Aqueous Fire Extinguishing Agent with Non-Electrolyte Materials
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fire extinguishing agents are ineffective for class C electrical fires and pose environmental and health risks due to secondary pollution from powders or gases, and existing water-based agents cannot address all classes of fires effectively.
Innovation Solution
An aqueous fire extinguishing agent composed of a non-electrolyte material, an anti-freezing agent, and a silicone surfactant or oil, with specific weight ratios, that enhances electrical resistance and is eco-friendly, allowing it to be applicable to class A, B, and C fires without causing secondary pollution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If water-based fire extinguishing agents are used for class A fires, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but electrical conductivity increases making them unsuitable for class C fires
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electrical parameter of the water-based agent by adding non-electrolyte materials (sucrose, glucose, maltose) that increase electrical resistance without interfering with water's cooling function. This allows the agent to maintain high cooling effectiveness while achieving electrical resistance >1000 ohm·cm, making it safe for class C fires.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fire extinguishing agent combining water (for cooling), non-electrolyte materials (for electrical resistance), and anti-freezing agents (for low-temperature performance). This composite formulation simultaneously achieves high cooling effectiveness, electrical safety, and broad fire class applicability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If powder fire extinguishing agents are used for all fire classes, then versatility is improved, but secondary pollution and solidification issues worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful powder components from conventional ABC fire extinguishers and replaces them with a water-based liquid formulation. This eliminates secondary pollution from powder residue while maintaining versatility through the additive system that provides both cooling and smothering effects for all fire classes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from solid powder to liquid-hydraulic delivery system, using pressurized water-based agent that can be discharged as liquid or foam. This hydraulic approach eliminates powder handling issues, prevents solidification problems, and reduces environmental pollution while maintaining all-fire-class effectiveness.
3Productivity
If conventional aqueous agents include electrolytes for fire suppression, then fire extinguishing performance is improved, but electrical conductivity increases causing safety issues for class C fires
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the electrical parameter by substituting electrolytes with non-electrolyte materials. The selected carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose, maltose) provide fire suppression enhancement without ionization, achieving electrical resistance >1000 ohm·cm while maintaining or improving fire extinguishing performance through alternative mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The agent effectively replaces conventional powder and gas-based extinguishers, providing high electrical resistance and excellent fire extinguishing performance across all classes of fires while being harmless to humans and the environment, with low manufacturing costs and no secondary pollution.
Implementation Method 1
an aqueous fire extinguishing agent which is based on water and has high electrical resistance and thus is applicable to class C fires as well as class A fires and class B fires
Implementation Method 2
an aqueous fire extinguishing agent including water, an alkyl acid phosphate, a glycol, a hydrocarbon-based surfactant, ammonia water
Implementation Method 3
a silicone surfactant or a silicon oil
Implementation Method 4
water has a very high specific heat (1 kcal/kg° C.) and thus is capable of absorbing a large amount of heat
Implementation Method 5
has a large latent heat of evaporation (539 kcal/kg) and thus is capable of cooling combustibles by taking a large amount of heat from the surroundings while vaporizing
Implementation Method 6
has a large vaporization expansion rate (1,650 times) so the water vapor smothers the fire by covering the combustion surface
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an aqueous fire extinguishing agent, and more particularly, an aqueous fire extinguishing agent which includes a non-electrolyte material, an anti-freezing agent, a silicone surfactant, and water and is adaptable to electrical fires. The aqueous fire extinguishing agent of the present invention is applicable to electrical fires and thus can effectively replace conventional powder fire extinguishers or gas-based fire extinguishers, and is eco-friendly in that it is harmless to the human body and the environment and does not cause secondary pollution due to powder or gas after use.