Automatic Fire Extinguishing Agent Using Microcapsule for Early Fires

Abstract

According to fire statistics analysis of the nation's fire department between 2015–2019, the most common cause of fire was electrical fire. As reported, 47,135 fires were caused by electricity, 22,852 were caused by mechanical causes, and 871 were caused by gas leakages. In this study, the fire adaptability of microcapsulated fire extinguishing agents was tested against small space electrical fires, such as electrical distribution boards. The tests showed that the fire extinguishing agent inside the capsule was released after initial fire contact and the fire of n-heptane was extinguished within 4.48 seconds (on average). Therefore, the KFI small space B-level fire extinguishing test by the Korea Institute of Fire and Industry met the criteria that the fire was extinguished and did not reoccur within 90 s after the end of the preliminary combustion. In addition, this fire extinguisher (agent) dramatically improved the volume of existing cylinder-type fire extinguishers for small spaces. However, there are no national fire safety codes (NFSCs) for this agent. Therefore, it is necessary to enact fire safety standards for this agent for smooth-field applications.