Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62D—CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS
  • A62D1/00—Fire-extinguishing compositions; Use of chemical substances in extinguishing fires
  • A62D1/0028—Liquid extinguishing substances
  • A62D1/0035—Aqueous solutions
  • A62D1/0042—"Wet" water, i.e. containing surfactant
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62D—CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS
  • A62D1/00—Fire-extinguishing compositions; Use of chemical substances in extinguishing fires
  • A62D1/0092—Gaseous extinguishing substances, e.g. liquefied gases, carbon dioxide snow

Definitions

• the first means used to carry and spread water to extinguish fires were conceived and built as early as 200 BC.
• the development of firefighting systems has continued at the same rate as industrial development, such as for example with the construction of railroad networks at the beginning of the nineteenth century, which required the transport of dangerous goods such as gunpowder, dynamite sticks and liquid nitroglycerin.
• the first portable powder fire extinguisher containing approximately 14 liters of pearl ash and pressurized with compressed air, was developed in 1818.
• the increase in the quantity and ease of transport of electrical and electronic devices is evolving constantly.
• the lithium contained in rechargeable batteries is a substance which upon contact with water generates flammable and explosive gases which are toxic for human beings and for the surrounding environment.
• the high temperatures reached during combustion can be lethal for people and can damage irreparably the surrounding structures.
• the gases released by combustion are toxic and can have severe consequences in the short and long term on people.
• the extinguishing agents that are normally used can contaminate nearby people and the environment and can also permanently compromise the apparatuses involved, in addition to preventing their recyclability.
• extinguishing agents and containment systems are currently used to mitigate the risk of fire associated with lithium batteries.
• containers are used for recovery, transport and storage, including quarantine, for this type of battery and device. These containers are equipped with fire detection and extinguishing systems.
• the first type of device is used in the parking and storage phase. During this phase, the container is connected to the water mains by virtue of hydrants or hose reels, i.e., a firefighting apparatus constituted by a mobile reel on which a semirigid hose is wound which is connected, at one end, to a dispensing nozzle.
• the second device is an automatic aerosol system which is activated both during parking and during transport.
• second-generation containers follow the first-generation ones, which consist of mobile containers with an upper opening, so-called “open top” containers, in which the vehicle is immersed completely in the water contained in the container and left in quarantine until combustion extinguishes the combustible substance of the battery.
• an object of the invention is to provide an extinguishing composition that allows to extinguish a lithium battery fire without reignition phenomena.
• a fire extinguishing composition comprising an encapsulating agent and water with the addition of a gas selected from CO 2 and an inert gas.
• the present invention relates to a fire extinguishing composition
• a fire extinguishing composition comprising an encapsulating agent and water with the addition of a gas selected from CO 2 and an inert gas.
• the inventor of the invention has surprisingly found that the mixing of an encapsulating agent with water with pre-added gas allows to obtain a foam with a higher extinguishing effect than obtained by dispensing the same encapsulating agent mixed with water without pre-added gas.
• the extinguishing composition comprises said encapsulating agent in a quantity comprised between 0.5% and 9% by volume on the total volume of the composition.
• the encapsulating agent is preferably a water-based mix of at least one surfactant selected from the group consisiting of ionic surfactants and non-ionic surfactants.
• the encapsulating agent comprises 1% to 5% by weight of n-decanol, 2% to 8% by weight of n-octanol, 25% to 35% by weight of coconut fatty acid methyl esters, and 52% to 72% water, each on the total weight of the encapsulating agent.
• Coconut fatty acids are a mixture of fatty acids that typically has the following composition:
• the invention relates to the use of the extinguishing composition according to the invention to extinguish a combustion process, particularly to extinguish a lithium battery combustion process.
• the “Box Test” container was then closed hermetically and fixed with bolts. In this manner the condition of the housing that contains and protects batteries in vehicles, generally made of steel or aluminum, was reproduced as faithfully as possible. Moreover, this simulation allows to avoid quenching by drowning and to test the actual effectiveness of the extinguishing preparation and of its diffusion system.
• the supply tubes were connected to a quick coupling located outside the container and connected to the 6-liter backpack CAFS device (HNE HiGUARD 2, HNE Technologic AG) of example 1, i.e., an extinguisherlike device with a cylinder which can be carried as a backpack and allows the atomization of the content, increasing the contact surface, reducing the size of the droplets of the extinguishing compositions, which can even be just water (in this case, the extinguishing composition prepared in Example 1).
• the CAFS device, as described in Example 1 was filled with extinguishing composition constituted by 6 liters of water with added gas, comprising 6% by volume of encapsulating agent.
• the CAFS device again received the addition of CO 2 to be pressurized according to the instructions of the manufacturer, which, differently from the test, uses only compressed air for pressurization, reaching a pressure that varies from 2.2xl0 6 Pa to 3.8xl0 6 Pa.
• the device according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since it allows to extinguish a fire, and particularly a lithium battery fire, without producing toxic fumes and without reignition phenomena.
• the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Fire-Extinguishing Compositions (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=83318936

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2021
  • 2021-12-10 CH CH070700/2021A patent/CH719236B1/it unknown
• 2022
  • 2022-08-23 WO PCT/EP2022/073456 patent/WO2023104359A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2022-08-23 EP EP22769581.4A patent/EP4583986A1/de active Pending

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