Two-component firefighting liquid composition for preventing fire spread

Abstract

The present invention relates to a two-component firefighting liquid composition for preventing fire spread and, more particularly, to a two-component cooling firefighting gel composition capable of fundamentally blocking fire spread at an early stage through the combined implementation of smothering and cooling actions. The present invention comprises: a first solution containing an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%; and a second solution containing at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound, wherein when the first solution and the second solution are simultaneously supplied toward a fire source and come into contact with each other, the first solution undergoes gelation to form an adhesive gel which then surrounds the fire source to extinguish the fire by a smothering action, while cooling the fire source through the water contained within the gel.

Description

Two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing fire spread

[0001] The present invention relates to a two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, and more particularly, to a two-component cooling fire retardant gel composition capable of blocking the spread of fire at an early stage by implementing a suffocating action and a cooling action.

[0002] Primary and secondary lithium batteries, with their high energy density and relatively long-term usability, are used as batteries or auxiliary batteries for portable electronic (communication) devices such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, and walkie-talkies. However, in battery manufacturing plants, underground charging stations where adequate fire extinguishing equipment is difficult to equip, and in transportation systems such as airplanes, trains, and ships, it is difficult to respond appropriately to accidents caused by battery fires or explosions. Recently, battery-related fires have occurred in manufacturing plants, ships, and airplanes during operation, posing a significant problem. These fires and explosions caused by lithium batteries remain an unresolved issue.

[0003] Lithium battery fires can reach temperatures ranging from 600 to 1,000°C (1,000 to 1,000°F) and cause internal pressure to rise. As the fire progresses, touching the battery can cause burns. The increased internal pressure causes gases and flames to erupt from the inside, pushing powder fire extinguishers outward, making them virtually impossible to extinguish. Battery fires generate a great deal of heat, and when multiple batteries are stacked together, thermal runaway can occur, rapidly increasing pressure and escalating into a large fire. Therefore, rapid cooling is essential to control a battery fire. This cooling effect is crucial to preventing fire spread, and the most effective cooling agent is water, which has the highest specific heat of any readily available material. However, liquid water largely flows down due to gravity, making it ineffective. Therefore, spraying water alone on rapidly spreading battery fires can often cause the fire to escalate, resulting in property damage and even casualties. Furthermore, in electric vehicles and other vehicles, the batteries are housed within metal containers, making spraying water or powder fire extinguishers from the outside ineffective, significantly reducing their effectiveness.

[0004] Recently, domestically and internationally, efforts to address this phenomenon have been made to cool the battery container, including electric vehicles, by drilling holes in the bottom of the container and spraying water or by placing the container in a tank larger than the vehicle itself. However, these methods, which require over 20,000 liters of water, are highly inefficient. Furthermore, in critical situations like underground parking lots or buildings, heat and smoke make it difficult to access work, and the lack of sufficient workspace increases the risk of accidents. Therefore, countermeasures are urgently needed.

[0005] Therefore, it is essential to develop a fire extinguisher that can be installed immediately in the event of a battery fire, and that can be sprayed immediately when there is excessive heat, smoke, or fire, allowing for emergency treatment through cooling and suffocation to prevent the fire from spreading to the surrounding area. The solution for such a fire extinguisher must have low viscosity so that it can reach distant fire sources even at low pressure, and it must be able to cover an appropriate area when sprayed. In the case of a battery fire, the cooling effect of the entire battery pack in the early stages before a chain reaction due to thermal runaway occurs is most important. If the extinguishing agent evaporates too easily due to heat or flows down like water, resulting in insufficient cooling, a chain reaction due to thermal runaway can cause a fire of an unmanageable scale.

[0006] Currently, aqueous fire extinguishers commercially available specifically for lithium batteries use a mixture of salts, ceramic powders, and organic substances to enhance adhesion, all of which are commonly used for extinguishing fires, to enhance cooling efficiency. When liquid fire extinguishing fluids are sprayed, most of the fluid flows away, and a thin film forms to extinguish the fire. However, this efficiency is low, and without continuous spraying, it is difficult to properly extinguish most battery fires, and the efficiency tends to be only slightly higher than that of pure water.

[0007] There have also been attempts to extinguish fires by covering them with fire blankets. However, these cannot cool batteries that have already started to exotherm. They only act as insulation, preventing the flames from escaping, thus buying time until natural extinguishment. Furthermore, if the fire blankets lack sufficient durability and weight, the flames can escape, potentially causing further fire spread. Therefore, even if fire blankets are used, a structure must be created to contain water for cooling. This requires personnel to approach an imminent and intense fire to cover the blankets and inject water, making them impractical in practice. While fully automated installation over electric vehicle parking spaces is possible, this is expensive and requires significant space.

[0008] Meanwhile, most existing Class D fire extinguishers for metal fires use ceramic powder, and when these powders are sprayed in large quantities to control the pressure of the spray, it appears that the fire will be extinguished temporarily due to the suffocating effect, but rather, they have an insulating effect on the fire source, which often leads to re-ignition, or in some cases, the fire will cool down gradually over several hours or days, making it difficult to approach the fire source.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for a fire extinguishing material capable of fundamentally blocking the spread of fire from the fire source to the surroundings and a reactive fire extinguishing equipment including the same. Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention, taking note of the above technical needs, studied a technology for preventing the spread of initial fire in the shortest possible time so that heat and fire do not spread to the surroundings and cause a larger fire when a fire occurs in a lithium battery or battery pack, which is widely used in real life, and confirmed that a cooling effect and a suffocating effect can be implemented through a gel reaction of a two-component solution, and developed a fire extinguishing composition to complete the present invention.

[0010] The present invention was invented to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the technical task of the present invention is to provide a two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, which can extinguish a fire or prevent further spread of fire by a gel-type reaction product capable of cooling and suffocating by chemical reaction.

[0011] In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, comprising: a first solution comprising an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%; and a second solution comprising at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound; wherein the first solution and the second solution are simultaneously provided toward a fire source, and when the first solution and the second solution come into contact, the first solution gels to form an adhesive gel, and the gel surrounds the fire source to extinguish the fire by a suffocating effect, and cools the fire source by cooling by water inside the gel.

[0012] In the present invention, the first solution and the second solution are provided in a reactive digestion chamber consisting of a first digestion chamber and a second digestion chamber, and are characterized in that they are provided simultaneously in equal amounts toward the fire source while the first solution is contained in the first digestion chamber and the second solution is contained in the second digestion chamber.

[0013] In the present invention, the first solution is characterized in that it is diluted by mixing the alkali silicate aqueous solution with water in a volume ratio of 1 to 2:1 to 10.

