US2818382A - Fire extinguishing composition - Google Patents

Fire extinguishing composition Download PDF

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Publication number
US2818382A
US2818382A US412401A US41240154A US2818382A US 2818382 A US2818382 A US 2818382A US 412401 A US412401 A US 412401A US 41240154 A US41240154 A US 41240154A US 2818382 A US2818382 A US 2818382A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
methane
bromide
dichloro
difiuoro
bromoform
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Expired - Lifetime
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US412401A
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English (en)
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Andre G Rotival
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Individual
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Individual
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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
    • A62D1/0057—Polyhaloalkanes

Definitions

  • fire extinguishing compositions particularly efiective for extinction of hydrocarbon fires can generally be obtained by associating partly brominated lower aliphatic hydrocarbons which have 1 to 3 carbon atoms and are liquid at ordinary temperature, methyl bromide being excluded with chloro fluoro derivatives of methane and ethane having a boiling point below l5 C., the partly brominated lower aliphatic hydrocarbons preferably being in major proportion.
  • fire extinguishing compositions containing a major proportion of ethyl bromide orsymmetrical dibromo-ethane CH Br--CH Br or bromoform or of a mixture ethyl bromide, with bromoform, and a minor proportion of dichloro difluoro methane.
  • dichloro difiuoro methane alone as a fire extinguishing agent would be hardly desirable in practice although the compound is a fairly good agent per se, because the boiling point thereof is 29 C. so that dichloro difiuoro methane is too readily vapourized to be effectively sprayed to a satisfactory distance.
  • Ethyl bromide and bromoform are both more effective and less toxic than methyl bromide.
  • Ethyl bromide has a low freezing point (-119 C.) and a reasonably high boiling point (38.4" C.). While the lethal concentration of methyl bromide in air amounts to 23 mg. per litre, the lethal concentration of ethyl bromide is as high as 665 mg, i. e. about 28 times greater. The efiectiveness of ethyl bromide as measured in tests employing n-heptane as a fuel is 1.36 times that of methyl bromide.
  • dichloro difluoro methane is substantially devoid of toxicity, it will be realized that fire extinguishing compositions consisting of ethyl bromide and dichloro difluoro methane are highly desirable.
  • Bromoforrn or tribromo methane CHBr has a high boiling point (150.5" C.) and a particularly high specific gravity (2.902).
  • the vapours thereof are heavy and have a tendency to spread say on the surface of ignited fuel pools.
  • Such a beneficial property is the more valuable as bromoform is a fire extinguisher still more efiiective than ethyl bromide. Although it is more toxic than ethyl bromide, bromoforrn is far less toxic than methyl bromide so that it is safer to handle.
  • bromoform is not readily vapourized and if it is darted alone on a burning pool of hydrocarbon it impinges the pool in liquid condition and splashes so that it is difiicult to effect extinction.
  • dichloro difiuoro methane thereto according to my invention, the boiling point is depressed, vapourization of brornoform is favoured and consequently the drawback inherent in splashing is removed.
  • compositions having a high content of ethyl bromide as compared with the bromoform content being desirable where a particularly low toxicity is required while those having a low content of ethyl bromide as compared with the bromoform content are desirable for a relatively greater efficieney.
  • Symmetrical dibromo ethane CH Br-CI-I Br is also desirable for association with chloro fluoro lower aliphatic hydrocarbon of the type specified, as it' is an effective extinguishing agent and the addition thereto of a chloro fluoro lower aliphatic hydrocarbon, particularly dichloro difluoro methane, depresses its freezing point which is relatively high (+10 C.) and its boiling point which is as high as 132 C.
  • Dibromo ethane is more toxic than ethyl bromide but definitely less toxic than methyl bromide.
  • fire extinguishing compositions in accordance with this invention may comprise methylene bromide (or dibromo methane), ethylene bromide (or vinyl bromide), asymmetrical dibromo ethane, propyl bromide or iso-propyl bromide.
  • dichloro difiuoro methane is preferred by reason of its low cost
  • other chloro fluoro derivatives of methane and ethane having a boiling point below 15 C. may also be employed in my fire extinguishing compositions, particularly monochloro difiuoro methane.
  • chloro fluoro lower aliphatic hydrocarbon as above defined, particularly dichloro difiuoro methane ranges from 10 to 50 percent by weight, the best proportion varying according to the nature of the partly brominated lower aliphatic hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon associated therewith. As an average, proportions around 30 percent by weight are preferred as will be apparent from the following statements.
  • Binary mixtures of a very high extinguishing effectiveness are those containing from 20 to 50 parts by weight of dichloro difluoro methane, the remainder being bromoform.
  • Binary mixtures having a little lower effectiveness but a very low toxicity are those containing 15 to 45 parts by weight of dichloro difiuoro methane, the remainder being ethyl bromide.
  • Mixtures consisting of about one third by weight 'of di-chloro difiuoro methane and .two thirds by weight of ethyl bromide have been widely employed and found veryeffective.
  • dichloro difiuoro methane By admixing 'bromoform with ethyl bromide in various relative proportions and associating the mixtures with dichloro difiuoro methane, a wide gamut of effective fire extinguishiugcompos'itions is available.
  • the proportion of dichloro difiuoro methane in such compositions preferably ranges from L to 40 parts by weight, a greater or with 'bromoform and dichloro difiuoro methane are substantially the same as with ethyl bromide.
  • Monochloro difiuoro methane may be substituted for dichloro difiuoro methane, the proportion thereof in the compositions being the same.
  • my invention may be carried into effect by spraying a previously prepared extinguishing composition as above 'defined, as well as spraying the liquid, partly brominated hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons indicated by means of or dispersing the same into a stream of the chloro fluoro compound as a propellent.
  • the partly brominated hydrocarbon or jihydrocarbons are thus carried as very minute droplets, they can display a full activity owing to the large area they expose and are less easily swept away by wind or by gas streams rising from the fire, than methyl-bromide is.
  • the partly brominated hydrocarbons I employ and out of which methyl bromide excluded may be defined as organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen and bromine, which are lower aliphatic hydrocarbons having no more than 3 carbon atoms, wherein bromine is substituted for a portion of the hydrogen atoms thereof and each bromine-bearing carbon atom bears no more than two hydrogen atoms.
  • a fire extinguishing composition which is a mixture of 10-40 parts ,by weight of a chloro-difiuoro methane having not less than one, no more than two chlorine atoms with 60 parts by weight of a mixture of bromoform and ethyl bromide.
  • a fire extinguishing composition which consists of a mixture of approximately equal parts by weight of dic'hloro difiuoro methane, bromoform and ethyl bromide.

