Dry water June 24th, 2016
It is well known that water can exist in liquid, solid and gaseous states. Did you know that water can also be dry, no matter how paradoxical it may sound?
“Dry water” consists of 95% water and consists of tiny droplets of water, each of which is enclosed in a shell of silicon dioxide, which prevents water molecules from spreading and combining. In appearance, “dry water” resembles powder. If we look at the chemical formula of dry water (CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2), we will see that, unlike ordinary water, it lacks hydrogen and, as a consequence, hydrogen bonds, which means that the interaction between the molecules of this the water is much weaker. Other differences between “dry water” are its freezing point of −108°C, boiling point of 49°C, and its inability to conduct current. You cannot brew tea or coffee in such water; sugar and salt do not dissolve in it. Among the similarities with ordinary water are the absence of color and odor.
“Dry water” was invented back in 1968, but at that time it did not find practical application and was forgotten for many years.
They remembered it only in 2004, when the ZM corporation improved “dry water” by removing the environmentally harmful refrigerant from it, and registered it under the Novec 1230 trademark. Since then, “dry water” began to be used in fire extinguishing, and quickly gained popularity, because it showed its advantages over ordinary water. So, even if a fire is quickly extinguished with ordinary water, documents, books, equipment, furniture and other things that survived the fire can be hopelessly damaged by this very water. This will not happen with “dry water”, since when extinguishing a fire it turns into steam, which, settling on objects, disappears after a few seconds without causing any harm to them. The presenters of one program even conducted a visual experiment by putting a mobile phone and a sheet of paper into a container with “dry water”, while the phone continued to work properly, and the paper did not even get wet. Such properties of “dry water” were primarily appreciated by employees of museums and libraries, as well as owners of enterprises where there is a large amount of high-voltage equipment.
“Dry water” even extinguishes the fire differently, interfering with the combustion reaction and absorbing heat, while ordinary water lowers the temperature at the source of the fire and, by evaporating, blocks the access of oxygen to the flame. In addition, Novec 1230 quickly turns into a gaseous state even at low temperatures when the fire has just started.
In addition, another advantage of “dry water” when extinguishing a fire is the fact that its use does not reduce the oxygen concentration in the room, thereby increasing the time for evacuating people.
Once in the atmosphere, Novec 1230 disintegrates under the influence of ultraviolet radiation in 3-5 days, without causing damage to the Earth's ozone layer. “Dry water” is also safe for humans, but it is still not worth drinking.
However, “dry water” can be used not only in fire extinguishing. In 2006, studying the properties of this substance, specialists from the University of Liverpool discovered that “dry water” can provide a great service to our planet. The fact is that it is capable of actively absorbing carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer and, as a result, global warming. Experiments have shown that over the same period of time, “dry water” absorbs three times more carbon dioxide than ordinary water. All this makes it possible to significantly reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
There are suggestions that, due to its ability to absorb gases, “dry water” can also help in the extraction of frozen methane located at the bottom of the oceans, as well as other hard-to-reach gases.
A search is also underway for a method that could secure fuel storage for hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In addition, one of the specialists at the University of Liverpool, Dr. Ben Carter, at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, said that, among other things, “dry water” is a catalyst that accelerates the reaction between hydrogen and maleic acid, which results in the formation of succinic acid , widely used in the production of consumer goods. This eliminates the need to stir hydrogen and succinic acid, making the process more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
In addition, this technology can be used to create “dry” powder emulsions consisting of several liquids that do not mix with each other, for example, water and oil. These emulsions will help make the storage and transportation of potentially hazardous liquids safer.
Reference:
Fluoroketones are synthetic organic substances in which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms firmly bound to the carbon lattice. Such properties make the substance inert in interaction with other molecules and an inhibitor of thermal reactions. Numerous laboratory studies and tests have shown that fluoroketones are effective fire extinguishing agents with a positive environmental and toxicological profile. It is a colorless transparent liquid with a faint odor, which is 1.6 times heavier than water. It is an effective dielectric with an electrical constant of 2.3, so electronic devices even immersed in “dry water” continue to operate. Since the boiling point of this substance at a pressure of 1 atm. is 49.2°C, it evaporates instantly, leaving no residue on the walls of the equipment.
Here's what ZM says:
It is known that the consequences of extinguishing a fire are often as severe as the impact of the fire itself. Water and powder spoil equipment, documentation, works of art and everything valuable that is located in the room; gases - inergen, freon, carbon dioxide do not affect material assets so much, but they are deadly for people in the protected premises, and therefore require their immediate evacuation.
