature of the oven and two thermocouples were placed (T / C 3 and T / C 4 in Table 1) ) on the surface of the duct under the insulating jacket to measure the temperature of the duct during the test procedure. The furnace was ignited and in 7 minutes reached 1093,224 ° C and maintained at about that temperature for 30 minutes as recorded by T / C 1 and T / C 2 and as set forth in Table 1. The surface of the duct efficiently protected from flames and heat of 1093,224 ° C. In fact, the surface of the duct (as recorded by T / C 3 and T / C 4) was consistently less than 121 ° C throughout the 30-minute test as seen in Table 1. The design of the present invention, a protective envelope and fire insulation, uses the ability of intumescents to expand in volume during a fire, when protection is needed. In this way, the insulating shell can be installed as a thin, lightweight and non-insulating material. Furthermore, the present invention solves the existing problems with the use of intumescent coatings (ie the formation of fissures and the detachment of the carbonaceous material expanded by the turbulence of a fire). The present invention contains the intumescent material within the system as it expands, as the leaf design contains popcorn that expands in the JIFFY POP ™ product. The design can vary according to the severity of the fire protection requirement by adjusting the amount of intumescent material in the layers, adding more layers and adjusting the size and dimension of the S-bends to produce a larger expanded diameter. An improvement of the insulating effect of this invention is realized when separate, progressive "layers" of intumescent materials are designed to grow outward towards fire or heat or not at the same time, thus protecting and delaying the successive lower layers of expanding outwards. This delayed effect on the internal intumescent layers creates an endothermic effect, in addition to the insulating and heat absorbing properties of the intumescent materials that expand. The protected lower layers, during the expansion of the upper layers of intumescent materials, release water in the slow process of exposure and heat growth, thus cooling the protected article with greater efficiency. During the exposure and growth of successive layers towards the fire, the lower layers are protected by three mechanisms that operate at the same time. 1. The reaction temperature of most intumescent products is from 177 ° C to 260 ° C. As long as there is any unreacted product within the system, the layer directly below the reaction product will not reach its reaction temperature. 2. As the carbonaceous foam forms and grows, a thicker insulating layer forms and acts purely as an insulator. 3. As the temperature increases, the exposure of internal layers of intumescent material at moderate temperatures will release water producing an endothermic effect, thus temporarily preventing the temperature of the inner layers of the insulating envelope from exceeding 100 ° C due to the boiling point of water . The present invention will also temporarily trap any vapor that forms which will also reduce the rate of temperature increase over 100 ° C. In short, the growing material isolates lower layers and causes them to take longer to react or grow. As the heat accumulates and the first layer of intumescent materials reacts, the second layer is protected from heat. Once the heat passes the first layer of intumescent material, or the insulating envelope has completed its first phase of growth, the next layer of intumescent material reacts and grows outwardly comparing more the carbonaceous foam that emerges from the expansion of the first layer of intumescents. The expansion of the second layer of intumescents protects the third layer of intumescents from reacting and expanding to heat, and so on until the entire system expands to its final size and all the intumescent materials inside are compacted within the containment system provided by the Heat resistant materials that are layered throughout the system. All this process, plus the endothermic effects and successive reaction processes described above, takes time to complete since the whole process is cyclic in nature. Once the system has fully reacted and expanded to the maximum, the resulting insulating envelope will act strictly as an insulating material of considerable thickness. Although the present invention has been described in relation to the ducts, cable boxes, support bars, and structural steel in a petrochemical environment, the present invention can be used if fire protection is needed such as in a house or office building. The configuration of the insulating material is easily made to fit any article in a circular, square, rectangular or irregular shape. As described above, the design uses metallic sheet layers and fire resistant fabrics to contain the intumescent materials and protect them from direct contact with the fire environment. However, modifications can be made to withstand more serious situations such as explosions or impulse fires by using an outer layer of stainless steel sheet and a lower layer of stainless steel mesh for stronger system integrity. The invention provides industry with an ideal product for fire protection of conduits, cable boxes, support rods, and structural steel as it has the following properties: (1) Delgado; (2) Light weight; (3) Low ampacity reduction (not insulating except in a fire); (4) Facility installation (one layer, simple techniques); (5) It can be removed and reinstalled; (6) Safe and environmentally friendly; and (7) Tailor made easily to any size and shape structure.

After having described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is believed that other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to those skilled in the art in view of the description set forth above. Therefore, it should be understood that all variations, modifications and changes are believed to fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

1. CLAIMS 1 .- A system for fire protection comprising: a folded sheet of fire resistant material, said folded sheet having a plurality of bends that are substantially parallel to each other; a flexible layer of heat resistant material; and a layer of an intumescent material located between said bent sheet and said flexible layer, said intumescent material that expands when subjected to elevated temperatures; wherein said folded sheet will unfold in response to the expansion of said intumescent material to provide stability to said expanded intumescent materials.
2. 2. The system for fire protection according to claim 1, wherein said layer of heat resistant material is composed of a metal foil.
3. 3. The system for fire protection according to claim 2, wherein said metal sheet is aluminum sheet.
4. 4. The system for fire protection according to claim 1, wherein said folded sheet of fire resistant material is composed of glass fiber.
5. 5. The system for fire protection according to claim 1, wherein said intumescent material has an expansion capacity of approximately 700% or more. 6. - The system for fire protection according to claim 1, wherein said intumescent material is FX-100 intumescent. 7. The fire protection system according to claim 1, wherein said folded sheet, said flexible layer of heat resistant material and said intumescent material are assembled in a multilayer casing and folded to form a plurality of bends that are substantially perpendicular to said plurality of bends in said folded sheet. 8. The fire protection system according to claim 1, further comprising a metal adhesive tape, wherein one side of said metal tape is adhered to a surface being protected by said system for fire protection and a second side of said metallic tape is adhered to said flexible layer of heat-resistant material, said metallic tape useful in the installation of said system for fire protection. 9. A fire protection system comprising: a plurality of sheets of metal foil; a fiberglass material having a plurality of primary bends therein; and a plurality of ntumescent layers, said intumescent layers disposed between said metallic foil sheets and between said metallic foil and said glass fiber material; wherein said metal foil, said glass fiber material, and said intumescent layers are assembled in a multilayer casing having a plurality of secondary bends, said secondary bends extending in a direction approximately parallel to said primary bends. 10. - The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said secondary bends are unfolded in response to the expansion of said intumescent layers when said intumescent layers react to heat. 1 .- The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said metal sheet is aluminum. 12. - The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said primary bends will unfold as said intumescent layers expand in response to increased temperatures. 13. The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said intumescent layers are composed of an intumescent with an expansion capacity of approximately 700% or more. 14. The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said intumescent layers are composed of intumescent FX-100. 15. - The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said insulating envelope has three layers of intumescent material. 16. The fire protection system according to claim 9, wherein said intumescent layers are configured so that said layers will react to the heat in sequence. 17. A method for manufacturing a fire protection system, said method comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of sheets of heat-resistant material; providing a folded sheet of fire resistant material having a plurality of primary bends; provide an intumescent material; assembling an envelope in multiple layers by placing said intumescent material between said sheets of heat resistant material and between said folded sheet and said heat resistant material; and folding said envelope into multiple layers to form a plurality of secondary bends that are substantially perpendicular to said primary bends; wherein said primary and secondary bends will unfold as said intumescent material expands in response to elevated temperatures.