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)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
US412401A 1952-01-03 1954-02-24 Fire extinguishing composition Expired - Lifetime US2818382A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR1047495T 1952-01-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US2818382A true US2818382A (en) 1957-12-31

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ID=9592892

Family Applications (1)

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US412401A Expired - Lifetime US2818382A (en) 1952-01-03 1954-02-24 Fire extinguishing composition

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US2818382A (fr)
BE (1) BE511785A (fr)
FR (2) FR1047495A (fr)
GB (1) GB713316A (fr)
LU (2) LU31466A1 (fr)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2961040A (en) * 1958-08-15 1960-11-22 Everett R Wolters Heating unit control
US3258423A (en) * 1963-09-04 1966-06-28 Richard L Tuve Method of extinguishing liquid hydrocarbon fires
US4668407A (en) * 1983-11-09 1987-05-26 Gerard Mark P Fire extinguishing composition and method for preparing same
WO1998009686A2 (fr) * 1996-09-09 1998-03-12 The University Of New Mexico Melanges d'hydrobromocarbures destines a la protection contre les incendies et les explosions
US5861106A (en) * 1997-11-13 1999-01-19 Universal Propulsion Company, Inc. Compositions and methods for suppressing flame

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2021981A (en) * 1930-06-23 1935-11-26 Gen Motors Corp Self propelling fire extinguishing charge containing a double halogen hydrocarbon compound
FR802043A (fr) * 1935-05-13 1936-08-25 Composition extinctrice et moyens d'obtention et d'utilisation de cette composition
FR878854A (fr) * 1940-11-16 1943-02-08 Ig Farbenindustrie Ag Matières extinctrices pour la lutte contre les incendies de gaz
CA464026A (fr) * 1950-03-28 I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft Liquide extincteur d'incendie
US2569979A (en) * 1947-07-16 1951-10-02 Pyrene Mfg Co Fire extinguishing liquids and process

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA464026A (fr) * 1950-03-28 I. G. Farbenindustrie Aktiengesellschaft Liquide extincteur d'incendie
US2021981A (en) * 1930-06-23 1935-11-26 Gen Motors Corp Self propelling fire extinguishing charge containing a double halogen hydrocarbon compound
FR802043A (fr) * 1935-05-13 1936-08-25 Composition extinctrice et moyens d'obtention et d'utilisation de cette composition
FR878854A (fr) * 1940-11-16 1943-02-08 Ig Farbenindustrie Ag Matières extinctrices pour la lutte contre les incendies de gaz
US2569979A (en) * 1947-07-16 1951-10-02 Pyrene Mfg Co Fire extinguishing liquids and process

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2961040A (en) * 1958-08-15 1960-11-22 Everett R Wolters Heating unit control
US3258423A (en) * 1963-09-04 1966-06-28 Richard L Tuve Method of extinguishing liquid hydrocarbon fires
US4668407A (en) * 1983-11-09 1987-05-26 Gerard Mark P Fire extinguishing composition and method for preparing same
WO1998009686A2 (fr) * 1996-09-09 1998-03-12 The University Of New Mexico Melanges d'hydrobromocarbures destines a la protection contre les incendies et les explosions
WO1998009686A3 (fr) * 1996-09-09 1998-05-07 Univ New Mexico Melanges d'hydrobromocarbures destines a la protection contre les incendies et les explosions
US5993682A (en) * 1996-09-09 1999-11-30 University Of New Mexico Hydrobromocarbon blends to protect against fires and explosions
US5861106A (en) * 1997-11-13 1999-01-19 Universal Propulsion Company, Inc. Compositions and methods for suppressing flame
US6019177A (en) * 1997-11-13 2000-02-01 Universal Propulsion Co., Inc. Methods for suppressing flame

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
LU31431A1 (fr)
FR62908E (fr) 1955-06-30
BE511785A (fr) 1952-06-14
LU31466A1 (fr)
FR1047495A (fr) 1953-12-15
GB713316A (en) 1954-08-11

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