In the search for a combination of parameters of efficiency and safety of fire extinguishing agents, several generations of them have changed over the past decades, from carbon dioxide and inert gases to freons. However, for the most part they have serious limitations on their use. As I mentioned earlier, carbon dioxide systems are deadly to humans, and first-generation refrigerants are banned all over the world due to their colossal negative impact on the atmosphere. And this is an important factor, because global warming is occurring at a record pace. For example, the glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro, which according to scientists was supposed to melt by 2015, melted already in 2005
Understanding the shortcomings of existing gas fire extinguishing agents, a group of 3M scientists did not modify the refrigerants, but directed their efforts in a completely new direction. It was decided to use one of 3M’s basic technology platforms – the chemistry of perfluorinated organic compounds. By the way, this technology allows the company to achieve success in the field of ultra-fine cleaning of various parts, applying protective coatings to glass, metals and plastics, as well as cooling electronic devices.
The 10-year period of research work was crowned with real success - a new class of gaseous fire extinguishing agents - fluorinated ketones - was created and introduced into international practice. Numerous tests conducted by the world's leading organizations specializing in fire safety surprised experts: fluoroketones turned out to be not only excellent fire extinguishing agents (with an efficiency similar to freons), but at the same time showed a very positive environmental and toxicological profile.
A bit of boring chemistry
So, fluoroketones. These are synthetic organic substances in the molecule of which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms firmly bound to the carbon skeleton. Such changes make the substance inert from the point of view of interaction with other molecules. Why "dry" water?
Novec 1230 (FK-5-1-12) (fluoroketone C-6) is a colorless transparent liquid with a slight odor, which is 1.6 times heavier than water and, most importantly, does not conduct electricity. Its dielectric constant is 2.3 (dried nitrogen is taken as a unit as a standard).
The innovative properties of this fire extinguishing agent are explained by the structure of its six-carbon molecule, which has weak bonds. They allow Novec 1230 to quickly transition from a liquid to a gaseous state and actively absorb the thermal energy of the fire. Fire suppression is carried out due to the cooling effect (70%). A chemical flame inhibition reaction also occurs (30%). At the same time, the oxygen concentration in the room does not decrease (which is important for increasing the time for evacuating people from the room). The substance instantly evaporates without entering into chemical reactions, which avoids causing damage to materials and expensive equipment, and its dielectric properties prevent short circuits.
How it works?
Another important property of fluoroketones is their extremely low solubility in water, which does not allow the substance to pass through cell membranes into the body, i.e. ensures their low toxicity and high heat capacity of vapors, leading to active cooling of the flame and its extinguishing. This means that people who are in the room when the system is activated are not in danger. The Flight Control Centers at Vnukovo and Koltsovo airports are equipped with a fire extinguishing system based on Novec 1230; dispatchers can carry out their work when the system is triggered without putting their lives at risk.
How does this affect a person?
I will separately dwell on such an indicator as the degree of safety of a fire extinguishing agent for people. It is determined by the difference between the working concentration and the maximum permissible concentration. In world practice, a parameter called NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level - concentration that does not cause harmful effects) is used. It sets the threshold concentration of substances for cardiosensitizing and cardiotoxic effects on the body. Sometimes this difference is called a safety margin, which compensates for inaccuracies in calculating the amount of gas agent in the system, uneven distribution throughout the volume of the room, the use of increasing factors for the calculated concentration and other factors. A negative value of this parameter indicates the danger of the agent in the working concentration after the system is activated.
Thus, systems using “inert” gases (which do not support combustion) use the principle of extinguishing fire by diluting oxygen in the air to values significantly lower than the level in normal air (12-13% versus 21% in normal air). This leads to a risk of suffocation for people in the room, although such gases do not have a toxic effect. Separately, it should be said about carbon dioxide, for which working concentrations are always fatal to humans. This is due to its physiological effect on the body at concentrations above 5% (for comparison, the standard fire extinguishing concentration for CO2 is 35%).
Chemical agents do not reduce the oxygen concentration in the room. Therefore, for them, the decisive safety factor for personnel is the safety factor discussed earlier. For premises where, due to operational reasons, people may be present, even for a short time, agents with a maximum safety margin should be selected.
sources
A relatively new substance, developed in 2011 by the ZM company, has unique technical and operational characteristics. The official name is Novec 1230, but in the world it is known as “dry water”.