[0014] In the present invention, the first solution is characterized in that it is formed by further adding 1 to 20 parts by weight of one or more additives selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and ammonium phosphate to 100 parts by weight of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution.

[0015] In the present invention, the acid is an acid solution containing at least one of a weak acid and a strong acid, and the acid causes silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate to precipitate, forming a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

[0016] In the present invention, the metal salt is a metal salt aqueous solution containing at least one cation among a divalent cation and a trivalent cation, and the cation is characterized in that it is exchanged with the silicate ion of the alkali metal silicate and bonds with the silicate ion to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

[0017] In the present invention, the carbonate compound is a carbonate aqueous solution containing at least one of ammonium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, and the carbonate compound reacts with the silicate ion of the alkali metal silicate to produce carbon dioxide and form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

[0018] In the present invention, the phosphate compound is an aqueous phosphate solution including at least one of trisodium phosphate (Na3PO4), sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4), sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4), dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4), ammonium phosphate (NH4PO4), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), and diammonium phosphate ((HH4)2HPO4), and is characterized in that the phosphate ion of the phosphate compound reacts with the silicate ion of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

[0019] In the present invention, the second solution is characterized in that it further includes an aqueous solution in which at least one of alcohols and ketones is diluted in water.

[0020] According to the present invention as a means for solving the above problem, by forming an adhesive and poorly soluble gel using the first solution and the second solution, when a fire breaks out in a lithium battery production plant and storage facility without a proper extinguishing agent, a large number of lithium battery packs or a car or ESS (energy storage system) facility with lithium batteries built in, an electric scooter mainly charged at home, etc., the spread of the fire can be prevented by a simple process of spraying the solution through a separate nozzle or pouring it into the fire source, and even in a small amount, there is an advantage that it can be applied while minimizing contamination in an urgent situation such as when a fire breaks out in a means of transportation such as an airplane, ship, or train that lacks proper extinguishing equipment.

[0021] In the case of existing fire extinguishers using extinguishing liquids, the extinguishing liquid does not stay on the surface of the fire source but flows down, so in order to extinguish a battery fire, a large amount of extinguishing agent must be sprayed at high pressure to achieve cooling and suffocation effects, which is not very efficient. Furthermore, if the extinguishing liquid is not environmentally friendly, it is easy to contaminate the surroundings. On the other hand, the extinguishing liquid composition for forming a two-component cooling fire-fighting gel of the present invention has the effect of drastically reducing the amount of extinguishing agent used, as when the first solution and the second solution are sprayed at the same time at a safe distance so that they can cover the surface of the fire by spraying them to the same location, most of the aqueous solution turns into a gel and sticks to the fire source. The gels sprayed onto the fire source do not flow and stay close to the fire source, and except for the parts that have been vitrified or solidified by high heat, they can be removed with a little force, which greatly reduces surrounding contamination and makes cleanup easy.

[0022] In some cases, if a problem occurs during the spraying of the first and second solutions or the amount is insufficient, a general fire can be easily extinguished by the extinguishing agent contained in the aqueous solution even if only one of the first and second solutions is sprayed, and since the gels that have already been formed are insoluble and do not dissolve in the water being sprayed or in the first or second solution, the extinguishing effect can be maintained.

[0023] Figure 1 is a photograph showing the spraying of the first solution and the second solution according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing the first solution and the second solution according to the present invention being used in the form of a fireproof sheet.

[0025] Figure 3 is a photograph confirming whether gel formation and skin irritation occurred in the first and second solutions according to Example 1.

[0026] Figure 4 is a photograph showing the results according to the presence or absence of addition of a carbonate compound in Examples 1 and 2.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a photograph showing the extinguishment of a fire in one automobile battery using the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 1.

[0028] Figure 6 is a photograph showing the extinguishment of a fire in three automobile batteries using the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 1.

[0029] Figure 7 is a photograph showing the extinguishment of a Styrofoam fire and a plastic and rubber fire using the first and second solutions prepared according to Example 2.

[0030] Figure 8 is a photograph showing the application of the first solution and the second solution manufactured according to Example 2 to a metal fire.

[0031] Figure 9 is a photograph showing the first solution and the second solution manufactured according to Example 3 being applied to a vertically standing iron plate being heated.

[0032] Figure 10 is a photograph showing the adhesion and ease of processing of the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 3 to a vertically erected glass plate.

[0033] Figure 11 is a photograph showing the fire suppression process by spraying a general single-component fire extinguishing agent on a lithium battery fire in Comparative Example 1.

[0034] Figures 12 and 13 are photographs and graphs of the fire propagation prevention test of Example 4.

[0035] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and embodiments. Specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Throughout the description of each drawing, similar reference numerals have been used to designate similar components.

[0036] The terminology used herein is merely for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "comprise" or "have" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, reaction, component, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, reactions, components, or combinations thereof.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0038] The present invention relates to a two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing the spread of fire, wherein two different fire extinguishing agents are brought into contact simultaneously so that they can be used as an aqueous fire extinguishing agent for preventing the spread of fire, and a chemical reaction occurs at the moment of contact, thereby forming an aqueous gel that is insoluble and adhesive.

[0039] To this end, the two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing fire propagation of the present invention comprises a first solution containing an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%, and a second solution containing at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound, wherein the first solution and the second solution form an adhesive gel when they come into contact, and the gel surrounds the fire source to exert a suffocating effect and a cooling effect.

[0040] In relation to this, Fig. 1 is a photograph showing a first solution and a second solution according to the present invention being sprayed. Referring to Fig. 1, the first solution and the second solution are provided in a reactive digestion chamber consisting of a first digestion chamber and a second digestion chamber, and can be provided in the same amount simultaneously toward the fire source while the first solution is contained in the first digestion chamber and the second solution is contained in the second digestion chamber. That is, due to the characteristics of a reactive digestion chamber using a first solution (111) and a second solution (121), two reactive digestion chambers consisting of a first digestion chamber and a second digestion chamber having the same size for storing the first solution and the second solution, respectively, are provided, and different nozzles are provided in each of the first digestion chamber and the second digestion chamber.

[0041] In the spray structure of the first and second solutions, in the case of a pressurized fire extinguisher the size of a fire extinguisher used in a powder fire extinguisher, the first and second solutions are each placed in the two first and second fire extinguishing chambers, and the pressure is increased using nitrogen gas or compressed air. The nozzles are positioned side by side at angles adjusted so that the solutions to be sprayed can meet at the front end, as in part a of Fig. 1. At this time, with one lever movement, the first and second solutions are sprayed simultaneously, and the two solutions meet and mix in the air to form a gel. The two solutions that are not mixed and attached to the fire source also naturally mix to form a gel. In the case of a mechanical spray, the two first and second fire extinguishing chambers are used, and after the two chambers are sprayed with pressure applied in one movement, the aqueous solutions are sprayed through nozzles whose angles are adjusted so that the two solutions meet at the front end. It can be applied in the form of sprinklers through two supply chains to automatically spray when a fire breaks out in a battery pack or automobile in a confined space, a battery manufacturing plant, a ship, or a difficult-to-extinguish location such as an underground parking lot.

