Fire research abstracts and reviews Volume 13, 1971 (1971) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 68-83
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From page 68... ...
CONTRIBUTIONS OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY TO FIRE PROBLEMS H O M E R W C A R H A R T Naval Research Laboratory, Waahtngton, D C I N T R O D U C T I O N One can readily picture early cave man, havmg "caught" a fire, stanng at the flame and wondermg what it was.
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From page 69... ...
ABSTRACTS AND R E V I E W S 221 category fall man's fears, the uncontrolled burning of his home, his forests, his goods, his loved ones. And though much of the chemistry of a fire may remam the same, the approach m studymg it -- or controlhng it -- may take a different tack, dependmg on whether the fire is useful or destructive, and dependmg on what the mdmdual researcher wants to learn.
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From page 70... ...
222 F I B E R E S E A R C H metals, metal-halocarbon, etc., but also baaed on enviroiunent (with the same fuel and oxidizer) , e g., an explodmg oil tanker and an automobile engme.
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From page 71... ...
ABSTRACTS AND R E V I E W S 223 n 20 24 TIME, MIN. F i a 1 Chromatogramof a sample taken immediately downstream of a butane cool flame Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry The combination of a gas chromatograph and a mass spectrometer m tandem gives the analyst an exceptionally powerful tool for stable species, especially for complex mixtures.
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From page 73... ...
A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S 225 ESB Spectroscopy Electron spin resonance can be used to measure free radicals and atoms in flames due to their having an impaired electron. Direct measurements (flames m the resonant cavity)
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From page 74... ...
226 F I R E B E S E A B C H E L E C T R O D E J A C K E T O R A N G E F L A M E B L U E F L A M E N O N - L U M I N O U S Z O N E C O O L F L A M E D I F F U S E R E L E C T R O D E N 2 - I - F U E L O 2 V E R T I C A L T U B E R E A C T O R Fio 3 Schematic of the vertical tube reactor showmg relative positions of flame stages &ajely Safety is an area where analysis has had a very important mipact. For example, as man has acqiured a better imderstandmg between flammabihty charactenstics of hqmd petroleum fuels and their composition he has been able to msist that new designs m refinery techniques be put mto practice so that the fuels would be safer.
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From page 75... ...
A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S 227 Fire Suppression Again, analytical chemistry has played a large part in achievmg better materials and techmques for suppressing fires The development of commercial materials such as "Light Water" and "Purple-K-Powder" are greatly abetted by acquirmg understandmg of what is needed composition-wise. Even today, the composition of "Light Water" concentrate is bemg radically modified because analysis has shown that problems in corrosion require it Analytical chemistry has also played a sigmficant role m the development of vapor phase inhibitors that mterfere or react with free radicals and other cham earners in the combustion process.
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From page 77... ...
A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S 229 tures) these are also related to flammabihty.
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From page 79... ...
A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S 231 more mterested in simple devices for measurmg not only the total oxides of mtrogen, but how much of which ones. I t is also becoming important that we do this accurately down to the fractional ppm range as opposed to, say, determinmg CO2 m percentage values.
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From page 80... ...
232 FIRE RESEARCH Toxicity Many people are killed by fires due to "suffocation," "asphyxiation," "smoke inhalation," etc., without the real cause of death bemg pm-pomted. Also, it has been observed m a number of fires, particularly m relatively confined spaces, that some men (without respiratory protection)
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From page 81... ...
ooo A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S T A B L E 4 Oxygen levels in various environments Environment Total pressure (atm) Concentration of 0 , (%)
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From page 82... ...
234 F I B E B E S E A B C H apphed, they can give a wealth of information not otherwise obtamable. Different forms of each are possible, for example, probmg might mclude use of laser beams, ion probes, sound pulses, etc.
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From page 83... ...
A B S T R A C T S A N D R E V I E W S 235 how these are used, how they are juxtaposed, how they are handled, what the contribution of the human element is, the precautions and preventive measures taken, etc., etc., obviously all come mto play m desigmng a "non-fire," and must be mcluded m our attempts to reach the utopia of "non-fires," a utopia which is certamly worth stnvmg for. In conclusion, wouldn't it be great if we could say that next Tuesday afternoon we will have a non-fire at the Blank refinery and on Thursday mommg Tanker X will not blow up and, perhaps that at this very moment, m this very buildmg, we are havmg a "non-fire," because we were smart enough?
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