Fire suppression composition and device

• US 6,217,788 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aerojet-General Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Primex Aerospace Company
• Inventors: Wucherer, Edward J., Holland, Gary F.
• Primary Examiner(s): ANTHONY, JOSEPH DAVID
• Application Number:
  US09/504,599
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 252/2, 252/4, 252/5, 252/7, 149/17, 149/47, 149/62, 149/77, 149/78, 149/46, 149/61, 149/76, 169/12, 169/26, 169/84, 169/61, 169/62
• US Class Current: 252/5
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 5/006 Extinguishants produced by combustion
• CPC Class Codes: A62D 1/06 containing gas-producing, chemically-reactive components

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a fire suppression composition, comprising a propellant comprising a fuel and an oxidizer, said propellant capable of generating inert gas; and a fire suppression additive selected from the group consisting of iron-containing compounds, non-halide potassium salts, and combinations thereof. Useful iron-containing compounds include ferric oxide, ferric carbonate, ferric oxalate, and iron cyanide dyes. Useful potassium salts include potassium acetate, potassium acetylacetonate, potassium bicarbonate, and potassium carbonate. The invention is also directed to a fire suppression apparatus that utilizes the above fire suppression composition.

Claims

1. A fire suppression composition, comprising:

a propellant comprising a fuel and an oxidizer, said propellant capable of generating inert gas; and

a fire suppression additive comprising a non-halide potassium salt selected from the group consisting of potassium acetate, potassium acetylacetonate, potassium hexacyanoferrate, potassium pentane dionate, potassium oxalate, and combinations thereof.

2. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, wherein said fire suppression additive comprises from about 1 to about 25% by weight of said composition.

3. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, wherein said inert gas comprises water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

4. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, further comprising an additional ingredient selected from the group consisting of coolants, binders, and combinations thereof.

5. The fire suppression composition of claim 4, wherein said coolant is MgCO₃.

6. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, wherein said fire suppression additive further comprises one or more iron-containing compounds.

7. The fire suppression composition of claim 6, wherein said iron-containing compounds are selected from the group consisting of ferric oxide, ferric carbonate, ferric oxalate, ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, ferric bromide, ferric iodide, ferric sulfonate, ferric ferrocyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, ammonium ferrocyanlde, ferrous oxide, ferrous chloride, ferrous bromide, ferrocene, iron pentacarbonyl, iron nonacarbonyl, ferric acetylacetone, iron phthalocyanine, iron acetate, iron cyanide dyes, and combinations thereof.

8. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, wherein said fuel is selected from the group consisting of 5-aminotetrazole or a salt thereof, bitetrazole or salts thereof, diazoaminotetrazole or salts thereof, diazotetrazole dimer or salts thereof, guanidine nitrate, aminoguanidine nitrates, nitroguanidine, 5-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-3-one, triaminoguanidinium, diaminoguanidinium, and combinations thereof.

9. The fire suppression composition of claim 8, wherein said fuel comprises from about 5 to about 50% by weight of said composition.

10. The fire suppression composition of claim 9, wherein said fuel comprises from about 10 to about 35% by weight of said composition.

11. The fire suppression composition of claim 1, wherein said oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal nitrates, alkaline earth nitrates, phase stabilized ammonium nitrates, perchlorates, iodates, bromates, and combinations thereof.

12. The fire suppression composition of claim 11, wherein said oxidizer comprises from about 20 to about 90% by weight of said composition.

13. The fire suppression composition of claim 12, wherein said oxidizer comprises from about 25 to about 50% by weight of said composition.

14. A fire suppression composition, comprising:

a propellant comprising from about 5 to about 50% by weight of a fuel and from about 20 to about 90% by weight of an oxidizer, said propellant capable of generating inert gas;

from about 1 to about 25% by weight of a fire suppression additive selected from the group consisting of, ferric oxide, ferric carbonate, ferric oxalate, ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, ferric bromide, ferric iodide, ferric sulfonate, ferric ferrocyanide, potassium ferrocyanide, ammonium ferrocyanide, ferrous oxide, ferrous chloride, ferrous bromide, ferrocene, iron pentacarbonyl, iron nonacarbonyl, ferric acetylacetone, iron phthalocyanine, iron acetate, iron cyanide dyes, potassium acetate, potassium acetylacetonate, potassium hexacyanoferrate, potassium pentane dionate, potassium oxalate, and combinations thereof; and

from about 5 to about 35 wt % of magnesium carbonate as a coolant.

15. The fire suppression composition of claim 14, wherein said fuel is selected from the group consisting of 5-aminotetrazole or a salt thereof, bitetrazole or salts thereof, diazoaminotetrazole or salts thereof, diazotetrazole dimer or salts thereof, guanidine nitrate, aminoguanidine nitrates, nitroguanidine, 5-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-3-one, triaminoguanidinium, diaminoguanidinium, and combinations thereof.

16. The fire suppression composition of claim 14, wherein said oxidizer is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal nitrates, alkaline earth nitrates, phase stabilized ammonium nitrates, perchlorates, iodates, bromates, and combinations thereof.

17. The fire suppression composition of claim 14, wherein said fuel comprises from about 10 to about 35% by weight of said composition.

18. The fire suppression composition of claim 14, wherein said oxidizer comprises from about 25 to about 50% by weight of said composition.