[0042] If possible, it is desirable to allow the first and second solutions to react in advance by spraying them alternately at the front end of the nozzle. If the two nozzles are too close together or intersected at too close a distance, gel formation can occur in front of the nozzle, reducing spray efficiency. Therefore, appropriate spacing and intersection angle adjustments are necessary, but these must be calculated differently depending on the spray pressure.

[0043] In the case of the first solution, if CO2 gas is used for pressure control, there is a high possibility that a gel will be formed inside the first digestion chamber, so an inert gas (N2) or air must be used to increase the pressure. In the case of the second solution, there are no major restrictions on the selection of the gas for pressure addition as long as it is not a flammable gas. Whether it is a pressurized type using a gas or a mechanical spray, it is desirable that the pressure be the same so that the first and second solutions are sprayed in the first and second digestion chambers in one operation in equal amounts to form a gel without phase separation with water, so that the same amount can be sprayed at one time at the same pressure.

[0044] The first and second solutions, stored in separate first and second chambers, are sprayed under pressure and mixed in the air, forming a gel the moment they come into contact with the surface of the fire source. When they touch the surface of the fire source, the remaining liquids also form a gel and adhere tightly, causing an instantaneous suffocation effect on the fire source, extinguishing the fire. At this time, the gel has adhesiveness to most surfaces, including metal, plastic, fiber, wood, and skin, and is stably attached to not only horizontal surfaces but also vertical surfaces.

[0045] Accordingly, the present invention relates to a fire extinguishing composition in which a first solution and a second solution are simultaneously provided toward a fire source, the first solution gels when the first solution and the second solution come into contact, and forms an adhesive gel, and the gel surrounds the fire source to extinguish the fire through a suffocating effect, and cools the fire source by cooling with water inside the gel, and a technology comprising a reactive dual fire extinguishing chamber of a first fire extinguishing chamber and a second fire extinguishing chamber, so that the first solution and the second solution are sprayed simultaneously in a single operation.

[0046] The two-component fire extinguishing agent composition of the present invention is a fire extinguishing agent that forms an adhesive gel the moment a first solution and a second solution come into contact with each other by spraying them, wherein the first solution and the second solution, which are stored separately in a first fire extinguishing chamber and a second fire extinguishing chamber, are sprayed under pressure so that they come into contact with the air, and a gel is formed the moment they mix, so that they adhere to the fire source and a suffocating effect occurs instantly, thereby extinguishing the fire, and the water and fire extinguishing agent contained in the gel continuously evaporate, so that cooling and suffocating effects occur simultaneously. To this end, a reactive fire extinguishing device can be provided that is configured with a dual-chamber reactive fire extinguishing chamber so that the first solution and the second solution can be sprayed in equal amounts simultaneously in a single operation.

[0047] The first solution of the present invention is a composition comprising an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%.

[0048] The alkali metal silicate aqueous solution uses water glass, which is an easily available alkali metal silicate, and has a high safety level with a water content of 50 wt% or more, has low viscosity and can be sprayed, and can be used alone or in combination by selecting one or more from the group consisting of sodium (Na) silicate aqueous solution, potassium (K) silicate aqueous solution, and lithium (Li) silicate aqueous solution.

[0049] When using a fire extinguisher, the ability to spray to a distant fire source is very important, and if the viscosity is high and it does not spray far or does not spray, its application as a fire extinguisher is limited. Therefore, it is preferable to dilute the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution with a water content of 50 wt% by mixing it with water in a volume ratio of 1 to 2: 1 to 10 so that the water content of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution becomes 70 wt%. If the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution is less than 1 volume ratio, it is difficult to form a gel in the fire extinguishing composition, and if it exceeds 2 volume ratios, the alkalinity becomes too high and the viscosity also increases, making spraying difficult. In the case of water, if the volume ratio is less than 1, the 50 wt% alkali metal silicate aqueous solution cannot be diluted until the water content becomes 70 wt%, and if it exceeds 10 volume ratios, the 50 wt% alkali metal silicate aqueous solution is diluted too much to help form a gel. That is, water is added to an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution having a water content of 50 wt% so that the amount of water is 70 wt% or more, thereby making the first solution have low viscosity and can be easily sprayed with a household hand spray.

[0050] In the first solution, one or more of a carbonate compound and a phosphate compound may be further included to help form a gel through a chemical reaction with the second solution, and to provide a cooling effect and create an oxygen-deficient environment around the battery, thereby also helping to extinguish general fires around the battery.

[0051] That is, the first solution may be used as is, and one or more additives such as a carbonate compound or a phosphate compound may be further included to enhance the extinguishing performance. That is, if a gel is already formed within the first solution contained in the first chamber, it will not be sprayed through the nozzle, so it is preferable that the types that can be added are limited to carbonate compounds that do not form a gel in the first solution or phosphate compounds containing phosphate ions, and it is preferable to add them in the range of 1 to 20 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the first solution.

[0052] Carbonate compounds generate CO2 by temperature or chemical reaction, which can further aid gel formation during the spraying process of alkali metal silicate aqueous solutions or provide flame suppression through the generated CO2. Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) can be used as a carbonate compound.

[0053] Phosphate compounds can suppress flames by causing a suffocating effect, and as the phosphate compound, one or more of ammonium phosphate and sodium phosphate can be selected and used. The sodium phosphate can be at least one selected from the group consisting of monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, and trisodium phosphate.

[0054] For reference, silica sol (colloidal silica) solutions from which alkali metal ions have been removed have a similar gelation principle and can be used instead of alkali metal silicate aqueous solutions; however, these solutions spontaneously gel during storage and are not desirable in terms of long-term stability of raw materials or economic feasibility.

[0055] The first solution described above can be used as an extinguishing agent for lithium battery fires on its own without undergoing a gel-forming reaction. However, when reacted with a second solution to induce gel formation, as in the present invention, its extinguishing efficiency can be increased. The second solution will be described in more detail below.

[0056] The second solution of the present invention is a composition comprising at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound.

[0057] In this regard, since the first solution alone is not sufficient to form a silicate gel, most of it flows away into the water, which may be inefficient for application to battery fires. Therefore, by simultaneously applying a highly reactive second solution, the first and second solutions chemically react and gel instantly, so that all aqueous phases are gelled without flowing water and attach to the fire source to extinguish the fire.