The absence of hydrogen in the structure of the fluorinated ketone molecule has endowed the substance with special properties that are successfully used to eliminate fires:
- Zero electrical conductivity;
- Boiling point +49°C;
- Substances and materials do not get wet.
The substance is absolutely safe for human health and environmentally friendly. But, despite the generally accepted name - “dry water”, it is better not to use it internally.
More details about the properties of dry water can be seen in the video of the manufacturer’s presentation:
Application area
Dry water is most widespread in the West in automatic fire extinguishing systems installed in rooms with fragile artistic values: museums, art galleries; libraries and archives. It is recommended to use Novec 1230 in data centers, laboratories that work with liquid flammable substances and are equipped with fragile electronic equipment. Proof that dry water firefighting is effective and safe is the removal of all restrictions on its use in the United States and the use of dry water in aircraft and armored vehicles.
Currently, the most common substances of this type are 3M™ Novec™ 1230 and Fluoroketone C-6. Both substances have almost identical performance indicators and are classified as freons.
The fire extinguishing agent is certified for use in extinguishing fires of categories A and B. Research is being carried out to confirm approval for extinguishing flammable gases - class C.
Extinguishing with dry water occurs on the principle of reducing temperature (70% of the effect of the substance) and inhibiting the chemical reaction of the combustion process (30% of the extinguishing effect).
Advantages
High efficiency - the source of ignition is neutralized, thanks to the high level of evaporation, within 10-15 seconds;
Safety for humans confirmed by clinical trials. The installation can be turned on when there are still people in the room.
Ease of use - dry water can be used as a fire extinguishing agent in equipment already installed with minimal modernization. In addition, damage to dry water cylinders and even spills will not cause unpleasant consequences. The “water” will simply evaporate without leaving a trace.
Environmental safety - the substance decomposes in 3-5 days, without damaging the ozone layer.
Fire extinguishing system design
The dry water fire extinguishing system consists of:
You can learn more about the elements of the system, their placement and operating principle from the manufacturer’s introductory video:
Considering the high efficiency demonstrated by dry water (fire extinguishing a class A fire takes only 10 seconds), the dimensions of the installation required for room control are much more compact, and the number of cylinders is much smaller. In addition, the pipeline is subject to much lower technical requirements. The operating pressure is only 25 bar, instead of the 250 - 300 bar required for a gas system. This greatly simplifies and reduces the cost of both installation and further maintenance.
It is well known that water can exist in liquid, solid and gaseous states. Did you know that water can also be dry, no matter how paradoxical it may sound?
“Dry water” consists of 95% water and consists of tiny droplets of water, each of which is enclosed in a shell of silicon dioxide, which prevents water molecules from spreading and combining. In appearance, “dry water” resembles powder. If we look at the chemical formula of dry water (CF3CF2C(O)CF(CF3)2), we will see that, unlike ordinary water, it lacks hydrogen and, as a consequence, hydrogen bonds, which means that the interaction between the molecules of this the water is much weaker. Other differences between dry water are its freezing point of 108°C, its boiling point of 49°C, and its inability to conduct current. You cannot brew tea or coffee in such water; sugar and salt do not dissolve in it. Among the similarities with ordinary water are the absence of color and odor.
“Dry water” was invented back in 1968, but at that time it did not find practical application and was forgotten for many years.
They remembered it only in 2004, when the ZM corporation improved “dry water” by removing the environmentally harmful refrigerant from it, and registered it under the Novec 1230 trademark. Since then, “dry water” began to be used in fire extinguishing, and quickly gained popularity, because it showed its advantages over ordinary water. So, even if a fire is quickly extinguished with ordinary water, documents, books, equipment, furniture and other things that survived the fire can be hopelessly damaged by this very water. This will not happen with “dry water”, since when extinguishing a fire it turns into steam, which, settling on objects, disappears after a few seconds without causing any harm to them. The presenters of one program even conducted a visual experiment by putting a mobile phone and a sheet of paper into a container with “dry water”, while the phone continued to work properly, and the paper did not even get wet. Such properties of “dry water” were primarily appreciated by employees of museums and libraries, as well as owners of enterprises where there is a large amount of high-voltage equipment.
“Dry water” even extinguishes the fire differently, interfering with the combustion reaction and absorbing heat, while ordinary water lowers the temperature at the source of the fire and, by evaporating, blocks the access of oxygen to the flame. In addition, Novec 1230 quickly turns into a gaseous state even at low temperatures when the fire has just started.
