- Author
-
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc.
- Title
- "Freon" Fire Extinguishing Agents.
- Coporate
- E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, DE
- Report
-
Technical Bulletin
1953
26 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
fire extinguishing agents
|
halons
|
hydrocarbons
|
physical properties
|
effectiveness
- Abstract
- A new series of "Freon" fluorinated hydrocarbons useful as fire extinguishing agents are the subject of this technical bulletin. These have been developed with the goal of preparing agents which are as effective as methyl bromide and less toxic than carbon tetrachloride and preferably no more toxic than carbon dioxide. The action of the fluorine atom in the molecule produces stable compounds such as industry has found in the various "Freon" refrigerants and propellents which are now commonplace. This stabilizing effect of fluorine gives these compounds the low order toxicity and the low order corrosion and contributes to the nonflammability which we find in the final agent. The inclusion of the bromine atom in the molecule enhances the fire extinguishing effectiveness of the molecule so that the end molecule is more effective than most other halogen-containing compounds and compares well with methyl bromide. Within this bulletin are presented the fundamental physical properties of these agents, together with preliminary data concerning their effectiveness in fire extinguishment, their toxicity, stability and heat constants. Much of these data are in a preliminary state of development and, as the various test programs continue, some of the listings of relative order of the various compounds may require revision. It is considered, however, that sufficient data are now available to present a general picture of the nature of these compounds.