[0058] The second solution, which can form a gel with high adhesiveness by reacting with the first solution containing alkali metal silicate as a main component, is prepared in an aqueous solution state by selecting at least one type from the group consisting of acids, metal salts, carbonate compounds, and phosphate compounds. The second solution, which can cause a gel reaction by contacting the first solution, can cause reactions such as acid-base reaction, ion exchange, CO2 generation, polycondensation (polymerization) reaction, and formation of a sparingly soluble salt, either singly or in combination. The second solution must have high solubility so that it dissolves well in water and low viscosity so that it can be formed into a sprayable aqueous solution state so that it can form a gel the moment it comes into contact with the first solution by spraying it simultaneously.

[0059] In this way, the second solution, upon contact with the first solution, causes various reactions, thereby preventing the water from separating and allowing the entire alkali metal silicate aqueous solution of the first solution to be converted into a gel. At this time, it is desirable that the gel, the reaction product produced by the chemical reaction between the first and second solutions, and the gases generated at high temperatures in the event of a fire be non-toxic or of low toxicity.

[0060] The acid is an aqueous acid solution diluted in water, and can be an aqueous solution diluted in water by selecting at least one weak acid or strong acid. Alkali metal silicate is alkaline, and the alkalinity of the alkali metal silicate is lowered using the acid, thereby allowing a gel to form. In other words, the silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate are precipitated by the acid to form a network structure, thereby allowing the first solution to gel.

[0061] The weak acid may be selected from the group consisting of silicic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, and boric acid. For example, in the case of citric acid, when it contains 20 wt% of the total weight of the acid aqueous solution, when it comes into contact with the first solution composed of an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution and water in a volume ratio of 2:1, a gel is easily formed without separation of water and gel. However, when a weak acid is used, the water and gel may partially separate, making it difficult to form a complete gel, so there may be limitations in using a weak acid alone.

[0062] Here, if one or more strong acids selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid are used, a complete gel can be formed without separation of water and gel. However, nitric acid is more likely to produce explosive compounds, and sulfuric acid is more likely to produce compounds harmful to the human body. Therefore, it is recommended to use at least one of hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid. However, since hydrochloric acid and phosphoric acid are also highly acidic, it is recommended to dilute them in water before use. In addition, considering the effects on the human body when they come into contact with the human body, it is recommended to mix and dilute strong acids with water in a volume ratio of 1:5 to 1:15 before use.

[0063] An alkali metal silicate solution, commonly called water glass, is a solution of silicon oxide (SiO2) and alkali metal oxides such as sodium oxide (Na2O) and potassium oxide (K2O). The principle of gel formation when a second solution containing an acid comes into contact with a first solution containing an alkali metal silicate solution is explained as follows.

[0064] Alkali metal silicates cause precipitation and polymerization of silica (SiO2) in an acidic environment, in which the acid reacts with alkali metal ions to form water and alkali metal ions, and silicate ions (SiO4) 4- ) are precipitated. When the silicate ions are precipitated by an acid, a three-dimensional silica network structure is formed, and this network structure changes into a gel-like form while retaining water, ultimately forming an adhesive gel. Alternatively, when an acid comes into contact with an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution, the pH is lowered, the solubility of the silica ions decreases, and the silica begins to precipitate, and the formed gel is physically converted into an adhesive structure. In particular, the gel has a three-dimensional network structure formed by interconnecting silica particles, and thus can have adhesive properties that retain water.

[0065] The metal salt may be an aqueous solution of various salts containing polyvalent cations. For example, it may be an aqueous solution of a metal salt containing one or more cations selected from the group consisting of monovalent cations, divalent cations, and trivalent cations.

[0066] As the above cations are exchanged with the silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate, they combine with the silicate ions to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution. That is, the polyvalent metal salt reacts with the aqueous alkali metal silicate solution, causing cation exchange, thereby forming an insoluble silicate gel as a product. As the polyvalent metal salt, one or more of hydrochloride, phosphate, sulfate, and citrate, which are water-soluble salts of divalent and trivalent cations (Ca, Mg, B, Al, Zn, Fe, etc.), can be used, and as long as the solubility is high, it can be used without limitation.

[0067] For example, as a polyvalent metal salt, at least one may be selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride (CaCl2), zinc chloride (ZnCl2), aluminum phosphate (AlPO4), aluminum sulfate (Al2(SO4)3), calcium sulfate (CaSO4), zinc sulfate (ZnSO4), and calcium citrate (Ca3(C6H5O7)2·4H2O).

[0068] With the exception of calcium salts, other polyvalent metal salts can separate into water and solid phases when reacted with aqueous alkali metal silicate solutions. In this case, it is advisable to mix them with an acid to increase reactivity. Nitrogen oxides are excluded due to their potential for explosion, and sulfur oxides are recommended for small additions due to concerns about the generation of hazardous gases. The use of chlorides, such as calcium chloride, and citrates, such as calcium citrate, is most desirable.

[0069] It is preferable that these polyvalent metal salts be included in the range of 1 to 30 wt% of the total weight of the metal salt aqueous solution. If the polyvalent metal salt is included in the metal salt aqueous solution in an amount less than 1 wt%, the amount is insufficient to cause cation exchange in the reaction with the silicate, and if it exceeds 30 wt%, separation from the water component may occur, so it is preferable that the amount not exceed 30 wt%.

[0070] Alkali metal silicate aqueous solution is composed of silicate ions (SiO4 4- ) and maintain a stable form by combining with specific cations in aqueous solution. Polyvalent metal salts also contain cations, and these undergo cation exchange in the reaction with silicate. After cation exchange, silicate ions react with polyvalent metal ions to form a three-dimensional network gel structure, thereby completing the formation of an adhesive gel. That is, when a polyvalent metal salt comes into contact with an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution, the polyvalent metal ions combine with the silicate ions to form a gel. For example, when a calcium salt is added to a sodium silicate aqueous solution, the calcium ions combine with the silicate ions to form a silicate-calcium gel.

[0071] The carbonate compound may be a carbonate containing ammonium, sodium, etc. Two reactions are utilized: a reaction to form an insoluble salt by contact with an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution of the first solution, and a reaction to form an insoluble gel by generating CO2.

[0072] Among carbonate compounds, polyvalent metal carbonate compounds are mainly insoluble and therefore difficult to use, so one or more of monovalent carbonate compounds such as ammonium carbonate ((NH4)2CO3) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) can be used. It is preferable that the carbonate compound is included in an amount of 1 to 30 wt% of the total weight of the carbonate aqueous solution containing the carbonate compound.

