American scientists have created a substance that looks like water, flows like water, and quickly extinguishes fire like water. However, the substance is completely dry and does not wet the surface. The new liquid will be used in fire extinguishing systems.
On April 13, 2004, Florida-based Tyco Fire & Security demonstrated the capabilities of a "dry water" fire suppression system.
The new fire suppression system received trademark ANSUL Sapphire (ANSUL is the company's line of firefighting equipment).
One of its features should be noted sensitivity - the system begins to extinguish the fire when the combustion reaction has just begun, and there is actually no flame yet.
This liquid has all the fire-fighting properties of water, and when poured (sprayed) onto a fire, it also effectively (if not better than “wet water”) suppresses the flame.
But unlike real water, the new “water” does not damage electronics, works of art, furniture and the like, since it is actually a dry substance.
More precisely, during the spraying process, the new substance turns into steam, and in the form of a liquid it waits in the wings in the cylinders of the automatic fire-fighting system, where it is stored under pressure.
New fire suppression systems can suppress flames without damaging books, pictures and electronics (photo from 3m.com).
At the same time, the new system takes up significantly less space than competing fire-fighting systems with cylinders pumped with inert gases.
In a recent demonstration on Good Morning America, books and electronic devices were immersed in a bowl of this liquid.
After the objects were removed, the liquid evaporated from them in a second, leaving absolutely no traces and without making any changes in the structure, for example, of paper.
The flask contains a clear liquid that looks like water and sways like water. When they start pouring it onto the flame, the fire will quickly go out, although we will hardly notice the jet itself (photo from the website 3m.com).
This perfect solution for built-in fire protection systems for hospitals, museums, libraries, telecommunications centers and computer centers, American inventors believe.
Interestingly, the new liquid chemically interferes with the combustion reaction and suppresses it, while the water simply cools the fire and, evaporating, blocks the access of oxygen to the fire.
It is interesting to compare the physical properties of water and 3M Novec 1230. Their boiling points are 100 and 49 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The freezing point is zero and minus 108 degrees. The saturated vapor pressure at 25 degrees Celsius is 3.2 and 40.4 kilopascals for water and “dry water,” respectively.
New fire extinguishing systems have the highest ratio between performance (“protected” area) and space occupied by the system (photo from tycofireandsecurity.com).
The heat of vaporization is 2442 kilojoules per kilogram for water, and only 95 for the new substance.
Its secret is that it does not contain hydrogen atoms and therefore has no hydrogen chemical bonds.
The interaction between the molecules of the new liquid is much weaker than between water molecules, which in the latter case is determined precisely by hydrogen bonds.
Novec 1230 (“dry water”) is one of the latest innovative developments in the field of fire extinguishing. This gas fire extinguishing agent has a number of advantages over existing traditional means of extinguishing fires in terms of safety for people and valuables, electrical equipment, and museum exhibits.
How the systems work gas fire extinguishing using Novek 1230 is based on cooling with heat removal from the source of fire.
What is Novek 1230?
Novec 1230 is a colorless and odorless liquid, it belongs to the category of fluoride, called “dry water”. This fire extinguishing agent was developed by an American chemical company.
This substance boils at a temperature of 49°C, absorbing heat from the area of the fire. This property is indispensable at the initial stage of a fire; even the minimum concentration of gas in the environment makes it possible to instantly remove heat.
There is no hydrogen in the molecular structure of this fire extinguishing agent, and therefore Novek 1230 has a number of unique characteristics (zero electrical conductivity, boiling point +49°C, no wetting of substances and materials), thanks to which it is possible to effectively fight fire.
This extinguishing agent does not conduct electric current, i.e. it is a dielectric.
Advantages of Novec 1230 gas extinguishing agent
The advantages of Novek 1230 gas include:
- 100% safety for people. This gas is completely non-toxic, and the release of this gas extinguishing agent does not reduce the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere.
- Ensuring the safety of valuables, books, works of art after using “dry water”.
- Lightning fire extinguishing.
- Safety for environment. This fire extinguishing agent does not destroy the ozone layer.
- Ease of installation and subsequent operation.
This substance is non-corrosive metal surfaces, evaporates at lightning speed. Novek 1230 has a high fire extinguishing efficiency; the time required to extinguish a fire does not exceed 10–20 seconds. Such advantageous features ensure the use of Novek 1230 gas fire extinguishing agent in gas fire extinguishing installations.
Systems using Novek 1230 fire extinguishing agent are economical and practical. Due to the fact that fire extinguishing is possible with a low concentration of this gas, it is not necessary to equip the installations. large number cylinders, which in turn simplifies the installation procedure, the use of modules and spray nozzles.
Areas of application of these installations:
- server rooms;
- rooms with electrical equipment;
- museums;
- archive rooms;
- libraries;
- laboratories.
