US1507943A - Foam composition for extinguishing fires - Google Patents

Description

reamed Sept. 9, i924.

Lewis B. VAN nnuvnn Anp'nmr NEW YORK.

'FFICE;

C. VAN-LEUVEN, OF WOODBURY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO VACUUM OIL COMPANY, OF NEW-YORK,

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF FOAM COMPOSITION FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES.

.80 Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that we, Lnwrs B. VAN LEU- vnN and HARRY C. VAN Lnuvnn, citizens the United States, and residen s Woodbu in the county of Gloucester and State of ewJersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foam Compositions for Extinguishing Fires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to compositions or compounds of the kind that are used for extinguishing a fire or rotecting a substance from fire, and especial y to that class of compositions wherein a mixture of the ingredients produces a viscous foam, adapted palticularly to smother and extinguish flames produced by ignited petroleum or other kinds of inflammable liquids, by. excluding the air therefrom in such a way as to out 0E the supply of oxygen from the flames, by a blanket of foam containing a non-inflam mable gas in finely divided bubbles. This blanket must be sufliciently heavy to withstand the rising draught caused by the heat of combustion.

The fire extinguishing compounds of the type to which we refer are of two main constituents, the one a saline solution containing some chemical from which carbon dioxide gas can be liberated by the action of the second solution, which is of a mildly acid character, such as a solution of aluminum sulfate. The action of liberating the as loses its smothering effect unless this gas is trapped and held to form a blanket-like foam in the solution mixture, which must be also of sufiicient consistency to withstand heat. We make. use of several well-known agents to produce this effect; aluminum s'iih 40 fate. saponin (quillaya bark extract), "ire bracho extract and sodium bicarbonate. We considerably improve and increase the efiicieucy of the foam by the admixture of a strong alkali, such as caustic soda, to the solution containing the quebracho extract, saponin and sodium bicarbonate which prevents the coagulation and settlement of the various insoluble heavy reds in the quebracho extract, which are rapidly flocculated in the presence of sodium bicarbonate. These reds, if allowed to settle out, soon form a pasty sludge in the bottom of the mixing application 0 Application flied November 9, 922, Serial no. 599,913.

tank and not being blended with the other ingredients in the mixture would do away with the greatly desired toughness and tenacity of the foam.

The object of our invention is to produce a tenacious, foaming mixture from certain chemical solutions, which neither deteriorate nor change in composition upon, standing ready for use, and at'the same time, are inexpensive, easy to mix, and require no particular skill in blendin For the purpose of ifiustrating a practical our invention solutions havmg formula as follows may be used: Solution A to consist of 90 parts of water and 10 parts of aluminum sulphate; solution B to consist of 5 parts ofquillaya bark extract, 5 parts of quebracho extract, -9 parts of sodium bicarbonate, and 81 parts of water. This solution B is made alkaline by the admixture of one-tenth to two-tenths of a pound of caustic soda per gallon of solution. This admixture will vary with the alkalinity of the constituents. The quebracho extract is any commercial grade of so-called reds from tanning liquors. Quill-aye, bark extract is the syrup formed by digesting 2,- pound of quillaya bark for eight hours with one gallon of boiling water.

We do not confine ourselves however to the above proportions. v What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A composition for use in connection with a solution of a mildly acid character,

for extinguishing fire, consisting of sodium.

Lewis B. VAN LEUVEN. HARRY G. VAN Lnuvnn,