- Author
- Kim, A. K. | Dlugogorski, B. Z. | Mawhinney, J. R.
- Title
- Effect of Foam Additives on the Fire Suppression Efficiency of Water Mist.
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Report
- NRCC 37902; IRC Paper 3748,
- Book or Conf
- Halon Options Technical Working Conference. Proceedings. HOTWC 1994. May 3-5, 1994, Albuquerque, NM, 347-358 p., 1994
- Keywords
- water mist | fire suppression | additives | effectiveness | crib fires | heptane | pool fires | fire tests | nozzles | foaming agents | halon alternatives
- Identifiers
- diesel fires
- Abstract
- Water mist has been shown to be an effective fire suppressant. In this paper, the effectiveness of using a small quantity of additive in water mist is investigated. The additives used in the study were film-forming and foam-forming agents. Tests were conducted using crib fires, and heptane and diesel pool fires. Tests were conducted in a 3.5 m by 3.1 m test enclosure, with walls constructed of perforated steel, which provided unrestricted ventilation. The benefit of adding a small quantity of foam agent to the water mist was observed in the suppression of pool fires. Water droplets, containing solutions of foaming agents, tended to expand slightly in the spray, eventually forming a thin layer of foam on the surface of burning heptane and diesel pool fires. The establishment of such a layer provided a means for efficient extinction of pool fires.