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The Secret Behind Fire: How Do Fire Retarder Work?
With the impact of climate change, the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world are on the rise, making fire retardants an indispensable part of today's fire protection technology. These doses not only slow down the spread of flames, but also reduce the intensity of flames, protecting life and property.
The working principle of fire delay agent can be understood from two aspects: chemical reaction and physical behavior.
How it works
Fire retardants enhance the fire resistance of materials mainly by preventing the spread of flames. These methods mainly include physical behavior and chemical reactions.
Physical Behavior
There are many ways of physical behavior:
- Cooling: Certain chemical reactions are effective in lowering the temperature of a material.
- Form a protective layer: This protective layer can prevent the substrate from ignition.
- Dilution: Some retarders release water or carbon dioxide when they burn, which can dilute the free radicals in the flame and extinguish the flame.
Chemical reactions
Chemical reactions can be divided into gas phase reactions and solid phase reactions:
- Gas phase reactions: Organic halides such as Halon and PhostrEx can interrupt reactions in the flame.
- Solid Phase Reactions: Certain retarders can cause polymers to decompose, causing them to melt and flow away from the flame.
While such a reaction passes certain flammability tests, its actual effectiveness in extinguishing a fire remains unclear.
Applications
Fire Fighting Equipment
In fire fighting equipment, foam delay agents are often used in sprayers to effectively control flames. It creates a fire-resistant film to reduce the spread of fire.
Surface coating
Not only fire-fighting equipment, but many items also use fire-retardant coatings. For example, Christmas trees are sprayed with delay agents before the holiday season to prevent fires.
Countermeasures against forest fires
Fire retardants are often used in response to forest fires. These materials can be used in aerial or ground operations to control the further spread of fire.
The rise of aerial firefighting technology has diversified the means of fighting wildfires, whether it is fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, they can join the ranks of aerial firefighting.
Environmental and health issues
While most fire retardants are considered non-toxic in the short term, long-term exposure to these chemicals may cause health problems such as cancer or skin diseases.
- These chemicals may enter the human body through the air or water, causing health risks.
- The impact on aquatic life cannot be ignored, as some components can cause mortality in water bodies.
Research by government agencies and the scientific community is ongoing to reduce the potential harm of these chemicals to the environment.
The application of fire delay agent is one of the important technologies to prevent the spread of fire. However, in future use, can we find a safer and more effective way to solve this problem that cannot be ignored?