[0073] Alkali metal silicate solutions are aqueous solutions containing silicate ions and having a high pH. The silicate ions themselves have the ability to form long chain structures within the aqueous solution, and the high pH increases the reactivity of the silicate ions by providing alkalinity to the silicate solution. Carbonate ions of carbonate compounds (CO3 2- ) and bicarbonate ion (HCO3 - ) exists as an ion in a carbonate solution, and when a carbonate compound comes into contact with an alkaline alkali metal silicate solution, acidification occurs and a reaction with silicate ions occurs. In particular, carbonate ions (CO3 2- ) is a silicate ion (SiO3 2- ) reacts with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and water are produced, and this reaction converts the silicate ions into a more stable form, inducing the formation of a silicate gel network. When the alkali metal silicate solution and the carbonate compound come into contact, the carbonate ions react with the silicate ions to form a gel network, and the carbon dioxide and acidification reaction generated during this process promote the cross-linking of the silicate ions, forming an adhesive gel.

[0074] The phosphate compound may be in the form of an aqueous phosphate solution containing ammonium, sodium, etc. The phosphate compound can be formed by a reaction in which the pH is lowered when it comes into contact with the first solution to form phosphoric acid and a reaction in which a gel with low solubility is formed through a chemical reaction to form an insoluble gel.

[0075] That is, the phosphate ions of the phosphate compound and the silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution react to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution. Specifically, by lowering the pH of the alkaline first solution to neutralize it before the ions of the phosphate compound react with the silicate ions, the precipitation of the silicate ions is induced, and the phosphate ions of the phosphate compound and the silicate ions chemically react to form the precipitation of the silicate ions and a network structure. In particular, since the silicate ions and the phosphate ions are bonded to form a three-dimensional network structure, an adhesive gel is stably formed.

[0076] The phosphate compound used at this time is composed of an aqueous phosphate solution containing at least one of trisodium phosphate (Na3PO4), sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4), sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4), dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4), ammonium phosphate (NH4PO4), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), and diammonium phosphate ((HH4)2HPO4). However, since polyphosphates such as carbonate compounds are mainly insoluble and may be difficult to use, one or more may be selected from the group consisting of anhydrous, monohydrate, and dihydrate forms of monovalent phosphates such as ammonium dihydrogen phosphate ((NH4)H2PO4) and sodium dihydrogen phosphate dihydrate (NaH2PO4). It is preferable to add the phosphate compound in an amount of 1 to 30 wt% to the phosphate aqueous solution.

[0077] Additionally, the second solution may include an aqueous solution of at least one selected from the group consisting of alcohols and ketones diluted in water. These alcohols and ketones participate in the polymerization reaction of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution to form a sparingly soluble gel. As the alcohol, one or more selected from the group consisting of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol, which have little impact on the environment, can be used. As a ketone with a similar action, acetone, which has the highest affinity for water, can be used. Since alcohols and ketones are inherently flammable, they can be diluted in a volume ratio of 1 (alcohol, ketone): 2 to 8 (water) to lower the combustibility and then form a gel through a reaction with the first solution, preferably 1:5. However, if the first solution is completely consumed or is not sprayed due to a problem, or if it is sprayed at a distance from the first solution, there may be a risk of combustion, so they must be used with caution, unlike other second solutions. That is, the second solutions, which are different from the first solution, function as a digestive solution in and of themselves without mixing the two solutions, but the second solution with alcohols and ketones added has little digestive ability in and of itself when the dilution ratio is low, so it is desirable that a reaction with the first solution is necessarily accompanied.

[0078] For reference, the first and second solutions of the present invention are in a gelled form and stick to the battery, which is the main heat source, where a fire has occurred, and the surrounding batteries or combustible materials, thereby generating water vapor and extinguishing agent components such as NH3 or CO2 as gases, thereby effectively extinguishing fires in other surrounding materials as well as the battery. In addition, when the high temperature continues and all the water evaporates, additionally, high viscosity glass network formers (SiO2, P2O5) such as Na-(Li)-(Ca)-(Al)-SiO2-P2O5 and network modifiers (Na, Li, Ca, Al) form a glass phase and wrap the battery, so that even a small amount can effectively prevent a battery fire.

[0079] Meanwhile, the first and second solutions described above can also be utilized in the form of fireproof sheets. In this regard, FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the first and second solutions according to the present invention utilized in the form of patches, which are a type of fireproof sheet. Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that in addition to reactive fire extinguishing equipment that primarily uses spraying, the first and second solutions can also be utilized in the form of fireproof sheets (10), such as fire blankets, patches, pouches, or containers. That is, in 2, a protective pack having a partition structure divided into a plurality of internal spaces so as to accommodate the first solution and the second solution is provided, and the first solution (11) and the second solution (12) are alternately accommodated in each of the internal spaces (i.e., the first solution and the second solution are alternately arranged) and are stored individually under normal conditions, and when the patch is exposed to high temperature in the event of a fire, the protective pack melts and the first solution and the second solution flow out, come into contact with each other, gelate, and form a gel, and the gel attaches to or wraps the fire source to have a suffocating effect and a cooling effect. The protective pack is made of a (synthetic) polymer or vinyl film form so that it can be configured as a plurality of unit cells in which internal spaces in which the first solution and the second solution can be accommodated are partitioned through heat fusion.

[0080] In the present invention, the first solution and the second solution are effective for most fires even when used alone rather than together, but in the case of a lithium battery fire, most of them flow down and may only have a slightly higher extinguishing performance than water. On the other hand, the gel formed when the first solution and the second solution come into contact with each other sticks to the fire source in the form of most of the water turning into a gel, so that the high heat of the fire source causes a cooling effect due to immediate evaporation of moisture, and a suffocating effect occurs due to the formed gel and the glass phase formed at high temperatures, so that it has an excellent extinguishing effect even against high-temperature, high-pressure gases and flames that are ejected.

[0081] In this way, the first and second solutions in aqueous solution form can protect lives and property by urgently preventing fires in lithium batteries contained in transportation vehicles such as automobiles that use a large number of lithium batteries, ESS or manufacturing plants that store a large number of lithium batteries, and portable devices such as laptops or auxiliary batteries including cell phones or tablets, thereby ensuring safety and soundness from fire.

[0082] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail. However, the following embodiments are provided merely to aid understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

[0083] <Example 1>

[0084] In order to investigate the fire extinguishing ability of a gel-reactive battery, the first and second solutions having the highest gel-forming amount were prepared. The first solution was a 50 wt% sodium (Na) silicate aqueous solution, which was diluted in a volume ratio of 2 (sodium silicate aqueous solution) : 1 (water). The second solution was a 85 wt% phosphoric acid aqueous solution, which was diluted in a volume ratio of 1 (phosphoric acid aqueous solution) : 5 (water). The first and second solutions prepared in this way can be used by being contained in the first digestion chamber (110) and the second digestion chamber (120) constituting the reactive digestion chamber (100), respectively, and can also be sprayed using a household spray and a laboratory wash bottle.

