Fire Extinguishing Agents: Sort and Comparison

Abstract

With the advancement in technology, industrial operations and processes are becoming more and more complex and hazardous day by day. The major threat for industries now a days is fire and fire hazards. Water is no longer capable to extinguish all classes of fire. Water is not a clean agent, it leaves residue after its function. It cannot be used with costly equipment and with class C fire hazards. Hence new and improved extinguishing agents are developing day by day. According to National Fire Protection Association, these new agents are termed as "Clean Agents". These new agents are much more effective and capable of extinguishing fire in its initial stages with very less concentration of agents in comparison to water. Many agents are invented for example Argon Gas, Nitrogen Gas etc. but with new technology various new agents are being invented till today, for example Novec 1230. Earlier halons are used with most of the fixed fire fighting systems but because of its high Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP) and Global Warming Potential (GWP), halons are banned for general applications. Halons were most effective in extinguishing fire than any other agent till date. Various halons replacements are invented but no ideal halon replacement is found till date. So there is need to compare various agents available in market on various properties like ODP, GWP, atmospheric lifetime, design concentration etc. and hence to determine the best agent.