Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Although foam is the main extinguishing agent used in fighting aircraft crash fires, subsidiary agents are often carried to extinguish fires in enclosed or obstructed spaces, such as engine nacelles, where forun cannot readily be applied. In addition, such agents are often required for rendering inert the atmosphere within wing spaces, where the rupture of fuel tanks or fuel lines would otherwise give a risk of explosion or fire. Carbon dioxide is the most widely-used subsidiary agent, but dry powders and chlorobromomethane have been suggested as alternatives. In this note, an estimate is made of the relative vaIues of the three agents for inerting confined spaces, based upon available information of their properties.