Origin and Development of Foam Fire Extinguishing Agent

 

The development of foam fire extinguishing agent always runs through the development of foam fire extinguishing technology, and the evolution of foam fire extinguishing agent records the development track of foam fire extinguishing technology from one side, so understanding the development history of foam fire extinguishing agent is beneficial to us to understand or master foam fire extinguishing technology.

 

 

 

 

19th century

 

In the 19th century, with the development of the petroleum industry, oil and its products were frequent fires, and the traditional fire extinguishing agent-water was powerless, so people have been committed to developing methods and extinguishing agents for extinguishing liquid combustible fires since the end of the 19th century. Tracing back to history, the chemical foam as a fire extinguishing agent was found in a special issue in Britain in 1877.

 

 

 

1900-1939

 

In 1900, Laurent of England invented the fire extinguishing method of chemical foam produced by the chemical reaction of aluminum sulfate aqueous solution with sodium bicarbonate and saponin aqueous solution. It was called wet chemical foam. In 1904, it was used to extinguish the naphtha storage tank fire with a diameter of 35 feet. In order to facilitate the use, in 1925, British Urquhart developed dry chemical foam on the basis of wet chemical foam, which has been applied in industry. Until the 1970 s, oil tank chemical foam fire extinguishing facilities left over by western powers can be seen in China. Dry chemical foam is divided into acid and alkali powder, which is mixed into water in proportion by mixer when used. Although it is more convenient to use than wet chemical foam, it is still too complicated. In 1937, Germany's Samo invented the method of using natural protein hydrolysis to produce protein foam fire extinguishing agent. The foam fire extinguishing technology has been a milestone development. In 1939, Germany's Daimler developed a metal soap-type anti-soluble protein foam fire extinguishing agent.

 

1954-1972

 

In 1954, Britain's Eisnor and Smith invented the high-expansion foam fire extinguishing agent. In order to be safe, during the Second World War, the United Kingdom used protein foam to carry out the oil tank liquid spray foam fire extinguishing test, because the protein foam oleophobicity is poor and unsuccessful, for technical needs to begin to develop a new foam fire extinguishing agent. After the United States obtained the test information from the United Kingdom, the technology was also studied. In 1964, Tuff and others took the lead in successfully developing an ordinary aqueous film foam extinguishing agent based on fluorocarbon surfactants and hydrocarbon surfactants. The foam extinguishing agent showed fast fire extinguishing, long storage time and strong adaptability to fire extinguishing equipment, and was recognized by all countries in the world. In 1965, the British ICI company developed a fluoroprotein foam fire extinguishing agent by adding fluorocarbon surfactant to the protein foam fire extinguishing agent, which overcame the shortcomings of the protein foam fire extinguishing agent and doubled the fire extinguishing effect. In 1972, American Chisa added an alcohol-resistant polymer compound on the basis of ordinary aqueous film-forming foam extinguishing agent, and made an anti-soluble aqueous film-forming foam extinguishing agent. In the late 1970 s, Angus, based on hydrolyzed protein, developed a film-forming fluoroprotein foam extinguishing agent by adding suitable fluorocarbon surfactants.

 

The 1960 s

 

Before the 1960 s, China was dominated by chemical foams, and protein foams were developed after the 1960 s. In 1972, in order to develop fluorine protein foam as soon as possible and help the application of spray fire extinguishing technology under oil tank foam liquid, the Ministry of Public Security assigned the research and development of fluorocarbon surfactant to Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the specific work was undertaken by its sixth research and development office, in 1974, the fluorocarbon surfactant mixture of "pentamer sodium p-oxybenzenesulfonate" (C10F19OC6H4SO3Na) and "tetramer sodium p-oxybenzenesulfonate" (C8F15OC6H4SO3Na) was developed through tetrafluoroethylene oligomerization method, etc., and a small test was completed, with the product code "6201". Subsequently, the Ministry of Public Security assigned the "6201" pilot project to the Tianjin Fire Research Institute, and through the unremitting efforts of a large number of scientific research teams, the pilot project was completed. On this basis, the fluorine protein foam was developed, and the spray fire extinguishing test under the oil tank was completed. Since then, the production formula and process of protein and fluorine protein foam extinguishing agent have been improved, and the production formula and process of ordinary aqueous film-forming foam extinguishing agent have been improved, and the foam extinguishing agent such as ordinary aqueous film-forming foam and anti-dissolving water-forming foam, synthetic anti-dissolving foam, anti-dissolving fluorine protein foam, high-multiple foam, film-forming fluorine protein foam and anti-dissolving fluorine protein foam have been developed.

 

 

In the 1980 s

 

In the 1980 s, in the fire extinguishing system, countries around the world have eliminated chemical foam, and the main use of fluorine protein foam fire extinguishing agent and water film foam fire extinguishing agent. At the time, 3M was a major producer of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) fluorocarbon surfactants and their aqueous film-forming foam extinguishing agents.

 

Finally

 

 

However, due to the biological toxicity and environmental protection problems in the production and use of perfluorooctane sulfonate sodium produced by its electrolytic method, 3M Company stopped selling it in May 2000. PFOS is listed on the Stockholm Convention phase-out list. At present, most of the fluorocarbon surfactants used are perfluorohexane sulfonate (PF-HS) produced by DuPont in the United States by ethylene telomerization.

 

In China, due to the small amount of "6201" and the toxicity in the production process, it has been replaced by sodium perfluorononyl oxybenzene sulfonate (OBS).