Efficiency characterization of fire extinguishing compound superfine powder containing Mg(OH)2

To improve the fire extinguishing efficiency of existing dry powders, a new type of superfine dry powder was prepared using magnesium hydroxide as an additive. In our study, a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to analyze the thermal decomposition of the synthesized powders. The temperature of thermal decomposition, weight loss, and other thermodynamic parameters of the fire extinguishing powders were analyzed to explain the performance advantages of the compound superfine powder. Through a small-scale fire experiment, the physical parameters of the extinguishing process—such as extinguish time, powder dosage, smoke concentration, and minimum extinguishing concentration—were quantified for the suppression of a diesel fire using the different powders; these parameters were used to evaluate the fire extinguishing capacity and toxic gas suppression ability of the powders. TGA demonstrated that the compound superfine powder decomposed more quickly and its thermal decomposition process was much shorter than those of the other powders. The DSC data indicated that the compound superfine powder could decrease the characteristic temperature at each stage and thus the powder absorbed the flame's heat more quickly and suppressed flame propagation. The fire extinguishing test demonstrated that the consumption of the three types of fire extinguishing powder decreased with an increase in the driving pressure, and the order of powder dosage was as follows: commercial dry powder > superfine powder > compound superfine powder. Similarly, the order of minimum extinguishing concentration was as follows: commercial dry powder > superfine powder > compound superfine powder. Furthermore, the compound superfine powder exhibited a greater capacity for controlling toxic and harmful gas emissions.     

High efficiency of the NH4H2PO4/Mg(OH)2 composite for guaranteeing safety of wood production

Currently, China's timber industry is in high demand with the development of real estate. However, there is a certain fire hazard in the production process of wood manufacturing. Once a fire occurs, the fire is violent and the spread is rapid. Therefore, to improve the safety of its production process, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate and magnesium hydroxide were selected to prepare a new composite superfine dry powder, which was denoted as the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite. Furthermore, to figure out dry powders' extinction effect on Class A fire, the wood-crib fire suppression effect of the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite was test, and then compared with that of ultrafine dry powder (UDP) and commercial ABC dry powder (C-ABC) in a 1 m³ chamber. Three parameters of the fire extinguishing process, namely flame extinction time, powder consumption and temperature drop were adopted to measure the fire suppression performance. The results demonstrated that UDP and C-ABC both had a larger flame extinction time and powder consumption than the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite. Besides, a fire (wood cribs) can be extinguished by the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite with the fastest temperature drop and a much-improved toxic gas suppression ability. In short, the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite can better guarantee the safety of the wood processing production process. Moreover, the reasons for performance advantages of the NH₄H₂PO₄/Mg(OH)₂ composite were discussed.     

Mitigation of hydrogen fluoride aerosols by dry powders

Fluid bed tests were used to determine overall reaction rates for eight different dry powders of low hazard and toxicity before and after reaction with HF. In flow chamber tests, a representative oxide, hydroxide and carbonate were used to measure the efficiency of mitigation of an HF aerosol cloud. The results show that dry powders provide a valid alternative to water spray mitigation. Powder efficiencies are higher than water efficiencies at constant weight ratio.

At present, no attempt has been made to provide any technical designs or layouts for powder mitigation systems. However, the technology for smaller systems is available through manufacturers of dry powder chemical fire extinguisher equipment. When these powders are kept dry and under nitrogen atmosphere, a shelf life of several years can be expected.     

复合干粉灭火剂抑制食用油火的试验研究

为改善普通碳酸氢钠干粉灭火剂(BC干粉)抑制食用油火时抗复燃性较差的不足,选择聚磷酸铵、溴化钾和一水合草酸钾作为添加剂,与普通BC干粉灭火剂混合配制成复合干粉灭火剂。通过全尺度模拟试验研究各种复合粉体对食用油火的灭火效果及其抗复燃性能。结果证明,普通BC干粉与一水合草酸钾复配而成的复合粉体针对食用油火的灭火效果和抗复燃性能在几种粉体中最佳。根据试验数据和各粉体的理化特性,对4种粉体的灭火效果差异作了详细的分析和讨论。     

三相泡沫流动性能及灭油火实验研究

为研究三相泡沫流动性及灭火性能之间的关系,自主搭建了自流动性及灭火实验台架。利用空心玻璃微珠、2000目云母粉、2000目硅微粉及碳酸钙分别制备三相泡沫,检测其流动及灭火性能。实验结果表明,三相泡沫的流动性与其强施放条件下的灭火性能具有一定的关系。通过对比4种不同类别粉体制备的三相泡沫发现,流动性不足的三相泡沫,其灭火时间较长,但抗复燃能力较强;流动过快的三相泡沫,覆盖油面的能力较强,灭火时间较短,但其存在稳定性较差的缺点,可能会导致油品复燃。     

