Assessment of the electrical conductivity of thermally activated water jets containing injections of inhibiting salt used to extinguish electrical equipment at gas compressor stations

Introduction. One of the main problems of fire extinguishing at gas compressor stations is fires in confined spaces where electrical installations can be under voltage. To extinguish these fires, the co-authors propose to use jets of thermally activated water containing salts that inhibit burning. It is necessary to assess the electrical conductivity of water jets to prevent the exposure of fire-fighting units to electrical injuries.

Materials and methods. In the experimental study, the principal electricity measuring instrument is digital dc megaohmmeter M4122U, which takes readings if operated from a laptop. The flow rate was measured using IT 2518 measurement complex and TDR14–2–3 primary flow converter of the turbine type. Termit T-35 hardness converter performed electromagnetic water treatment.

Theoretical fundamentals. Measurements of leakage currents in jets of thermally activated water, fed through fire nozzles mounted onto a multi-purpose fire truck, were taken, and the maximum permissible distance to an electrical installation was determined experimentally and analytically using an experimental stand.

Results and discussions. Averaged values of resistance of a jet of thermally activated water fed from a long-range nozzle at control points do not leave the confidence corridor with a probability of 0.95, which means that they do not cause a significant change in dc resistance. Inhibiting salt, injected into the water, reduces the resistance of jets of thermally activated water by no more than 2–3 % compared to under-heated water. The treatment of the inhibiting salt, injected into the under-heated water, using Termit T-35 hardness converter, does not significantly change the resistance of thermally activated water jets.

Conclusions. It is theoretically and experimentally proved that the injection of inhibiting salts into the underheated water, as well as the electromagnetic treatment of water using low-power stiffness converters, do not significantly affect the electrical conductivity of jets of thermally activated water if compared to jets that contain no inhibiting admixtures. The extinguishing of surfaces of electrical installations using jets of thermally activated water containing flame inhibiting injections of salts, as well as the development of an inerting concentration in confined spaces of gas compressor stations is electrically safe for any person engaged in fire extinguishing.

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