Flame suppressant aerosol generant

• US 20080245537A1
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Clark, Mark L., Posson, Philip L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,906,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 169/44
• CPC Class Codes: A62D 1/06 containing gas-producing, chemically-reactive components
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 149/115 Organic fuel

Abstract

The present invention is directed to pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppression compositions that burn rapidly, but coolly. The rapid burning of the compositions of the present invention produces a voluminous flame-suppressive aerosol that is useful in suppressing and/or extinguishing both small and large fires. The compositions of the invention contain at least one oxidizer and a fuel component comprising at least one organic acid salt, which combination produces a rapid burning composition that burns at low temperatures with little or no flame and have a low heat of combustion.

Claims

1. A pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppression composition comprising:

an oxidizer represented by the formula M(XO_x)_y, wherein M is selected from a Group IA atom, a Group IIA atom, and a Group IIIA atom, X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, x is 1-4, and y is 1-3; and

a fuel component comprising melamine cyanurate, a Group IA or Group IIA salt of an organic acid, or a mixture thereof, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of cyanuric acid, isocyanuric acid, barbituric acid, hydroxyacetic acid, tartaric acid, and mixtures thereof; and

wherein the oxidizer is present in a greater amount by weight percent than the fuel component, and wherein the composition has a heat of combustion of between about 250 calories per gram and 600 calories per gram.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein M is selected from the group consisting of lithium, potassium, sodium, strontium, magnesium, and aluminum.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein XO_x is selected from the group consisting of a chlorate, a bromate, an iodate, a perchlorate, and a chlorite.

4. The composition of claim 3, wherein XO_x is a bromate.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein M(XO_x)_y is selected from the group consisting of sodium bromate, potassium bromate, and mixtures thereof.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the fuel component is melamine cyanurate;

a Group IA or Group IIA salt of cyanuric acid, isocyanuric acid, hydroxyacetic acid, or tartaric acid;

or a mixture thereof.

7. The composition of claim 6, wherein the fuel component is selected from the group consisting of melamine cyanurate, potassium cyanurate, potassium isocyanurate, potassium barbiturate, potassium hydroxyacetate, potassium tartrate, magnesium cyanurate, magnesium isocyanurate, magnesium barbiturate, magnesium hydroxyacetate, magnesium tartrate and mixtures thereof.

8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of oxidizer to fuel component is from about 3:

2 to about 4;

1.

9. The composition of claim 1, further comprising a binder selected from the group consisting of a silicate, a cellulose derivative, a cellulose ether, an alginic binder, a gum, a gel, a pectin, a starch, a polyvinyl compound, and a mixture thereof, and optionally a polyol selected from the group consisting of a glycerol or a glycol.

10. The composition of claim 1, wherein the heat of combustion of the pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppression composition is between about 300 calories per gram to about 500 calories per gram.

11. A pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppression composition comprising:

an oxidizer represented by the formula M(XO_x)_y, wherein M is selected from a Group IA atom, a Group IIA atom, and a Group IIIA atom, X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, x is 1-4, and y is 1-3; and

a fuel component comprising melamine cyanurate, a Group IA or Group IIA salt of an organic acid, or a mixture thereof, and

wherein the oxidizer is present in a greater amount by weight percent than the fuel component, wherein the composition has a heat of combustion of between about 300 calories per gram and 500 calories per gram, and wherein the combustion products are selected from the group consisting of H₂O, CO₂, nitrogen, a halide salt, a carbonate salt, and mixtures thereof.

12. The composition of claim 11, wherein the heat of combustion is about 400 calories per gram to about 450 calories per gram.

13. The composition of claim 11, wherein the combustion products consist essentially of H₂O, CO₂, nitrogen, a halide salt, and a carbonate salt.

14. The composition of claim 13, wherein the combustion products consist essentially of about 5 percent to about 15 percent H₂O, about 10 percent to about 30 percent CO₂, about 0.5 percent to about 15 percent nitrogen, about 40 percent to about 90 percent potassium bromide, and about 10 percent to about 30 percent potassium carbonate by total weight of the combustion products.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppressant composition has a burn rate of about 5 to about 60 seconds per inch.

15. A method of suppressing a flame comprising the steps of:

i) providing a pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppressant composition by combining an oxidizer represented by the formula M(XO_x)_y, wherein M is selected from a Group IA atom, a Group IIA atom, a Group IIIA atom, X is selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, x is 1-4, and y is 1-3; and

a fuel component comprising melamine cyanurate, a Group IA or Group IIA salt of an organic acid or a mixture thereof, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of cyanuric acid, isocyanuric acid, hydroxyacetic acid, tartaric acid, and mixtures thereof, wherein the oxidizer is present in a greater amount by weight percent than the fuel component;

ii) igniting the pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppressant composition and generating an aerosol comprising a plurality of combustion products, wherein the aerosol has a velocity, and wherein the composition has a heat of combustion of between about 250 calories per gram and 600 calories per gram; and

iii) applying the aerosol to a flame in an amount sufficient to suppress the flame.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of sodium bromate, potassium bromate, and mixtures thereof, and the fuel component is selected from the group consisting of melamine cyanurate, potassium cyanurate, potassium isocyanurate, potassium barbiturate, potassium hydroxyacetate, potassium tartrate, magnesium cyanurate, magnesium isocyanurate, magnesium barbiturate, magnesium hydroxyacetate, magnesium tartrate, and mixtures thereof.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the combustion products are selected from the group consisting of H₂O, CO₂, nitrogen, a halide salt, a carbonate salt, and a mixture thereof.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the heat of combustion of the pyrotechnic aerosol fire suppression composition is between about 300 calories per gram to about 500 calories per gram.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the weight ratio of the oxidizer to the fuel component is from about 3:

2 to about 4;

1.