- Author
- Hofmeister, C. E.
- Title
- Heptane Inerting Concentrations of Selected Halon Replacement Agents.
- Coporate
- Worcester Polytechnic Inst., MA
- Report
- Thesis, December 1994, 152 p.
- Keywords
- halon alternatives | heptanes | inerting | experiments | extinguishing | fire suppression
- Abstract
- The objectives of this thesis have been to: 1. determine the heptane inerting concentration requirements for six following halon replacement agents - HFC-227ea, HFC-23, FIC-1311, IG-541, N2 and CO2; and 2. to assess the data implications regarding inerting/extinguishing phenomena and suppression system design. The inerting concentration experiments were run with various agent concentrations added to near stoichiometric heptane vapor-air mixtures, in a 6.7 liter spherical pressure vessel with an ignition spark discharge energy of 11 joules. A pressure transducer and K-type thermocouple were used to determine the extent of any combustion in the vessel. A 1 psig overpressure was the criterion to delineate inerting. A computer chamical equilibrium program was utilized to determine the adiabatic flame temperatures and mixture characteristics at the minimum inerting concentrations for each agent. The calculated flame temperatures for the halogenated replacement agents are higher than the inert gases but lower than for H1301. Therefore, it may be concluded that the halogenated replacement agents have some chemical extinguishment contribution but not as large a contribution as H1301.