SBIR Phase I: Fire Suppression With Enviromentally-Friendly Water Additives

SBIR 第一阶段：使用环保型水添加剂进行灭火

• 批准号: 1345937
• 负责人: Scott Bocklund
• 金额: $ 14.95万
• 依托单位: EarthClean Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1345937&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Fire; Suppression; Enviromentally

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine the feasibility of significantly enhanced fire suppression including extinguishment and ignition prevention by applying coatings of aqueous yield stress fluids, that is, fluids which undergo a solid (gel) to liquid transition under the influence of shear stress. In the situation of diminishing availability of water and increased recognition of the negative environmental consequences of incumbent water additives such as aquatic toxicity, extreme environmental persistence, and bioaccumulation, there is a need for environmentally less impactful suppressants which potentially may include aqueous yield stress fluids. The main deliverables of the Phase I Research Plan are providing evidence that fire extinguishment and retardation are functions of applied coating thickness and demonstrating that the applied coating thickness is a function of controllable and deliverable rheological properties. The research will consist of rheological characterization of candidate yield stress fluids, verification of large scale pumping and spraying, measurement of extinguishment with sprayed yield stress fluids, and measurement of ignition retardation of coated combustible substrates. The anticipated technical results include demonstrating deposition of acceptably thick and uniform coatings by practically implementable methods and demonstrating that coatings so deposited exhibit useful levels of extinguishment and/or ignition prevention.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that achievement of effective levels of fire suppression at an acceptable cost may no longer be mutually exclusive with negative environmental effects of chemical additives. Fire is a continuing danger to life and property worldwide. The total cost estimate of fire in the US in 2010 was $328 billion, equivalent to 2.2% of the GDP, with 3,120 reported civilian fire deaths. More effective suppression can provide an important additional tool along with other methods to offset such losses. The dynamic rheological properties of complex non-Newtonian fluids especially as regards yield stress fluids and processes such as pumping, spraying, and coating deposition have heretofore been minimally treated in the scientific literature. The requirements of this project will require significant advances in this area. The estimated commercial impact of this project in terms of market opportunity is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars in sales of suppressants, translating to billions of dollars reductions in losses due to fire.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将确定通过应用水性屈服应力流体涂层（即在剪切应力影响下经历固体（凝胶）到液体转变的流体）显著增强灭火（包括灭火和防火）的可行性。在水的可用性减少和对现有水添加剂的负面环境后果（例如水生毒性、极端环境持久性和生物累积）的认识增加的情况下，需要对环境影响较小的抑制剂，其可能包括水性屈服应力流体。 第一阶段研究计划的主要可交付成果是提供证据证明防火和阻燃是所用涂层厚度的函数，并证明所用涂层厚度是可控和可交付流变性能的函数。 该研究将包括候选屈服应力流体的流变特性，大规模泵送和喷涂的验证，测量喷涂屈服应力流体的膨胀，以及测量涂覆的可燃基底的点火延迟。预期的技术结果包括证明通过实际可实施的方法沉积可接受的厚度和均匀的涂层，并证明如此沉积的涂层表现出有用的防烧和/或防着火水平。该项目的商业潜力是，以可接受的成本实现有效的灭火水平可能不再与化学品的负面环境影响相互排斥添加剂 火灾是对全世界生命和财产的持续威胁。2010年美国火灾总成本估计为3280亿美元，相当于GDP的2.2%，报告的平民火灾死亡人数为3,120人。更有效的抑制可以提供一个重要的额外工具，沿着与其他方法，以抵消这种损失。 复杂非牛顿流体的动态流变性能，特别是关于屈服应力流体和工艺，如泵送、喷涂和涂层沉积，迄今为止在科学文献中已被最低限度地处理。 这一项目的要求将要求在这一领域取得重大进展。 就市场机会而言，该项目的估计商业影响预计将达到数亿美元的抑制剂销售额，从而减少数十亿美元的火灾损失。