MULTI-EXPANSION SYNTHETIC FOAM (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH EXPANSION)
It is a concentrate based on hydrocarbon surfactants, solvents, and additives capable of generating foam with any foam generator, such as low-expansion generators (both aspirating (lances) and non-aspirating (fog jets)), medium-expansion lances, or high-expansion generators. Typical expansion rates are 5-10 for low expansion, 100-200 for medium expansion, and 500-1000 for high expansion.
These foaming agents possess two fundamental properties: a high foaming capacity and high stability. Stability has a dual nature: resistance to drainage (the foams generated retain water for a long time) and structural stability (the foams, especially at high expansion, do not easily collapse and maintain their volume, facilitating fire suppression by asphyxiation by displacing oxygen).
The usual concentrations for use are 1-3% for low, 3% for medium and 2% for high expansion.
AFFF (1% - 3% - 6%)
AFFF stands for Aqueous Film Forming Foam. It is generally used in concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 6%, although in some systems, such as Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS), more concentrated concentrations, such as 0.5%, can be used. The incorporation of fluorinated surfactants in its formulation lowers the surface tension of the solutions to very low values, allowing an aqueous film only a few microns thick to form on the hydrocarbon, despite having a higher density than the hydrocarbon. This film protects the fuel from contact with air and therefore extinguishes the fire. Application by non-aspirating systems allows for long-range coverage, improving the safety of firefighters and fire suppression systems. The more concentrated the foam, the better the logistical and economic conditions of the fire suppression systems.
Although they can also be used in subsurface injection systems, it is advantageous to use fluoroprotein foaming agents in this specific case for this application due to their high oleophobicity.
AFFF ANTI-ALCOHOL (AFFF-AR)
These are aqueous film-forming foaming agents that are also useful for fighting fires involving polar solvents such as alcohols. Water-soluble fuels like acetone present a different set of challenges than hydrocarbons; while hydrocarbons can be extinguished by direct application to the fuel surface, polar solvents are extinguished by gentle or indirect application against a screen.
These foaming agents are of two types: low-viscosity Newtonian foams and high-viscosity pseudoplastic foams. In Newtonian foams, the alcohol is extinguished because the foam contains fluorinated surfactants that prevent it from dissolving upon contact with the alcohol. In pseudoplastic foams, contact with the alcohol creates a polymeric layer that protects the rest of the foam from further degradation.
Newtonian fluids are easier to use and do not present the problems associated with high viscosity, such as skinning, gelation, and difficulty pumping at low temperatures. Newtonian fluids are typically two to three times more expensive than pseudoplastic fluids.
Depending on the concentration at which they are used for hydrocarbon fires (1–3–6%) or polar liquid fires (3–6%), AFFF/AR fire extinguishers will be designated as 1×3, 3×3, 3×6, or 6×6. The choice of the appropriate type will depend on the type of risk. For example, if there is the same risk of hydrocarbons and alcohols, a suitable choice would be 3×3. If 90% of the risk is from hydrocarbons, a 1×3 would be preferable.
FFF (FLUORIDE-FREE FOAMING AGENTS)
Fluorine-free foams are free of fluorine in their composition and therefore cannot form an aqueous film on hydrocarbons. They have been developed to replace fluorinated foams due to increasingly stringent regulations on the Persistence, Bioaccumulation, and Toxicity (PBT) of AFFF foams. They are also of two types: Newtonian and pseudoplastic. In this case, if anti-alcohol properties are required, pseudoplastic foams must be used.
Their concentrations range from 1 to 6%, although in special applications such as CAFS they are available from 0.3%.
SHORT-TERM FOREST RETARDERS
These are foaming agents that have excellent foaming and wetting properties at very low concentrations (generally from 0.1% to 1%). Since their effectiveness lasts as long as the foam retains the water it carries, they are used both for active fire protection (attacking the fire to extinguish it) and for protection against reignition of the treated substrate. They are dosed by venturis, pumps, etc., and used as a wetting agent (0.1-0.2%) or as a foaming agent (0.3-1%), depending on the desired foam consistency. They can be applied by ground methods (low or high pressure, CAFS, fire trucks, etc.) or aerial methods (fixed-wing, generally seaplanes, or rotary-wing, generally helicopters equipped with a helibucket or Bambi Bucket).
It must have rapid wetting, high expansion, slow drainage, and very low corrosivity towards the metals used, such as iron, brass, aluminum, magnesium, etc
CONSERVATION
All the foaming agents described have a shelf life of at least 5 years if properly stored in their original containers.
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