SUPPRESSION OF A FLAME OF COMBUSTIBLE LIQUIDS BY REACTION INHIBITOR

Process of fire extinguishing effect of reaction inhibitors during suppression of a flame of combustible liquids is considered. The original methodology of research of a flame extinguishing process, during which was used freon, is presented. Experimental investigations of flame extinguishing process by means of measurement of the extinguishing time and the specific consumption of freon supplied onto the burning liquid surface are conducted. On the basis of experimental data dependences of the extinguishing time and the specific consumption of freon on the flow rate of sprayed stream are presented. As combustible liquids it was used: n-heptane, diesel fuel and ethanol which were extinguished by dibromotetrafluoroethane—the 114B2 freon with rather high boiling point (about 60 °C). Experiments were carried out in two modes of dispersion of a liquid chladone stream which were characterized by an average diameter of drops about 80 and 20 μm respectively. It is shown that increase of dispersion degree of a freon stream from 80 to 20 $m led to a sharp increase of fire extinguishing ability which resulted in decrease of the critical intensity in 2 times, and the specific consumption during extinguishing of heptane and diesel fuel flames in 3–4 times. The overall pattern of extinguishing of diesel fuel, heptane and ethanol, using freon 114B2, which is expressed in presence of extreme dependence of the freon specific consumption on the flow rate of extinguishing compound stream, that is connected with appearance of the contributing factor when oxygen is carried away by the stream of dispersed liquid, is determined.