Experimental investigation on extinguishing performance of a novel nanocomposite for gaseous fires

A novel nanocomposite was synthesized by incorporating three different types of flame-retardants and its extinguishing performance was tested for gaseous fires. The nanocomposite consists of the inorganic magnesium hydroxide (MH) nanoparticles as the dominant component, the nitrogen-based melamine cyanurate (MCA), and the phosphorus-based ODOPB. The wet mixing, dry mixing, and ultrasonic agitation were employed in the preparation process to enhance the homogeneity of the nanocomposite. The prepared powders were characterized using a series of analytical instruments including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravity analyzer (TGA), and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The efficiency of various samples in extinguishing gaseous fires was investigated in a lab-scale extinguishing system. The fire extinguishing tests indicated that the nanocomposite is considerably more effective in fire extinguishing than other powders in terms of extinction time and agent mass consumed. The fire extinction time of nanocomposite was 45.2% shorter than that of commercial ABC-MAP powder. Furthermore, the consumed amount of nanocomposite was 63.2% less than that of commercial powder. In addition, the order of extinguishing mass concentrations was as follows: the novel nanocomposite (103.7 g/m³) < MH/MCA (148.1 g/m³) < MH/ODOPB (155.6 g/m³) < MH (170.4 g/m³) < commercial ABC powder (281.5 g/m³) < MCA/ODOPB (384.1 g/m³). The fire suppression mechanisms of the nanocomposite were also discussed. It was inferred that the extinguishing mechanism of nanocomposite comprised of simultaneous chemical and physical inhibition actions involving chemical inhibition action, cooling action, and asphyxiation action. This study provides a promising attempt to gain benefits from the striking features of nanotechnology and flame-retardants in extinguishing gaseous fires.     

细化粉基介质抑制熄灭油池火的模拟实验研究

利用行星式球磨机细化加工普通BC干粉灭火材料,并通过扫描电子显微镜对细化前后粉体颗粒的粒径分布和表面形态进行了比较分析;随后在小型粉体灭火装置内,比较了普通BC干粉和细化后粉体的灭火效率。实验发现:细化粉体的灭火效果好于同等实验条件下的普通BC干粉,侧面施加粉体的灭火方式好于底部施加;粉体熄灭煤油火较熄灭酒精火容易。最后,简要讨论了粉体的灭火机制以及细化后粉体灭火性能得到提高的原因。     

载铁改性沸石粉体抑制甲烷/空气扩散火焰试验研究

为发展洁净高效新型粉体灭火介质,以沸石粉体为基体,采用盐酸活化和氯化铁溶液浸泡方法制备载铁改性沸石粉体灭火剂。采用X-射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和X-射线荧光光谱仪(XRF)等仪器对该粉体灭火剂的结构和形貌进行表征。通过小尺度的杯式燃烧器试验研究载铁沸石粉体对甲烷/空气扩散火焰的灭火效果,并和未改性沸石粉体进行对比。试验结果表明,载铁改性沸石粉体灭火剂的灭火效能明显高于未改性沸石粉体。改性沸石灭火效能提高,主要是由于所负载的铁离子在火焰中转化为活性铁原子,参与清除火焰自由基的催化反应。     

Suppression of different functional group modified powders on 9.5% CH4-air explosion and molecular simulation mechanism

Thiol and urea functionalized montmorillonite powders were successfully prepared by silane coupling agent treatments in this work. The pyrolysis characteristics, surface functional groups, and distribution of particle size of untreated montmorillonite powders (Mt), the hydroxyl functionalized montmorillonite (O–Mt), the urea functionalized montmorillonite (N–Mt), and the thiol functionalized montmorillonite (S–Mt), which was derived from the previous research, were respectively characterized by utilizing the thermogravimetric differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, as well as the laser particle analyzer. The suppression effect of the S–Mt, O–Mt, Mt, and N–Mt on a 9.5% CH₄ explosion was tested in the duct system (5 L). The obtained results indicated that N–Mt and O–Mt exhibited a better explosion suppression effect than Mt and S–Mt at the same mass concentration. Additionally, the methane/air explosion suppression mechanism of these powders could be explained by molecular simulation results that indicated the negatively electrophilic potential regions exist on the surface of O–Mt and N–Mt. Moreover, NH₄∙、 NCO∙ and ∙OH radicals, which can interrupt explosive chain reactions, were easily generated by N–Mt and O–Mt.     

