CLEAN WATER MIST TECHNOLOGY USED TO SUPPRESS ETHANOL POOL FIRES – EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Autor/autori: Assoc. Prof. Constantin POPA , Prof. Alexandru CHISACOF, Prof. Valeriu PANAITESCU

Abstract: The present work tries to clarify by the experimental results, some phenomenological aspects concerning the use of water mist jet of different temperature for the liquid fuel suppression. The role of some significant parameters of the mist jet have been observed in a fire extinguish evolution. In order to study the effectiveness of the suppression of an ethanol pool fire with one water mist nozzle, a series of experiments were conducted under different conditions in a closed space. The fire source is a square shaped pan of 30 by 40 cm of ethanol. The water temperature generating water mist ranged from 15 °C to 30 and 40 °C. The temperatures graphics in three points situated above the flame at different heights, throughout all the 15 fire suppression tests, allowed the authors to present findings concerning different effects and limitation of suppression, for each temperature (15, 30 and 40 °C). An important conclusion issued from this paper is very promising in terms of potential of mist jet in fire control and suppression. However, it should be noted that the results are limited to the experimental conditions because it is still difficult to get the functional relationships of pool fire extinction mechanisms with water mist. The water mist fire suppression system represents a preferred alternative to other related fire protection systems. Due of its behaviour, the mist water systems, as clean ones, are now used in many areas, including the electrical zones of the industrial plants and civil buildings.

Keywords: ethanol pool fire suppression, clean mist suppression, warm water mist jet, ecologic suppression agent, fire safety.

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