Installation of gas fire extinguishing systems
In gas fire extinguishing installations, Novek 1230 is placed in special cylinders; if the installation is triggered when a fire occurs, the gas moves through pipelines and is released into the room through special nozzles. Installations with gas extinguishing agent include several modules. Components of installations:
- cylinders (with gas fire extinguishing agent Novek 1230, pumped in liquid form);
- shut-off and starting device (regulates gas release);
- pipelines through which the fire extinguishing agent is supplied to the fire site;
- hoses (elements for connecting cylinders to pipelines);
- system fire alarm, which includes temperature sensors, smoke and combustion detectors;
- equipment that controls the pressure of the extinguishing agent.
The shut-off and release device is designed to release Novek 1230 fire extinguishing agent within 10 seconds. Installations with a gas fire extinguishing agent are used in rooms with large numbers of people; their safety for people is confirmed by numerous tests. These settings are included even if there are people working in the rooms.
Gas fire extinguishing systems using Novek 1230 as a fire extinguishing agent are an effective, reliable and versatile way to deal with fire in a minimum amount of time.
3M Novec 1230: dry water extinguishes fires in buildings
American scientists have created a substance that looks like water, flows like water, and quickly extinguishes fire like water. However, the substance is completely dry and does not wet the surface. The new liquid will be used in fire extinguishing systems.
On April 13, 2004, Florida-based Tyco Fire & Security demonstrated the capabilities of a dry water fire protection system.
The new fire suppression system is branded ANSUL Sapphire (ANSUL is the company's line of firefighting equipment).
One of its features should be noted sensitivity - the system begins to extinguish the fire when the combustion reaction has just begun, and there is actually no flame yet.
The “dry water” itself is produced by the American company 3M under the brand name 3M Novec 1230.
This liquid has all the fire-fighting properties of water, and when poured (sprayed) onto a fire, it also effectively (if not better than “wet water”) suppresses the flame.
But unlike real water, the new “water” does not damage electronics, works of art, furniture and the like, since it is actually a dry substance.
More precisely, during the spraying process, the new substance turns into steam, and in the form of a liquid it waits in the wings in the cylinders of the automatic fire-fighting system, where it is stored under pressure.
At the same time, the new system takes up significantly less space than competing fire-fighting systems with cylinders pumped with inert gases.
In a recent demonstration on Good Morning America, books and electronic devices were immersed in a bowl of this liquid.
After the objects were removed, the liquid evaporated from them in a second, leaving absolutely no traces and without making any changes in the structure, for example, of paper.
This is an ideal solution for built-in fire protection systems for hospitals, museums, libraries, telecommunications centers and computer centers, the American inventors believe. Interestingly, the new liquid chemically interferes with the combustion reaction and suppresses it, while water simply cools the source of fire and, evaporating, blocks the access of oxygen to the fire.
It is interesting to compare the physical properties of water and 3M Novec 1230. Their boiling points are 100 and 49 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The freezing point is zero and minus 108 degrees. Saturated vapor pressure at 25 degrees Celsius is 3.2 and 40.4 kilopascals for water and “dry water”, respectively
The heat of vaporization is 2442 kilojoules per kilogram for water, and only 95 for the new substance. Its secret is that it does not contain hydrogen atoms and therefore does not have hydrogen chemical bonds. The interaction between the molecules of the new liquid is much weaker than between the molecules of water, which in the latter case it is determined precisely by hydrogen bonds.
This weak attraction between the molecules of “dry water” is what gives it such unique properties. They allow 3M Novec 1230 to quickly change from a liquid to a gaseous state, even when spraying cold, when a fire has just started and a large flame (and high temperature) not yet. It should be noted that liquids with similar properties were known to chemists before. Why were they not used in fire extinguishing systems? The answer is simple - the predecessors of “dry water” were toxic and dangerous for the ozone layer. The same cannot be said about the 3M Novec 1230.
Of course this is a joke. They don't eat dry water. Or rather, they don’t drink. This substance was developed in the USA in 2004 with pure practical purposes. And if not for its unusual properties combined with its similarity to ordinary water, probably no one except specialists would have known about it.
In our country, interest in it arose after the appearance of a story about dry water in the Galileo program.
The mysterious liquid, colorless and odorless, so similar to water, has attracted the interest of many.
After all, dry water:
- does not conduct electricity;
- boils at 49°C;
- does not wet surfaces.
Dry water: application
It may seem that dry water is just an ingredient for tricks and jokes, and there is no practical benefit from it. But it's just the opposite. This substance was developed to solve very serious problems. And, if you look at its properties again, you can even guess which ones.For those who haven't guessed, we'll tell you. Dry water was created for systems automatic fire extinguishing. Those who have at least once encountered the consequences of extinguishing even a small fire will definitely appreciate the benefits of dry water.
Imagine that the fire extinguishing system in the office went off. The fire has been extinguished, but at what cost! Important documentation is hopelessly damaged, office equipment, flooded with water and foam, does not work, and furniture is easier to replace than to put in order.
But if dry water was used to extinguish the fire, all these problems will not arise. This substance fights fire no worse, and perhaps better, than ordinary water. At the same time, paper, furniture and equipment remain undamaged.What an office! After all, a fire can happen anywhere, for example, in a library or museum, a large data center or a television station, or in any other place where there is a lot of expensive equipment, important documents, priceless works of art. Imagine what losses dry water helps prevent!