CSD International has released its latest product, the Crusher Plug, for the fire-resistant ducting of plastic pipes. The company from Aalten, the Netherlands, said in a release that the plug could be used to duct pipes through decks and bulkheads on board ships and through walls and ceilings in buildings.

Explaining how it works, CSD said: "Where plastic pipes are ducted as part of sanitation systems, for example, they pose a serious source of problems in the event of a fire.

"At a temperature of about 75 degrees C the plastic softens, and spontaneous ignition occurs at about 140 degrees C. This allows the fire to spread via the resultant opening in the deck/bulkhead or wall/ceiling, as the case may be.

"The new crusher plug provides a solution for this problem. The plug is based on a newly developed rubber type FRR-E (fire resistant rubber-expanding). When exposed to flames or to temperatures above 200 degrees C, the rubber expands to over 10 times its original volume, and as a result totally compresses even aluminium pipes. Consequently the conduit opening, which carries the pipe, is totally closed and the fire is prevented from spreading any further."

The plug is easy to instal and the installation can be done after the pipe has been laid, according to the company. As well as being fire-resistant, the CE-certified CSD sealing plugs are also gas and water tight. The company recalled that the CSD Crusher Plugs were successfully fire tested to IMO resolution A.754(18) by the Warrington Fire Research Institute in England. The plugs are CE-approved by Bureau Veritas.