[0085] <Example 2>

[0086] In order to lower the high alkalinity (high pH) of the first solution of Example 1, the 50 wt% sodium (Na) silicate aqueous solution of the first solution was further diluted at a volume ratio of 1 (sodium silicate aqueous solution) : 2 (water). At this time, in order to supplement the extinguishing ability according to the reduced amount of sodium silicate, 10 wt parts of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was additionally added per 100 wt parts of the diluted first solution. The second solution was also further diluted with an 85 wt% phosphoric acid aqueous solution at a volume ratio of 1 (phosphoric acid) : 7 (water). The first and second solutions thus prepared have lower viscosity than the first and second solutions of Example 1, and are designed to be environmentally and human-friendly by alleviating alkalinity and acidity. The first and second solutions can be used by being stored in the first digestion chamber (110) and the second digestion chamber (120), respectively, and there is no problem in reusing them even if they are kept in a household sprayer for several months and sprayed.

[0087] <Example 3>

[0088] In this example, the first solution was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2. That is, a 50 wt% aqueous solution of sodium (Na) silicate was diluted in a volume ratio of 1 (aqueous solution of sodium silicate) : 2 (water), and 10 parts by weight of sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was additionally added to the diluted first solution to supplement the fire extinguishing ability according to the reduced amount of sodium silicate. In Example 3, a 5 wt% aqueous solution of calcium chloride (CaCl2) was used as the second solution to investigate the fire extinguishing ability of a second solution of a different composition for a gel-reactive battery. The first and second solutions thus prepared are almost identical in fire extinguishing performance to the composition of Example 2, but since the second solution is not acidic but neutral, it has excellent stability when used in a metal fire extinguishing container, and thus the composition was developed for use in a fire extinguisher for long-term storage.

[0089] <Example 4>

[0090] In Example 4, the first solution was prepared in the same manner as in Example 2, but a 50 wt% aqueous solution of sodium (Na) silicate was diluted in a volume ratio of 1 (sodium silicate solution): 2 (water) and used, but sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) used in Examples 2 and 3 was not added. Instead, a 5 wt% aqueous solution of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate ((NH4)H2PO4), a phosphate compound commonly used in A, B, and C type powder fire extinguishers, was used as the second solution. The first and second solutions prepared in this way also instantly gelled upon spraying, and were almost identical in fire extinguishing performance to the composition of Example 2, but since the second solution was weakly acidic, it had excellent stability when used in metal fire extinguishing containers, making it suitable for use in fire extinguishers for long-term storage.

[0091] <Comparative Example 1>

[0092] Comparative Example 1 illustrates the most common type of fire extinguisher that uses high water pressure to extinguish battery fires. This is a heavy, high-pressure fire extinguisher containing a lithium battery-specific aqueous extinguishing agent mounted on a wheeled carrier.

[0093] <Example 1>

[0094] In this Test Example 1, various fire and fire propagation prevention tests including batteries were performed using Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Comparative Example 1.

[0095] Prior to this, it was confirmed whether the first solution and the second solution according to the present invention formed a gel and whether there was any irritation to the human skin. In this regard, Fig. 3 is a photograph confirming whether the first solution and the second solution according to Example 1 formed a gel and whether there was any irritation to the skin. Fig. 3(a) is a photograph confirming whether a gel was formed by simultaneously spraying the same amount of the first solution and the second solution prepared in Example 1 on the back of the hand, and the gel was stably formed and the adhesion to the skin on the back of the hand was also good. Fig. 3(b) is a photograph confirming whether there was any skin irritation after removing the gel attached to the back of the hand from the skin surface, and as shown in the photograph, there was no skin irritation.

[0096] That is, among Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, Example 1 has the highest concentration, so the first solution has a high alkalinity (pH), and the second solution has the highest acidity (low pH) due to the high concentration of phosphoric acid. Since the fire extinguishing agent may be sprayed on people in case of fire, highly alkaline or acidic aqueous solutions may be dangerous to the human body. From the results of Fig. 3, where the first and second solutions obtained through Example 1 were sprayed on the back of the hand to form a gel, it was confirmed that gel formation was easy on the back of the hand, and the photo taken after removing it after about 30 seconds confirmed that there was no skin rash or any effect on the human body.

[0097] And we also checked the results according to the presence or absence of the addition of a carbonate compound to the first solution. Figure 4 is a photograph showing the results of gel formation according to the presence or absence of the addition of a carbonate compound in Examples 1 and 2. Figure 4(a) shows Example 1, where it was confirmed that gelation proceeded as soon as the first solution and the second solution came into contact when no carbonate compound was added. Figure 4(b) shows Example 2, where when a carbonate compound was added, gelation proceeded simultaneously with the generation of carbon dioxide (CO2) the moment the first and second solutions came into contact, resulting in an increase in volume.

[0098] FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a fire extinguishing process using the first solution and the second solution manufactured according to Example 1. Referring to FIG. 5(a), a test was conducted to extinguish a fire in a high-capacity 55.6 Ah (205.7 Wh) battery for an automobile. The ignition started from one automobile battery, and as shown in FIG. 5(b), the first solution and the second solution were put into a laboratory washing bottle, i.e., a reactive extinguishing chamber (100) consisting of a first extinguishing chamber (110) and a second extinguishing chamber (120), and 10 seconds after the battery ignited, about 100 ml of each solution was sprayed onto the battery and the reaction was observed. As shown in FIG. 5(c), the flames were extinguished, and the fire was completely stopped 20 seconds after the start of spraying (see FIG. 5(d)).

[0099] FIG. 6 is a photograph showing the extinguishing of a fire in three automobile batteries using the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 1. In order to verify the battery fire extinguishing performance, three batteries identical to those in FIG. 5 were tied together with wire, and the fire extinguishing capabilities of the first and second solutions obtained through Example 1 were verified, as shown in FIG. 6. As in FIG. 6(a), three automobile batteries were tied together and fixed by applying pressure with wire, and a torch was used to ignite a fire in one battery. After 30 seconds, the first and second solutions were simultaneously sprayed at approximately 100 ml each using a laboratory cleaning bottle. Referring to FIG. 6(b), 43 seconds after the first and second solutions were sprayed from the first and second extinguishing chambers (110 and 120), the flame disappeared, and only smoke was generated without re-ignition due to the cooling effect. The reaction was observed without additional injection of extinguishing agents, and this smoke caused by internal pressure ceased without additional ignition 3 minutes after ignition. In Fig. 6(c), it can be confirmed that both the first and second solutions were formed into gels, and there was no aqueous solution that flowed down. In part A of Fig. 6(d), some of the aqueous solution phases that flowed in the spray direction formed a transparent gel, which could be scraped off and discarded. In part B of Fig. 6(d), it can be confirmed that a glass phase was formed due to high temperature.

