FIRE EXTINGUISHING LIQUID

Abstract

A fire extinguishing liquid is described comprising (a) one or more of a phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate or polyphosphate salt; (b) a carbonate or hydrogen carbonate salt; (c) a sulphate salt; and (d) an intumescent component. Methods of manufacturing the fire extinguishing liquid and fire extinguishers containing the liquid are also described. The liquid is useful for extinguishing fires, in particular lithium-ion battery fires.

Claims

1. A fire extinguishing liquid comprising: (a) one or more of a phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate or polyphosphate salt; (b) a carbonate or hydrogen carbonate salt; (c) a sulphate salt; and (d) an intumescent component.

2. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the intumescent component comprises vermiculite.

3. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the intumescent component comprises perlite.

4. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the intumescent component comprises expandable graphite.

5. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the salts are all dissolved in a liquid vehicle, optionally wherein the liquid vehicle is water, preferably demineralized water.

6. (canceled)

7. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, further comprising urea.

8. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, further comprising one or more of glycerine, propylene glycol, butoxyethanol and hexylene glycol.

9. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the one or more phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate or polyphosphate salt comprises diammonium hydrogen phosphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2HPO.sub.4).

10. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the carbonate or hydrogen carbonate salt comprises ammonium bicarbonate (NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3).

11. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the sulphate salt comprises ammonium sulphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4).

12. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 1, further including a firefighting foam component, optionally wherein the firefighting foam component includes a surfactant.

13. (canceled)

14. The fire extinguishing liquid according to claim 12, wherein the firefighting foam component is an aqueous film forming foam (AFFF).

15. A method of manufacturing a fire extinguishing liquid comprising the step of mixing (a) one or more of a phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate salt or polyphosphate salt; (b) a carbonate or hydrogen carbonate salt; (c) a sulphate salt; (d) an intumescent component and a liquid vehicle, optionally wherein: component (a) is diammonium hydrogen phosphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2HPO.sub.4), component (b) is ammonium bicarbonate (NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3), and component (c) is ammonium sulphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4).

16. (canceled)

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the liquid vehicle is water.

18. The method according to claim 15, further including the step of adding one or more of sodium chloride, urea, glycerine, propylene glycol, butoxyethanol, hexylene glycol and a firefighting foam component.

19. The method according to claim 15, further including the step of filling a fire extinguisher with the fire extinguishing liquid, optionally wherein a filtering step is performed as the fire extinguisher is being filled.

20. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. Use of an intumescent component as a fire suppressing additive in a fire extinguishing liquid, wherein the fire extinguishing liquid further comprises (a) one or more of a phosphate, hydrogen phosphate, dihydrogen phosphate or polyphosphate salt; (b) a carbonate or hydrogen carbonate salt; and (c) a sulphate salt.

24. The use according to claim 23, wherein component (a) is diammonium hydrogen phosphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.21PO.sub.4), component (b) is ammonium bicarbonate (NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3), and component (c) is ammonium sulphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4).

25. (canceled)

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0251] The ingredients listed in Table 1 were combined in the stated proportions to produce two fire extinguishing liquids (Composition A and Composition B).

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Composition A Composition B Amount Weight % of Amount Weight % of Component (kg) composition (kg) composition Diammonium 245 19.5 180 14.2 hydrogen phosphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2HPO.sub.4) Ammonium 24 1.9 80 6.3 bicarbonate (NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3) Ammonium sulphate 60 4.8 80 6.3 ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4) AFFF concentrate 35 2.8 10 0.8 Demineralised water 727 58.0 730 57.4 Vermiculite 60 4.8 80 6.3 Perlite 55 4.4 40 3.1 Natural flake 30 2.4 20 1.6 graphite Monopropylene 18 1.4 22 1.7 glycol Urea 0 0 30 2.4 TOTAL 1,254 100 1,272 100

[0252] The diammonium hydrogen phosphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2HPO.sub.4), ammonium bicarbonate (NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3) and ammonium sulphate ((NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4) were all provided in powder having a D50 particle size of around 5 m.

[0253] The method used to prepare the Compositions in each case was as follows: [0254] 1) Distilled water was added to a large metal container with heated walls and multiple stirring paddles, and the water was heated to 30 C.; [0255] 2) The (NH.sub.4).sub.2HPO.sub.4, NH.sub.4HCO.sub.3 and (NH.sub.4).sub.2SO.sub.4 were added to the water; [0256] 3) The mixture was heated up to 65 C. with mixing; [0257] 4) The solution was cooled to 40 C. before adding the vermiculite, perlite and flake graphite; [0258] 5) The solution was allowed to cool to room temperature and the remaining ingredients were added to produce the final liquid.