METHOD OF EXTINGUISHING OR RETARDING FIRE USING NANO-CLAY

Abstract

A method of extinguishing or retarding fire can include disposing nano-clay onto the fire to retard or extinguish the fire. The nano-clay can be in the form of a powder. The powder can include nanoparticles having a particle size of about 1 nm to about 50 nm. The nano-clay can be used alone or mixed with water.

Claims

1. A method of extinguishing or retarding fire, comprising: obtaining a quantity of powdered montmorillonite-based nano-clay, the montmorillonite-based nano-clay including nanoparticles having a particle size of about 1 mm to about 50 nm; storing the powdered montmorillonite-based nano-clay in a container; and dispensing the powdered montmorillonite based nano-clay from the container onto said fire for retarding or extinguishing the fire.

2. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 1, wherein the nano-clay nanoparticles have a particle size of about 10 run to about 20 nm.

3. (canceled)

4. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 1, wherein the container is a pressurized vessel, the pressurized vessel including the nano-clay powder and a delivery gas.

5. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 4, wherein the delivery gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, air, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 1, further comprising mixing the nano-clay powder with water to form a suspension, and storing the suspension in the container.

7. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 6, wherein the container is a pressurized container including the suspension and a delivery gas.

8. The method of extinguishing or retarding fire according to claim 7, wherein the delivery gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, air, or a combination thereof.

9.-10. (canceled)

11. A method of extinguishing or retarding fire, comprising: obtaining a quantity of powdered nano-clay, the nano-clay including nanoparticles having a particle size of about 1 nm to about 50 nm; storing the powdered nano-clay in a container, wherein the powdered nano-clay is the sole component therein; and dispensing the powdered nano-clay from the container onto the fire for retarding or extinguishing the fire.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIGS. 1A-D show the nano-clay dry powder agglomerated in particles having a maximum size of about 15-20 microns in resolutions of (A) 100 microns (B) 5 microns (C) 3 microns and (D) 1 micron respectively.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a plot of the elemental composition of the nano-clay.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A method of extinguishing or retarding fire includes disposing nano-clay onto the fire to extinguish or retard the fire. The nano-clay can be obtained from natural or synthetic sources. The nano-clay can include nanoparticles of layered, mineral silicates, as is generally known in the art. The nano-clay can be a nano-clay powder. The nano-clay can be disposed onto the fire in powder form. Alternatively, the nano-clay can be mixed with water and the nano-clay can be disposed onto the fire in a liquid suspension. In yet another alternative, a quantity of nano-clay powder can be melted and disposed onto the fire as a liquid.

[0012] The present inventors have found that nano-clay alone or mixed with water alone is more effective than using only water for extinguishing or retarding fires. Further, nano-clay is more advantageous than other chemical fire extinguishing materials as nano-clay does not chemically react with the materials on which it is dispersed. Nano-clay is a natural or green, light-weight material, with no deleterious side effects when used as a fire extinguisher. It is inexpensive and available in large quantities all over the world. Nano-clay does not have toxic effects on human health or the environment.

[0013] The nano-clay can be in the form of a very fine powder. The powder can include nanoparticles having a particle size between 1-50 nm, preferably 10-20 nm. The powder can be white, red, yellow, green or grey. FIGS. 1A-1D show nano-clay dry powder agglomerated in particles displaying a maximum size of about 15-20 microns in resolutions of (A) 100 microns (B) 5 microns (C) 3 microns and (D) 1 micron respectively.

[0014] The nano-clay can include mainly silicate aluminum. For example, the nano-clay can include aluminum, silica, and optionally, a very small ratio of one or more other minerals, including Ca, Mg, Na, K, and Fe. The nano-clay can include any type of nano-clay, including, montimorillonite clay, bentonite clay, kaoelinite clay, hectorite clay, and halloysite clay. The nano-clay has high thermal resistance properties, is fire resistant, hydrophilic, and has high mechanical properties. FIG. 2 shows the plot of the elemental composition of a type of nano-clay that can be used in the present methods. Table 1 shows the elemental composition of the nano-clay.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Elemental Composition of natural nano-clay Element Weight % O 48.31 Mg 3.76 Al 10.15 Si 30.57 K 2.64 Ca 1.00 Fe 3.57

[0015] The nano-clay can be stored as a powder in a container, such as a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel or conventional fire extinguisher, and dispensed therefrom when needed to extinguish a fire. The pressurized container can include a mixture of the nano-clay and a delivery gas. The delivery gas can include at least one of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and air. The vessel can be operated to disperse the nano-clay particles in a continuous stream or spray towards a fire or burning object. Alternatively, the nano-clay powder can be mixed with water and stored as a suspension in a vessel. The vessel can be a pressurized vessel as described above or a vessel with a manually operated pump mechanism that includes a pump attached to a tube in the bottle for drawing liquid therethrough, such as a spray bottle. The spray bottle can be further configured to include a fan or other mixing device which can be operated to mix the nano-clay with the water in the bottle prior to dispensing. Dispensing the liquid from the bottle can include clenching a trigger on the spray bottle and spraying the suspension including the nano-clay through a nozzle or hose of the bottle.

[0016] Vessels or containers including the nano-clay or nano-clay suspension can be loaded onto a vehicle, such as a car, truck, airplane or helicopter. The nano-clay can be used to extinguish any type of fire, including an open flame or a smoldering fire from burning material such as a forest fire or fire due to warfare.

[0017] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.