[0100] This shows that the fire extinguishing ability, which is difficult to achieve even with a fire extinguisher dedicated to lithium batteries (Comparative Example 1), was achieved with a reactive fire extinguishing chamber consisting of two first and second fire extinguishing chambers, using a total of about 200 ml of the first and second solutions, demonstrating excellent fire extinguishing ability.

[0101] Fig. 7 is a photograph showing the extinguishing of a Styrofoam fire and a plastic and rubber fire using the first and second solutions prepared according to Example 2. In Example 2, a more diluted solution was used compared to that prepared in Example 1, and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was further added to the first solution. When a carbonate compound is included in this way, it generates CO2 when it meets with the phosphoric acid solution as shown in Fig. 4(b), and the CO2 generated at this time acts as an extinguishing gas for most fires and can also help gel the first solution. The extinguishing effect of this extinguishing liquid composition on a general fire is shown in Fig. 7.

[0102] Fig. 7(a) is Styrofoam, and in Fig. 7(b), it is confirmed that the Styrofoam has ignited, and in Fig. 7(c), it is confirmed that the first solution and the second solution are extinguished instantly when sprayed simultaneously in the same amount, and as in Fig. 7(d), it does not re-ignite. Fig. 7(e) is a photograph of a mixture of plastic (LDPE) and rubber burning, and as in Fig. 7(f), the first solution and the second solution are sprayed simultaneously, and as in Fig. 7(g), it is extinguished simultaneously with the spraying, and no re-ignition occurs.

[0103] Figure 8 is a photograph showing the application of the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 2 to a metal fire. Currently, the use of aqueous solutions on metal fires is prohibited under domestic law. It is believed that when metal comes into contact with water, hydrogen is generated, which can cause an explosion. Water and aqueous solutions can only be used on lithium battery fires, excluding other metals, including pure lithium metal. Therefore, commercially available Class D metal fire extinguishers, which are mainly composed of ceramic powders, are ineffective on lithium battery fires and are therefore not used. Instead, aqueous solution-type fire extinguishers are labeled as "exclusively for lithium batteries." The first and second solutions manufactured in Example 2, when applied to a metal fire, rapidly induce a gel-forming reaction, which is expected to enable extinguishment without explosion. Therefore, they were applied to a magnesium (Mg) fire, which reaches the highest temperature among metal fires. As shown in Fig. 8(a), 15 g of magnesium powder was ignited with a torch, and as shown in Fig. 8(b) and Fig. 8(c), the fire could be extinguished by gel formation through several sprays. Even in a metal fire, the first and second solutions can be simultaneously injected to form a gel, demonstrating that it can be used as a Class D fire extinguisher even though it is in an aqueous solution state.

[0104] Fig. 9 is a photograph showing the first solution and the second solution manufactured according to Example 3 being applied to a vertically standing iron plate being heated. In this regard, in Example 3, unlike Example 2, a 5 wt% aqueous solution of calcium chloride (CaCl2), a polyvalent salt that is safer than phosphoric acid, was used for the first solution. As shown in the photograph showing the first solution and the second solution being sprayed onto a heated iron plate (part D of Fig. 9(a)), a gel was formed even on a vertically standing iron plate, and the cooling effect was excellent, so that the gel was not hot at all even when touched directly, as in Fig. 9(b).

[0105] In relation to Example 3, Fig. 10 is a photograph confirming the adhesion and ease of processing of the first and second solutions manufactured according to Example 3 to a vertically erected glass plate. Referring to Fig. 10(a), which is a photograph showing the adhesion by spraying the first and second solutions of Example 3 on a glass plate that was not heated, a gel was formed even on a vertical glass plate without heating, and the gel also had excellent adhesion. Referring to Fig. 10(b), it was found that the gelation reaction occurred perfectly, so that there was no flowing water at all, and when force was applied to the gel, which is a reaction product, it easily fell off, and did not contaminate the surroundings at all except for the area near where the fire occurred.

[0106] Unlike Examples 1, 2, 3, and 4, Fig. 11 is a photograph showing the fire suppression process by spraying a general single-component fire extinguishing agent on a lithium battery fire in Comparative Example 1. As shown in Fig. 11(a), which extinguishes a battery fire by spraying the lithium battery-specific fire extinguishing agent in Comparative Example 1 at high pressure, the existing fire extinguishing agent mainly uses a method of mixing inorganic salts with fire extinguishing properties in water, ceramic powder, and organic substances for enhancing adhesion, and making an aqueous solution and spraying it. In these methods, some of the fire extinguishing components that react with the high-temperature battery stick, and most of the fire extinguishing agent is washed away, resulting in extremely poor fire extinguishing efficiency. As shown in Fig. 11(b), the fire extinguishing agent must be continuously sprayed until the fire is extinguished. Referring to part E of Fig. 11(b), the flowed fire extinguishing agent can be seen, confirming that this has the disadvantage of being difficult to handle. In general, because the cooling efficiency and suffocation effect are weak, the frequency of re-ignition is high even during spraying, as shown in Fig. 11(c), and when spraying is stopped in the middle, the temperature of the battery increases, resulting in re-ignition in most cases. In other words, in the case of Comparative Example 1, if the high-speed spraying is not continued, there is a fatal drawback of repeating the process of re-ignition-extinguishment-re-ignition-extinguishment-re-ignition.

[0107] In contrast, the two-component fire extinguishing agent compositions of Examples 1 to 4 form a gel the moment the first and second solutions are mixed together, and the amount of fire extinguishing agents that stick to the part where the fire broke out and flow down is almost zero. They are efficient because they exhibit both suffocating and cooling effects when sprayed, so they do not re-ignite even if the spraying is stopped midway after the fire is extinguished. Even if the most efficient water for extinguishing the fire evaporates completely, as shown in Fig. 6, the cooling and suffocating effects occur again as the components of the fire extinguishing agent composition form a glass phase. A simple comparison based on the amount of water used until complete extinguishment shows that the fire and fire spread prevention efficiency is about several dozen times higher than that of the one-component lithium battery-only fire extinguisher of Comparative Example 1.

[0108] Meanwhile, the fire propagation prevention ability of the fire extinguishing composition composed of the first solution and the second solution obtained through Example 4 in Figs. 12 and 13 was tested. First, in Example 4, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate ((NH4)H2PO4), which is used as a material for class A, B, and C fire extinguishers in powder form, was used in the second solution, and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was not added to the first solution. In this case, when carbonate is not added, a gel is formed without bubble formation, as shown in Fig. 4(a).