溴氟丙烯/13X沸石复合粉体抑制汽油火的试验研究

为提高粉体灭火介质的灭火性能,基于粉体灭火剂在火灾防治领域的重要性,通过减压吸附的方法,将洁净高效的气体灭火剂溴氟丙烯负载在13X沸石的孔洞之中,形成气-固复合粉体灭火剂。采用X-射线衍射仪、扫描电镜等对复合粉体的结构和组分进行表征。通过模拟试验研究溴氟丙烯含量不同的复合粉体对汽油油池火的灭火效果,并和普通的干粉灭火剂进行对比。结果证明,溴氟丙烯和13X沸石所形成的气-固复合粉体灭火剂针对汽油油池火具有很好的灭火性能,在同样的试验条件下,其灭火时间和灭火剂用量远少于普通的干粉灭火剂,且随着复合粉体中溴氟丙烯的含量增加,复合粉体的灭火性能逐渐提高。     

Characterization of Ti powders mixed with TiO2 powders: Thermal and kinetic studies

The fire and explosion risks of metal powders admixed with solid inertants have been extensively investigated for many years. However, it remains unclear why such solid mixtures have high potential fire and explosion risk even when mixed with high percentages of non-combustible solids. This paper investigates how to interpret these risks, from a microscopic perspective, with thermal and kinetic parameters including initial ignition temperature, mass unit exothermic energy, activation energy and risk index of spontaneous combustion. The results show that the initial ignition temperature based on TG (Thermogravimetry) analysis is related to ignition sensitivity, and increased with percentage of admixed solid inertant. The unit mass exothermic energy based on DSC (Differential scanning calorimetry) analysis is related to flame spread velocity. Activation energy and the risk index of spontaneous combustion can be used to explain the reactivity and spontaneous combustion hazard, respectively, of metal powders. We conclude that thermal and kinetic parameters may provide another way to describe the fire and explosion risk of combustible powders, especially for nano metal powders due to the laboratory safety in the normative tests for explosion parameter determination.     

Experimental study on electrostatic charging of polymer powders in mixing processes

Powder mixing is often carried out in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Electrostatic charges generated on polymer powders during mixing may lead to electrostatic problems due to the poor conductivity of those powders. In this study, we investigated the electrostatic charges, surface potential, and apparent volume resistivity of sample powders using a simple mixing device utilizing the Faraday cup method. To neutralize the charged powders, we also applied an AC-type ionizer in the mixing study. A commercial polyethylene powder with a mean particle size of 585 μm was tested in this experiment. The charge-to-mass ratios at the end of 600 s of mixing were ?0.075 nC/g at 295 rpm agitation speed, ?0.21 nC/g at 495 rpm, and ?0.31 nC/g at 660 rpm, high enough to cause electrostatic agglomeration and adhesion. The electric fields based on the surface potential on the powders were several hundreds of V/cm, too small to give rise to brush discharge. The apparent volume resistivity of powders estimated by a simple measurement system is 1.0 × 10¹⁶ Ωm, in reasonable agreement with that acquired by the conventional test cell method (5.9 × 10¹⁵ Ωm). The charging level on the polymer powders was reduced with an AC-ionizer.     

Minimum ignition energies of pure magnesium powders due to electrostatic discharges and nitrogen's effect

This paper experimentally investigated the relation between the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of magnesium powders as well as the effect of inert nitrogen (N₂) on the MIE. The modified Hartmann vertical-tube apparatus and four kinds of different-sized pure magnesium powders (median particle size, D50; 28.1 μm–89.8 μm) were used in this study. The MIE of the most sensitive magnesium powder was 4 mJ, which was affected by the powder particle size (D50; 28.1 μm). The MIE of magnesium powder increased with an increase in the N₂ concentration for the inerting technique. The magnesium dust explosion with an electrostatic discharge of 1000 mJ was suppressed completely at an N₂ concentration range of more than 98%. The experimental data presented in this paper will be useful for preventing magnesium dust explosions generated from electrostatic discharges.     

聚磷腈/氢氧化镁协同阻燃聚丙烯的研究

为改善氢氧化镁阻燃聚丙烯的力学和阻燃性能,合成一种新型氢氧化镁协同阻燃试剂聚二(乙醇)磷腈,并制备聚磷腈/氢氧化镁复合阻燃材料。用红外光谱(IR)和氢核磁共振仪(H-NMR)研究阻燃剂聚二(乙醇)磷腈的化学结构,并利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、电子万能试验机和氧指数测定仪,研究聚磷腈/氢氧化镁复合阻燃材料添加量对聚丙烯的结构、力学性能和阻燃性能的影响。研究结果表明:这种复合阻燃材料具有较好的阻燃效果,且能使聚丙烯力学性能有一定程度的提高。这些结果主要归功于聚磷腈不仅起到协同阻燃作用,而且还作为氢氧化镁的分散剂,提高了氢氧化镁粒子在聚丙烯中的分散度及界面结合力。     

Ignitability of aluminous coating powders due to electrostatic spark

Electrostatic Powder coating which is a surface finishing technique has widely been used in paint industry since its invention in the 1960s. However, so far, insufficient attention has been paid to the powder fires and/or explosion hazards caused by electrostatic spark during coating process. This paper is a report of the electrostatic spark ignitability of aluminous coating powders (dry blend-type) used in practical electrostatic powder coating. The Hartman vertical-tube apparatus was used for the minimum ignition energy (MIE) test. Various aluminous coating powders, different with respect to the amount of aluminum pigment, were used in this study. Experimental results obtained in this study are as follows: (1) The aluminous coating powder was so sensitive that even an electrostatic spark with an energy as low as 10 mJ could ignite it. (2) The particle size of aluminous coating powder has a considerable effect on the ignitability when the aluminum pigment concentration is within 6 wt% of the practical coating powder manufacturing standards. Thus, the conventional expression for estimating the MIE can be useful when assessing the electrostatic hazards associated with aluminum coating powders.     