In addition, another advantage of “dry water” when extinguishing a fire is the fact that its use does not reduce the oxygen concentration in the room, thereby increasing the time for evacuating people.
Once in the atmosphere, Novec 1230 disintegrates under the influence of ultraviolet radiation in 3-5 days, without causing damage to the Earth's ozone layer. “Dry water” is also safe for humans, but it is still not worth drinking.
However, “dry water” can be used not only in fire extinguishing. In 2006, studying the properties of this substance, specialists from the University of Liverpool discovered that “dry water” can provide a great service to our planet. The fact is that it is capable of actively absorbing carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer and, as a result, global warming. Experiments have shown that over the same period of time, “dry water” absorbs three times more carbon dioxide than ordinary water. All this makes it possible to significantly reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
There are suggestions that, due to its ability to absorb gases, “dry water” can also help in the extraction of frozen methane located at the bottom of the oceans, as well as other hard-to-reach gases.
A search is also underway for a method that could secure fuel storage for hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In addition, one of the specialists at the University of Liverpool, Dr. Ben Carter, at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, said that, among other things, “dry water” is a catalyst that accelerates the reaction between hydrogen and maleic acid, which results in the formation of succinic acid , widely used in the production of consumer goods. This eliminates the need to stir hydrogen and succinic acid, making the process more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
In addition, this technology can be used to create “dry” powder emulsions consisting of several liquids that do not mix with each other, for example, water and oil. These emulsions will help make the storage and transportation of potentially hazardous liquids safer.
Reference:
Fluoroketones are synthetic organic substances in which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms firmly bound to the carbon lattice. Such properties make the substance inert in interaction with other molecules and an inhibitor of thermal reactions. Numerous laboratory studies and tests have shown that fluoroketones are effective fire extinguishing agents with a positive environmental and toxicological profile. It is a colorless transparent liquid with a faint odor, which is 1.6 times heavier than water. It is an effective dielectric with an electrical constant of 2.3, so electronic devices even immersed in “dry water” continue to operate. Since the boiling point of this substance at a pressure of 1 atm. is 49.2°C, it evaporates instantly, leaving no residue on the walls of the equipment.
Here's what ZM says:
It is known that the consequences of extinguishing a fire are often as severe as the impact of the fire itself. Water and powder spoil equipment, documentation, works of art and everything valuable that is located in the room; gases - inergen, freon, carbon dioxide do not affect material assets so much, but they are deadly for people in the protected premises, and therefore require their immediate evacuation.
In the search for a combination of parameters of efficiency and safety of fire extinguishing agents, several generations of them have changed over the past decades, from carbon dioxide and inert gases to freons. However, for the most part they have serious limitations on their use. As I mentioned earlier, carbon dioxide systems are deadly to humans, and first-generation refrigerants are banned all over the world due to their colossal negative impact on the atmosphere. And this is an important factor, because global warming is occurring at a record pace. For example, the glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro, which according to scientists was supposed to melt by 2015, melted already in 2005
Understanding the shortcomings of existing gas fire extinguishing agents, a group of 3M scientists did not modify the refrigerants, but directed their efforts in a completely new direction. It was decided to use one of 3M’s basic technology platforms – the chemistry of perfluorinated organic compounds. By the way, this technology allows the company to achieve success in the field of ultra-fine cleaning of various parts, applying protective coatings to glass, metals and plastics, as well as cooling electronic devices.
The 10-year period of research work was crowned with real success - a new class of gaseous fire extinguishing agents - fluorinated ketones - was created and introduced into international practice. Numerous tests conducted by the world's leading organizations specializing in fire safety surprised experts: fluoroketones turned out to be not only excellent fire extinguishing agents (with an efficiency similar to freons), but at the same time showed a very positive environmental and toxicological profile.
A bit of boring chemistry
So, fluoroketones. These are synthetic organic substances in the molecule of which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms firmly bound to the carbon skeleton. Such changes make the substance inert from the point of view of interaction with other molecules. Why "dry" water?
Novec 1230 (FK-5-1-12) (fluoroketone C-6) is a colorless transparent liquid with a slight odor, which is 1.6 times heavier than water and, most importantly, does not conduct electricity. Its dielectric constant is 2.3 (dried nitrogen is taken as a unit as a standard).