[0109] Figures 12 and 13 are photographs and graphs of the fire propagation prevention test of Example 4. Specifically, Figure 12(a) is a photograph of a small battery heated with a gas torch after being fully charged, and an explosion occurred after 36 seconds of torch heating in a 900 mAh (3.4 Wh) lithium battery. Figure 12(b) is a graph showing the temperature versus ignition time of a small battery heated with a gas torch, and it is confirmed that the battery exploded after 36 seconds of heating. Figure 13(a) is a photograph of the first and second solutions prepared in Example 4 being dropped onto a small battery using a dropper (part F of Figure 13(a)), and gel formation was confirmed as in part G of Figure 13(a). Figure 13(b) shows that a 900 mAh (3.4 Wh) lithium battery exploded 2 minutes after torch heating when gel was formed. Figure 13(c) is a graph showing the temperature according to the ignition time when the first and second solutions manufactured in Example 4 were sprayed onto a small battery and heated with a gas torch. It is confirmed that an explosion occurred 2 minutes after torch heating.

[0110] According to the results of Figures 12 and 13, the delay of 2 minutes in an environment where the extinguishing agent is not continuously sprayed shows a significant fire propagation prevention ability, showing that fire propagation does not occur well when the first and second solutions are sprayed simultaneously near the fire source.

[0111] From the results of the above examples and test examples, it can be seen that the fire extinguishing composition of the present invention can extinguish almost all fires with a significantly smaller amount than existing fire extinguishers. Even with just a mechanical household spray using hand pressure, it can extinguish most fires occurring in the home, and unlike existing fire extinguishers, there were no problems even with long-term repeated use. In addition, even if one of the first and second solutions is not produced, it can be safely used with only one solution, as it has the same performance as a general aqueous solution fire extinguisher. In addition, the reaction products described through the examples are not toxic gases generated from the fire source, but gasified reaction products of the fire extinguishing composition of the present invention are CO2, ammonia, and water vapor, which do not have a significant impact on the human body, and there is no significant problem even if a mask or gloves are not worn during testing at room temperature. When a gelation reaction occurs, safer reaction products are generated than the individual solutions of the first and second solutions, so there is no effect on surrounding pollution or safety.

[0112] In summary, the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a first solution comprising an alkali metal silicate aqueous solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%, and a second solution comprising at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound, wherein the first solution and the second solution are simultaneously provided toward a fire source, so that when the first solution and the second solution come into contact, the first solution gels to form an adhesive gel, and the gel surrounds the fire source to extinguish the fire by a suffocating effect, and the fire source is cooled by cooling by water inside the gel.

[0113] According to these characteristics, when the two low-viscosity aqueous fire extinguishing solutions, the first solution and the second solution, are stored and sprayed individually, they maintain properties similar to water, and when sprayed on the fire source, they come into contact with each other and form a high-viscosity, high-adhesive gel through an instantaneous chemical reaction, so they are more effective in blocking the spread of fire than water or existing water-based fire extinguishing solutions that have a flowing nature. Therefore, it is expected that the demand for them as fire extinguishers will be very diverse and high, as they can prevent most lithium battery and surrounding fires with a significantly smaller amount than using existing water-based fire extinguishing solutions.

[0114] In particular, the cooling and suffocating action of the fire extinguishing agent composition for forming the two-component cooling fire extinguishing gel of the present invention is a principle that can extinguish almost all fires, so it can be applied in various forms such as a general fire extinguisher of similar size and weight to a powder fire extinguisher, a ceiling sprinkler of a battery storage facility such as an underground parking lot charging station or an ESS (Energy storage system), an external fixed fire extinguishing agent or internal fire extinguishing package attached to a battery container such as a vehicle, and a fire retardant form.

[0115] In addition, it is expected that the fire extinguishing composition of the present invention can be used for emergency treatment in the event of a fire by placing it in the form of a simple mechanical spray in homes where small electronic devices using batteries, electric kickboards, or electric bicycles (scooters) require frequent charging, or in airplanes where it is difficult to use a pressure vessel.

[0116] The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention, but rather to illustrate it, and the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the rights of the present invention.

Claims

1. A first solution comprising an aqueous alkali metal silicate solution having a water content of at least 50 wt%; and A second solution comprising at least one of an acid, a metal salt, a carbonate compound, and a phosphate compound; A two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that the first solution and the second solution are simultaneously provided toward a fire source, the first solution gels when the first solution and the second solution come into contact, and forms an adhesive gel, the gel surrounds the fire source and extinguishes the fire by a suffocating effect, and cools the fire source by cooling by water inside the gel.

2. In paragraph 1, The first solution and the second solution are provided in a reactive digestion chamber consisting of a first digestion chamber and a second digestion chamber, A two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing fire spread, characterized in that the first solution is contained in the first fire extinguishing chamber and the second solution is contained in the second fire extinguishing chamber, and the first solution is provided simultaneously in the same amount toward the fire source.

3. In paragraph 1, The above first solution is, A two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that the alkali silicate aqueous solution is diluted by mixing it with water in a volume ratio of 1 to 2:1 to 10.

4. In paragraph 1, The above first solution is, A two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that it is formed by further adding 1 to 20 parts by weight of one or more additives selected from the group consisting of sodium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and ammonium phosphate to 100 parts by weight of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution.

5. In paragraph 1, The above acid is an acid solution containing at least one of a weak acid and a strong acid, A two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing fire spread, characterized in that the silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate are precipitated by the acid to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

6. In paragraph 1, The above metal salt is a metal salt aqueous solution containing at least one cation among a monovalent cation, a divalent cation, and a trivalent cation, A two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that the cations are exchanged with the silicate ions of the alkali metal silicate and combine with the silicate ions to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

7. In paragraph 1, The above carbonate compound is a carbonate aqueous solution containing at least one of ammonium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, A two-component fire extinguishing composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that the carbonate compound reacts with the silicate ion of the alkali metal silicate to produce carbon dioxide and form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

8. In paragraph 1, The above phosphate compound is an aqueous phosphate solution containing at least one of trisodium phosphate (Na3PO4), sodium dihydrogen phosphate (NaH2PO4), sodium hydrogen phosphate (Na2HPO4), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4), dipotassium phosphate (K2HPO4), ammonium phosphate (NH4PO4), ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4), and diammonium phosphate ((HH4)2HPO4). A two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that the phosphate ion of the phosphate compound reacts with the silicate ion of the alkali metal silicate aqueous solution to form a network structure, thereby causing gelation of the first solution.

9. In paragraph 1, The second solution is, A two-component fire extinguishing agent composition for preventing the spread of fire, characterized in that it further comprises an aqueous solution of at least one alcohol or ketone diluted in water.

Images