SEP 04

Fire fighting could take on an entirely new character with the rediscovery of a principle first noticed more than 200 years ago: electricity can stop flames.

Scientists do not yet fully understand how electricity stops fire. "The process by which it does this is complex, the researchers say, and is actually not really well understood (there are a lot of different things happening at once, apparently). But critically, it seems the carbon particles (soot) generated during combustion are easily charged, and once charged they respond to electric fields in strange ways that affect the stability of the flame. Shake that stability hard enough, and the flame collapses."

If an electrical field can extinguish the flames, it offers an easily transportable method for extinguishing fires on jet fighters and submarines (and DARPA is backing research on the process). Building materials and their contents may be able to be saved from both the fire and from the water damage that often occurs from fire fighting. The system could also help reduce the use of fire retardant gasses such as Halon, which is a potent ozone-depletion causing gas.

Electrical fire suppression also has the potential to be a very fast-acting system, which could also be a benefit for locations with especially sensitive contents. The effect also seems to be generated from a manageable level of power, which suggests that, in a few years, backpack sized gear may be available to fire fighters as an alternative to the hoses and foam sprayers.

image: Georg Andreas Böckler via Wikimedia Commons

hat tip to: @JaymiHeimbuch

Comments (7)

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written by San Diego Solar, September 06, 2012

Sounds pretty awesome.. I'm picturing ghostbuster like backpacks.

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Stopping fires?
written by Marathon Energy, September 07, 2012

weird I never would have guessed that electricity could do something like that that's pretty cool I hope someday we can make good use of it.

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Electricity can stop fire...
written by Krystal Yessire, September 08, 2012

The potential in developing new ways to utilize and continue learning about this amazing 200 year old rediscovery just leave me in awe. This would be amazing...life saving. WE MUST LEARN MORE!

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Cool!
written by Tula, September 11, 2012

I wonder if anyone has ever studied the electrical and magnetic fields in a fire? I'd be interested in seeing what happens.

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Great Social and Eco Benefit
written by Kyle, September 24, 2012

This would be a great social and eco benefit to the world. This would also be a great benefit in areas in the world where water is scarce. Also this could be a quick solution to people in areas in the world that don't have an efficient fire fighting system.

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Well, maybe
written by Bob, September 26, 2012

This is very strange. This might be OK in a lab with no grounded metal nearby, but in the real world, how do you maintain a million volt per meter E-field when you have a decent conductor between the electrode and all the metal things that are connected, more or less, to ground? The flames are ionized gases, which is why they give off light, and ions are charge carriers, so at least to some degree it's a conductor. Wouldn't the flames simply short out the field, meaning current flowing as an arc? It won't help you to push the flames away from the fuel (which is still hot) if you then pull an arc to some grounded surface and re-ignite the gases which are still being produced.

Besides, with 600W of power and kilovolt potentials isn't this thing just a bit on the dangerous side all by itself? Think backpack sized Taser.

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written by Nichelle, September 26, 2012

This would be a boon to northern communities--think about the difficulties of fighting a fire with water at forty below. No more ice and burst pipes.

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