The innovative properties of this fire extinguishing agent are explained by the structure of its six-carbon molecule, which has weak bonds. They allow Novec 1230 to quickly transition from a liquid to a gaseous state and actively absorb the thermal energy of the fire. Fire suppression is carried out due to the cooling effect (70%). A chemical flame inhibition reaction also occurs (30%). At the same time, the oxygen concentration in the room does not decrease (which is important for increasing the time for evacuating people from the room). The substance instantly evaporates without entering into chemical reactions, which avoids causing damage to materials and expensive equipment, and its dielectric properties prevent short circuits.
How it works?
Another important property of fluoroketones is their extremely low solubility in water, which does not allow the substance to pass through cell membranes into the body, i.e. ensures their low toxicity and high heat capacity of vapors, leading to active cooling of the flame and its extinguishing. This means that people who are in the room when the system is activated are not in danger. The Flight Control Centers at Vnukovo and Koltsovo airports are equipped with a fire extinguishing system based on Novec 1230; dispatchers can carry out their work when the system is triggered without putting their lives at risk.
How does this affect a person?
I will separately dwell on such an indicator as the degree of safety of a fire extinguishing agent for people. It is determined by the difference between the working concentration and the maximum permissible concentration. In world practice, a parameter called NOAEL (No Observed Adverse Effect Level - concentration that does not cause harmful effects) is used. It sets the threshold concentration of substances for cardiosensitizing and cardiotoxic effects on the body. Sometimes this difference is called a safety margin, which compensates for inaccuracies in calculating the amount of gas agent in the system, uneven distribution throughout the volume of the room, the use of increasing factors for the calculated concentration and other factors. A negative value of this parameter indicates the danger of the agent in the working concentration after the system is activated.
Thus, systems using “inert” gases (which do not support combustion) use the principle of extinguishing fire by diluting oxygen in the air to values significantly lower than the level in normal air (12-13% versus 21% in normal air). This leads to a risk of suffocation for people in the room, although such gases do not have a toxic effect. Separately, it should be said about carbon dioxide, for which working concentrations are always fatal to humans. This is due to its physiological effect on the body at concentrations above 5% (for comparison, the standard fire extinguishing concentration for CO2 is 35%).
Chemical agents do not reduce the oxygen concentration in the room. Therefore, for them, the decisive safety factor for personnel is the safety factor discussed earlier. For premises where, due to operational reasons, people may be present, even for a short time, agents with a maximum safety margin should be selected.
Dry water is a term that has a paradoxical sound... In this material we will try to understand its meaning.
Let us allow ourselves a small lyrical digression. We all live in captivity of illusions, cliches and stereotypes. As the hero of one popular film said... The sky is blue, the water is wet, life... :)
We often perceive certain statements as an immutable truth, thereby significantly limiting our worldview and our capabilities.
So, what does the term Dry Water mean and can it be called as such.
Dry water - allegorical meanings of this term
The term Dry water has two allegorical meanings that denote parts of reservoirs and natural phenomena:
- SV is an allegorical expression denoting a small part of a body of water, unsuitable for navigation.
- NE – strong short-term shallowing of rivers, or sea ebb.
The main meanings for the term “Dry water” in the modern world are the substances described below.
SV – white fine sand
The substance looks like fine white sand and is called Dry Water; it was patented in the middle of the last century - in 1968.
Essentially, in this case, SW is the smallest droplets of water in a silicon shell. Thus, silicon prevents the droplets from combining and forming liquid.
SV has a number of properties that make it very interesting from the point of view of practical application.
Properties of Dry water (white fine sand):
- when interacting with any gases, hydrates are formed - this property is used in fire fighting;
- actively absorbs and retains carbon dioxide - this property can be used to protect the environment;
Dry water - Novec 1230
SV (Novec 1230) – refrigerant. The substance was patented and demonstrated by 3D Corporation in 2004.
Properties of Novec 1230:
- outwardly cannot be distinguished from pure water;
- dielectric;
- SV wets very poorly - any objects after contact with it are practically dry and dry quickly;
- SV is not a solvent;
- practically insoluble in water.
Due to their unique properties, both types of hydrocarbons are actively used to extinguish fires. A number of advantages make it in many cases simply irreplaceable in the fight against the fire element. One of the most important qualities of SV is its environmental safety.
SV is a very interesting substance, and it is likely that in the near future it will present us with new surprises.
As we see, water may not have all the properties of a liquid, and, therefore, be “dry”.
