Glutinous Water. Protecting Vertical and Overhead Surfaces from Fire Spread
Abstract
Most of the water used in firefighting is not only wasted, it also contributes extensively to total damage. Water is an unusual chemical in that, due to hydrogen bonding, it is a liquid at room temperature and it also has a very high heat of evaporation. So, if one could make water adhere significantly to vertical and overhead surfaces, a great deal of fire protection could be bought because such surfaces could not get hotter than the boiling point of water (100 deg C) and a great deal of heat energy would be required to evaporate it. This can be accomplished by making water glutinous, either by making a foam (e.g., shaving cream) or by thickening it (e.g. gravy), or both. Calculations and experiment show that up to at least 10 times greater fire protection could be achieved with only about 1/20 - 1/50 the amount of water. Fire protection, Firefighting, Fire spread, Foam, Glutinous water, Sticky water.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 28, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA277280
Entities
People
- Homer W. Carhart
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory