Novacool UEF 0.4% Magnesium extinguishment demonstration conducted for Pratt and Whitney Canada on May 28, 2010

Weather Conditions: Overcast and cool. Air density was high and humidity high from an earlier rain.

Three tests were conducted for and by Pratt and Whitney Canada, manufacturer of aircraft jet engines, at Nova Scotia Firefighters School in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.  The equipment used consisted of the following:

POK Educator using 95gpm @ 200psi
Elkhart Variable Nozzle also set to 95gpm
For Test 3 (clothes dryer) a low expansion tip was utilized
Pratt and Whitney Canada employees acted as the firefighters

The first test was conducted using a 55-gallon drum of Magnesium chips.  A typical Metal-X powder extinguisher was utilized to the point of exhaustion, approximately 4.5 minutes, and failed to quench the fire.

The second test was also conducted using another 55-gallon drum of Magnesium chips, which were added to the remaining magnesium from the first burn. A standard solution application of 0.4% Novacool was applied to the fire, resulting in the inferno being completely extinguished in approximately 4 minutes.

For the third test, a common household clothes dryer was used as a container.  It was filled with Magnesium chips, ignited and allowed to freely burn for over 2 minutes. Because of the nature of a Magnesium fire, this allowed the temperatures involved to soar.  At this point, the instructor present from the fire school said, “You’ll never put this out!”  Novacool was applied as in the second test, with the exception of the addition of a low expansion tip, for approximately 3.5 – 4 minutes.  The fire was very nearly out when unfortunately the Novacool container ran dry.  In the time it took to refill the container and begin again applying the mixture to the flames, the fire had regained its original intensity.  In spite of the setback, this extremely hot fire was completely extinguished in 17 minutes total time.