Fire S.A.
Comprehensive Fire Protection Specialists
 F-500 - Micelle Encapsulator Fire Suppression Agent
Micelle Encapsulator Fire Suppression Mechanics rely on three main mechanisms:
 1. Reduction of Surface Tension - Like a wetting agent, F-500 reduces the surface tension of water from 72 dynes/cm to less than 33 dynes/cm.
 This feature provides the same fire suppression advantages over plain water as a wetting agent:Surface tension reduction results in a smaller water droplet. Smaller droplet size equates to a greater surface to volume ratio. Heat reduction in a fire is accomplished through the surface contact of the water droplet to the fire facilitating absorption of heat energy through steam conversion. Increased surface to volume ratio allows for greater surface contact with the fire resulting in faster heat energy absorption per equal volume of water.Surface tension reduction allows the water to spread more rapidly resulting in increased wetted surface area and increased penetration.The wetting agent feature of rapid spreading acts as a carrier for the F-500 molecule.2. F-500 Molecular Alignment - What differentiates F-500 from Wetting Agents and both Class A and B Foams is the unique design of the F-500 molecule.
F-500 is an amphipathic co-surfactant molecule. This means the F-500 molecule has a polar end (hydrophilic) and a non-polar end (hydrophobic) with sufficient distance between each end so that they can act independently of each other. This unique feature allows for specific orientation of the F-500 molecule within the water droplet.
The polar head is water soluble (i.e., dissolves in water) while the non-polar tail hates water.
While the polar end dissolves within the water droplet, the non-polar end orients itself away from the water, out of the droplet, available to seek other molecules (i.e.,fuel) and radiant energy (i.e., heat).
 Rapid Heat Reduction - The first benefit of "F-500 Molecular Alignment" is rapid heat absorption.
In addition to the smaller droplet size, due to surface tension reduction resulting in an increase in surface to volume ratio, the non-polar ends of the F-500 molecule protrude outward from the droplet.
The F-500 water droplets look like "pincushions" with pins protruding outward.
As the water droplets converge on a fire, the F-500 molecule acts as a heat sink, the non-polar "heat seeking" tail absorbs heat, transferring it downward through the molecule to the polar head that is dissolved within the interior of the droplet.
 ,4 simple analogy that depicts this mechanism would be to hold a butter knife in your hand, apply a blowtorch to the end of the butter knife, and the heat will transfer downward through the butter knife into the palm of your hand until it becomes too hot to hold.
Once the heat is transferred to the polar head of the F-500 molecule which is dissolved within the water droplet, the polar head heats the interior water droplet molecules converting them to steam.
These steam molecules interface with the adjacent water molecules condensing the steam back to water.
This cyclic phase change process of steam conversion/condensation within the interior of the droplet absorbs a tremendous amount of energy resulting in rapid heat reduction while producing very little steam.
F-500's engineered advantage not only efficiently uses the exterior surface, but also the interior volume of the water droplet to accomplish heat reduction.
Both experimental testing and engineering calculations document:
F-500 absorbs over six times more energy than plain water.F-500 heat reduction is far superior to foam which insulates the fuel retaining the heat.Heat Reduction
Clemson University Tests
 Seconds After Application
Heat reduction tests showed F-500 reduces radiant heat from 1158° F to 127° F within one (1) second of application whereas Class A and B Foam blanket insulates the fire relinquishing heat slowly.
Unlike Class B Foam which insulates, F-500 rapidly removes the heat from Class B fuels (as well as the surrounding infrastructure) to below the auto ignition point.
F-500's rapid heat reduction, combined with its vapor encapsulating capability (see "Formation and Maintenance of Micelles"), substantially reduces flashover and spontaneous reignition by encapsulating the vapors while quickly lowering temperatures below the autoignition point.
During flashover simulator training, fire fighters typically crouch near the floor of the simulator.
Fire fighters experience scalding due to the tremendous volume of steam generation.
Conversely, in flashover simulator training with F-500, fire fighters experience little if any scalding due to rapid cooling and minimal steam generation.
Additionally, F-500's rapid heat reduction of Class A materials reduces the flashover potential and increases the burnback resistance.
Formation and Maintenance of Micelles - The second benefit of "F-500 Molecular Alignment" is the formation and maintenance of micelles.
The non-polar tails (hydrophobic; hates water) of the F-500 molecule protrude from the droplet seeking out other other molecules, such as hydrocarbon molecules released from the combustion process.
As the F-500 water droplets converge, the protruding non-polar tails surround the hydrocarbon molecules, essentially encapsulating the fuel leg of the fire tetrahedron (i.e., encapsulation occurs to both liquids and vapors) within what is known as a Water External Spherical Micelle.
 As illustrated in the above diagram, a cluster of F-500 molecules align themselves around a group of hydrocarbon molecules forming a water external spherical micelle "chemical cocoon."
The external surface of the micelles are negatively charged causing them to repel each other (like charges repel), dispersing the hydrocarbons throughout the water in concentrations too low to support combustion.
This unique approach to chemically encapsulating the fuel offers the end user many advantages.
The F-500 micelles encapsulate the fuel regardless of the liquid and vapor state, rendering liquids nonflammable and vapors nonexplosive.
 Before and After the Application of F-500
Interruption of Free Radical Chain Reaction - Free radicals are uncharged molecular fragments with high energy.
Free radicals collide with Class A or Class B fuel sources at high speeds releasing heat and more free radicals.
This sets up a chain reaction, which propagates the combustion process.
F-500, because of its high molecular weight, acts as an inhibitor to the chain reaction by simply absorbing the energy of the free radicals during the collisions.
By comparison, water has a molecular weight of 18; whereas, F-500's molecular weight is slightly over 500; hence, where F-500 gets its name.
As the energy of the combustion system is reduced via absorption of the high energy free radicals, the fire is extinguished.
As free radicals coalesce they form soot and smoke.
In fact, sooty smoke is the third purest form of carbon.
F-500 interrupts free radical chain reactions preventing them from coalescing.
Evidence of free radical inhibition was determined through smoke reduction measurements before, during, and after application of F-500.
 As F-500 is applied to the toluene fire, the percentage of smoke was reduced due to inhibition of the free radicals preventing coalescence, eliminating soot formation.
It should be noted that sooty smoke contains products of incomplete combustion which can be extremely toxic.
In addition to the reduction in smoke, tests on the soot and smoke itself have shown that F-500 reduces the toxic levels of soot and combustion by-products.
 F-500's ability to greatly reduce smoke results in an increase in visibility and safety for fire fighters.
 The application of F-500 to burning rubber tires shows increased visibility and light transmission by 68%.
F-500 increases visibility and safety for fire fighters while simultaneously reducing the toxic levels of soot and combustion by-products.
These features allow a closer, more aggressive, and safer, attack on the fire by the firelighters.
F-500's Engineered Advantage simultaneously works on three legs of the fire tetrahedron.
The F-500 molecular design dictates molecule orientation providing for rapid heat reduction by conducting the heat through the F-500 molecule into the interior of the droplet more efficiently utilizing the whole water droplet.
At the same time, as droplets converge, F-500 forms micelles around the hydrocarbon molecules and absorbs energy, inhibiting the free radical chain reaction.
The combination of rapid heat reduction coupled with rapid liquid and vapor encapsulation neutralizing the hazard provides for unparalled knockdown, fire suppression effectiveness, and burnback resistance.
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