It's Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
which gas helps to make the foam that firefighters use
fire retardants used in the foam are trimethyltrimethylene glycol and hexylene glycol.
Yeah because it makes it wet ;)
AFFF or aqueous fire fighting foam is a chemical agent that is added to water usually at a rate of about 300:1 (300gal water for 1gal foam concentrate) this mixture is then mixed with the outside air as it exits the nozzle and creates a blanket of foam that suffocates the fire.
well the tank that holds the foam is compressed with co2 but what actually makes the foam is the nozzle it acts as an aerator and thus making the liquid into foam ----------------------------------------- Air is the most simple example of gas used in foam fire extinguishers.
Air is the gas most commonly used to create the foam that firefighters use. Most commonly, the foam is generated by adding a small amount (1%-5%) of foaming agent into the water flow coming from the fire engine. This is done by either injecting it into the water stream with a small metering pump, or with a foam eductor which draws the foam into the water stream using a venturi. A foam play pipe, or Foam nozzle is used on the end of the water line which is designed to draw air into the stream of water, and creates the foam. More recently air compressors (CAFS - Compressed Air Foam System) are being added to some newer fire apparatus which injects air directly into the water stream. This allows for even less water to be used in firefighting, and produces a more consistant foam.
No. Fire extinguishers use a dry powder to smother the fire. Firefighters use two types of foam that can be broken down into more categories. A class "A" foam is actually a type of soap. It is used to break up water tension so that water can seep into the ground and/or fuel better. A class "B" foam is used to make a blanket that smothers gasoline or diesel type fires.
it is a non-flammable gas that is effective at starving a fire of oxygen. Like other fire extinguishers (foam and water) it is only recommended for fighting certain types of fire. more infromation and recommendations on their use should be available through the fire department.
CO2
Most firefighting foams use regular air. Before air is introduced, the liquid foam product is proportioned into water either ahead of time or as it flows through the fire house. Air is mixed with the foam/water solution either at the nozzle or by using an air compressor (Compressed-Air Foam System(CAFS))
In a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), air or another gas is compressed and introduced into the foam solution. Larger systems use a dedicated air compressor and compresses regular air from the atmosphere. Smaller systems can use any inert compressed gas such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Compressed Nitrogen (N2) or smaller tanks of compressed regular air. The simplest, most efficient and least expensive way of producing foam is with a portable foam eductor. These foam systems use regular hand lines and an eductuor 100 feet from the end of the nozzle. The eductor siphons foam solution from a tank or drum using the "Venturi" principal. When the foam solution reaches a standard fog nozzle, water pressure and the broken stream produced by the nozzle introduce air into the foam solution. There are other forms of nozzles that introduce water using the "Venturi" effect that are not user adjustable like a fog nozzle. The quick easy answer is regular air is used most commonly in fire fighting foam however CO2 and N2 can be used depending on the design of the system used.
In a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), air or another gas is compressed and introduced into the foam solution. Larger systems use a dedicated air compressor and compresses regular air from the atmosphere. Smaller systems can use any inert compressed gas such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Compressed Nitrogen (N2) or smaller tanks of compressed regular air. The simplest, most efficient and least expensive way of producing foam is with a portable foam eductor. These foam systems use regular hand lines and an eductuor 100 feet from the end of the nozzle. The eductor siphons foam solution from a tank or drum using the "Venturi" principal. When the foam solution reaches a standard fog nozzle, water pressure and the broken stream produced by the nozzle introduce air into the foam solution. There are other forms of nozzles that introduce water using the "Venturi" effect that are not user adjustable like a fog nozzle. The quick easy answer is regular air is used most commonly in fire fighting foam however CO2 and N2 can be used depending on the design of the system used.