Hydrogen flame suppression by CF{sub 3}I

Halons have long been the fire suppressants of choice for applications requiring high performance. However, halons are linked to the stratospheric ozone depletion problem. The most common halon, 1301 or CF{sub 3}Br, has an ozone depletion potential (ODP) 11 times higher than the most common chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant. This has led to a ban on halon production under the Clean Air Act legislation in the US following the Montreal Protocols on ozone depleting substances. Halon replacements are being actively sought for new fire suppression systems and to retrofit existing systems as the current supply of halons is exhausted. One promising replacement is CF{sub 3}I. This compound has been shown to have fire suppression performance similar to that achieved for halon 1301, but with a very low ODP. Unlike halon 1301, CF{sub 3}I rapidly photolyzes in the troposphere, and thus has a tropospheric lifetime of less than two days. However, CF{sub 3}I is not the perfect replacement; it has performed poorly in cardiac sensitization studies and is approved only for total flooding applications in unoccupied spaces and streaming applications. In this study, they seek to build a model for the suppression of hydrogen fires by CF{sub 3}I. From a fundamental viewpoint, the hydrogen combustion mechanism is appealing because it is the simplest and best characterized of all combustion mechanisms, and an important sub-mechanism of all hydrocarbon combustion mechanisms. Thus, a high-performance hydrogen fire suppressant would almost certainly be an excellent suppressant for most other common fires. One-dimensional, laminar flame calculations are used to determine the major fire suppression mechanisms of CF{sub 3}I. The remainder of the paper is organized as follows: first, the model is described in detail; second, the experimental method and results are presented and finally, the authors compare the model and experimental results and discuss the major reaction pathways and suppression mechanisms of CF{sub 3}I in hydrogen flames