With the IMO PFOS prohibition under Resolution MSC.532(107) entering into force on 1 January 2026, every Thai operator running a foam-based fire-protection system on or near the water faces the same procurement question: which PFAS-free concentrate do we standardise on, and how do we prove it works with the proportioner we already own?
This post is not a brand recommendation. It is a working testing checklist for Thai EHS managers, EPC reviewers and corporate fire-protection leads scoping a retrofit alongside a FireDos GEN III proportioner upgrade. The two AR-grade PFAS-free product families most often evaluated in Thai marine and tank-farm scoping are BIOEX ECOPOL from France and the VERSAGARD family from Perimeter Solutions in the United States — both 3×3, alcohol-resistant, fluorine-free, and listed across the relevant approval stacks. The decision between them is shaped by the binding listing language, the existing proportioner, and the underwriter network — not by SATU.
SATU’s role: we scope and run the compatibility test. We do not recommend a brand. Whichever concentrate you choose, it must be proven against the proportioner before sign-off, and the listing stack must match what your underwriter and class society want to see.
The five things that must be tested before specifying
1. Proportioning-rate accuracy with the actual proportioner
NFPA 11 requires the proportioning rate to stay within the design band — typically 3% +0.3 / -0 percentage points for a 3% concentrate. AR-grade fluorine-free concentrates are usually more viscous than legacy AR-AFFF and are sometimes pseudoplastic, which means they behave differently at low flow. Until the rate is measured at full and partial flow against the installed proportioner with the candidate concentrate, the system is not commissioning-ready.
FireDos GEN III water-driven proportioners (FD2000, FD6000, FD10000, FD20000) are foam-agnostic by design and are FM Approved across a 1:15 turndown, but the seal package must be matched to the chosen concentrate, and the resulting rate must still be witnessed and logged.
2. Listing stack alignment
The binding listings vary by site. Marine and FSRU work usually requires IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312 + MED Wheelmark; tank-farm and refinery work usually requires UL 162, FM 5130, and EN 1568 Parts 3 and 4 at the 1A/1A class; aviation and helideck work requires ICAO Level B or Level C. The candidate concentrate must satisfy every listing the underwriter and class society name in the spec — not just one or two of them.
3. Design density at the discharge device
The application rate at the discharge device must meet the NFPA 11 (2024 edition) minimums for the protected hazard. For Class IB and IC hydrocarbons in fixed-roof tanks the minimum is 4.1 L/min/m² at the foam-water solution; for external floating-roof rim seals the minimum is 12.2 L/min/m² over the rim seal area. For polar-solvent service the rate is raised per the manufacturer’s listing-specific guidance. The candidate concentrate must be tested at the design density the discharge device actually delivers, not at a marketing-data-sheet number.
4. Seal-material compatibility
Older bladder-tank and balanced-pressure proportioners were sealed for AR-AFFF. AR-grade fluorine-free concentrates may degrade the existing seal package. The compatibility test must therefore include a soak-and-recheck on the actual O-rings, gaskets and diaphragms in the proportioner, with photographs and durometer readings before and after. If the existing seals fail, plan the seal-package change as part of the retrofit, not as a warranty surprise.
5. Foam-expansion and drainage behaviour at the working nozzle
Each concentrate’s foam expansion and 25% drainage time differs at the working nozzle — semi-aspirating, aspirating and system nozzles all behave differently. The crew that responds to the fire must train on the actual expansion behaviour of the concentrate that has been installed, not the one that was there last year. Capture expansion ratio and drainage time during commissioning and put both on the ITM record.
The two AR-grade families most often evaluated in Thailand
BIOEX ECOPOL family
BIOEX, headquartered in France, launched the first multipurpose Class A/B fluorine-free foam in 2002. The variants typically evaluated for Thai sites are:
- ECOPOL Premium — alcohol-resistant fluorine-free foam: IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312 listed, MED Wheelmark certified for marine fire-protection use, EN 1568 Parts 3 and 4 (1A/1A on hydrocarbons and polar solvents), LASTFIRE, UL 162 and GESIP. AR-grade for hydrocarbons and polar solvents at 3%.
- ECOPOL F3HC — 3% Class B hydrocarbon foam, EN 1568-3 Class 1A, GreenScreen Certified Silver. Hydrocarbon-only.
- ECOPOL A+ — ICAO Level B and Level C synthetic F3 for aviation and helideck protection.
- ECOPOL N — Newtonian fluorine-free formulation with viscosity close to AFFF; designed to minimise proportioner re-tuning, but the proportioning rate must still be measured before sign-off.
VERSAGARD family by Perimeter Solutions
The VERSAGARD line is Perimeter Solutions’ next-generation AR fluorine-free flagship, built on a long F3 history. The variant most commonly evaluated for Thai marine and tank-farm service is:
- VERSAGARD AS-100 3×3 — alcohol-resistant fluorine-free foam, 3% on hydrocarbons / 3% on polar solvents / 1% on Class A: UL 162 Listed, IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312 certified, EN 1568:2018 Parts 1–4 (1A/1A — 1A/1A on hydrocarbons and polar solvents, fresh and sea water), ICAO Level B, LASTFIRE Good/Good/Good (semi-aspirating, aspirating and system nozzles), GreenScreen Certified Silver. The concentrate’s defining characteristic is no significant viscosity change in the presence of water, which protects long-term proportioner accuracy.
NFPA 11 application rates — both families
Both BIOEX ECOPOL Premium and VERSAGARD AS-100 are designed for use at the application densities specified in NFPA 11 for AR-AFFF-equivalent fluorine-free foam:
- Fixed monitor and foam-chamber service on hydrocarbon storage tanks: typically 4.1 L/min/m², with discharge time set per the tank type and hazard.
- Polar-solvent service: design density per the NFPA 11 table for water-miscible fuels (raised over hydrocarbon rate) and listing-specific guidance from the manufacturer.
- Sub-surface and semi-subsurface injection: rate and discharge time per the relevant NFPA 11 chapters, with supplier confirmation of compatibility.
Proportioning rate is 3% for both AR-grade products. The application rate against the specific concentrate listing letter must be confirmed on every retrofit before sizing the FireDos proportioner.
Storage and stability
BIOEX ECOPOL Premium is supplied in PE drums and IBCs and has a manufacturer-stated long-term stability when stored in original containers within the recommended temperature range.
VERSAGARD AS-100 is supplied in 20 L and 25 L PE prismatic containers, 200 L PE cylindrical drums and 1,000 L IBCs, with a recommended storage temperature range of 0°C to +50°C. Annual sample testing per NFPA 11 and EN 13565-2 is required for both families.
Compatibility with FireDos GEN III
FireDos GEN III FD2000, FD6000, FD10000 and FD20000 proportioners are foam-agnostic by design, with the seal package selected for the specific concentrate. In Thai retrofits SATU routinely commissions FireDos with:
- BIOEX ECOPOL Premium and ECOPOL F3HC for tank farms, jetty manifolds and FSRU service
- BIOEX ECOPOL A+ for helideck and aviation
- VERSAGARD AS-100 3×3 for tank farms, mixed hydrocarbon-and-polar-solvent service, jetty manifolds and FSRU duty
Mobile responses use the FireDos M-series monitors — M2 (500 to 2,500 L/min), M4 (2,000 to 8,000 L/min) and M9 (scalable across 10,000 to 40,000 L/min where the supply allows; design throw at 30° elevation; 5 m mounting height; available as fixed monitor or trailer-mounted) — with portable proportioners selected to match the chosen concentrate.
IMO 2026 marine certifications at a glance
Both lead products carry the marine-side certifications required for the IMO 1 January 2026 PFOS transition under MSC.532(107). The verified citations are:
- BIOEX ECOPOL Premium — IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312 listed, MED/3.58 Wheelmark, EN 1568 Parts 1–4, LASTFIRE, UL 162, GESIP. AR-grade for hydrocarbons and polar solvents at 3%.
- VERSAGARD AS-100 3×3 — UL 162 Listed, IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312, EN 1568:2018 Parts 1–4 (1A/1A — 1A/1A on hydrocarbons and polar solvents, fresh & sea water), ICAO Level B, LASTFIRE Good/Good/Good (semi/asp/system), GreenScreen Certified Silver. AR-grade for hydrocarbons and polar solvents at 3%; 1% on Class A.
- BIOEX ECOPOL F3HC — EN 1568-3 Class 1A, GreenScreen Certified Silver. Hydrocarbon-only.
- BIOEX ECOPOL A+ — ICAO Level B and Level C.
For a deeper dive into the IMO 2026 transition itself and the supporting NFPA 11 design view, see our companion posts: IMO 2026 PFOS foam ban for Thai operators and NFPA 11 compliance for Thai refineries and tank farms. For details on the proportioner side of any retrofit, see the FireDos partner page and the broader SATU services portfolio.
Talk to SATU before specifying
SATU Innovative is the FireDos service partner in Thailand and works alongside both BIOEX and the VERSAGARD family into the local market. We provide the audit, the engineered retrofit, and the post-commissioning ITM documentation in one scope — including the proportioner-and-concentrate compatibility test that any PFAS-free retrofit must be signed off against. Request a Quote and we will return a scoped proposal within five working days.
External References
- IMO MSC.532(107) and SOLAS Chapter II-2 PFOS amendments — imo.org — FSS Code and SOLAS fire safety
- BIOEX ECOPOL product line — bio-ex.com
- BIOEX ECOPOL Premium IMO MSC.1/Circ.1312 compliance — bio-ex.com
- VERSAGARD AS-100 3×3 by Perimeter Solutions — perimeter-solutions.com
- VERSAGARD AS-100 UL-approved data sheet (PDF) — perimeter-solutions.com data sheet
- FireDos GEN III stationary proportioners — firedos.com
Our Partners
SATU Innovative is the authorised Thailand service partner for the brands behind this guidance.