我国商用厨房火灾危险分析及对策研究

烹饪操作特点及食用油燃烧特性决定了商用厨房火灾呈现的特定危害规律,因此必须采用专门规范和技术加以防治。针对我国商用厨房消防安全现状,分析其火灾危险特点,探讨商用厨房消防监管的不足,在研究商用厨房灭火技术发展的基础上,提出加强商用厨房消防安全和健全商用厨房法规体系的对策及建议,建议从主动灭火和被动防火两方面,完善现有的灭火系统和厨具设备消防安全规范,加强商用厨房本质型消防安全,为通风系统和排油烟系统等火灾高发区域的消防安全提供了新手段。     

超细粉体灭火装置在电火花成形机床的应用

为了评估超细粉体灭火装置用于电火花成形机床的技术可行性,通过全尺度灭火实验研究与计算分析,研究超细粉体灭火装置对电火花成形机床火灾的灭火有效性,进一步提出适宜的灭火应用方式和灭火剂设计用量计算方法。结果表明,超细粉体灭火装置可迅速、有效扑灭电火花成形机火灾,超细粉体灭火剂的最低灭火用量为90g,装置响应时间为7～24s,灭火时间为1～4s;基于顶部敞口设计模式的电火花成形机床不符合全淹没灭火应用条件,应采用局部灭火应用方式;根据局部应用灭火系统体积法设计方法,提出了超细粉体灭火装置用于电火花成形机床时的灭火剂设计用量计算方法。该研究有助于超细粉体灭火装置的工程设计,对电火花成形机床的火灾防护具有重要意义。     

受限空间开口对细水雾灭火有效性影响实验研究

为了探讨开口的位置与尺寸对受限空间内的细水雾灭火有效性的影响,设计了一个尺寸为1.2 m×1.2 m×1.2 m的特殊受限空间模拟实验台,开展了一系列细水雾灭火对比实验,测量了烟气温度以及灭火时间等实验参数,通过改变实验燃料、火源功率、开口尺寸、开口位置等因素来研究开口对特殊受限空间内细水雾灭火有效性的影响规律。结果表明:在特殊受限空间内,相同条件下,开口位置由下至上,细水雾抑制火灾有效性由低至高;开口尺寸由大至小,细水雾抑制火灾有效性由高至低。当开口尺寸足够小以后,细水雾抑制火灾有效性反而会逐渐增强。     

含氯化钴添加剂细水雾灭火有效性的实验研究

在标准受限空间中,通过热态灭火实验对比分析了纯水细水雾和含氯化钴添加剂细水雾在不同添加荆浓度、工作压力下对煤油火的抑制效果.实验结果表明:含有氯化钴的细水雾比纯水细水雾具有更好的抑制效果.而细水雾的灭火时间并不是随着氯化钴的浓度变化而呈线性变化的,而是存在着一个最佳灭火浓度.实验表明:浓度为1.75%时的灭火效果最好.系统的工作压力也对细水雾的灭火性能有影响,在较高的工作压力下,细水雾的平均灭火时间较短.     

Dust explosions: How should the influence of humidity be taken into account?

In this work, the influence of humidity on dust explosions of metallic (aluminium) and organic materials (icing sugar, polyethylene and magnesium stearate) has been studied. The impact of pre-humidification of powders on their ignition sensitivity, their volume resistivity and charge decay time has been assessed. The influence of humidity on explosion severity has also been studied by two methods: on the one hand, the dust sample was stored in a controlled workstation at constant relative humidity; on the other hand, the dry dust was dispersed in a humidity controlled atmosphere in the vessel.As expected, the effect of humidity strongly depends on the chemical nature of the particles. Experiments on powders volume resistivity and charge decay time have shown typical trends but have especially pointed out the inadequacy of some standards. Inhibition phenomena have been verified for polyethylene and magnesium stearate, whereas both inhibition and promotion have been observed for icing sugar and could be explained by an evolution of sucrose structure. Dry aluminium dust explosions in humid atmosphere show that water vapour inerts the explosion. However, when aluminium is stored at controlled humidity, the maximum rise of pressure rate increases with the water content, which is probably due to hydrogen generation.