Heat Flux Exposure Experiment of Fire-Fighting Hose and Development of Anti-Radiant HeatCover

Abstract

A firefighting hose having both an elastomeric lining of circular fabric inside and an elastomeric covering of circular fabric outside is known as the lay flat hose or the through-the-weave hose.
Among the through-the-weave hoses, those having a diameter of over 100 mm are called as largediameter hoses (LDHs). They have been utilized in a wide range of industrial applications such as water supply for hydrofracking, dewatering in mining, transportation of several liquids in logistics, emergency cooling water supply for electrical plants, and dewatering operations by the authorities during floods, in addition to the firefighting application.
On the other hand, we have researched a method to protect LDHs from radiant heat arising from tank fires at petrochemical plants. Radiant heat is one of the major obstacles to firefighting and can cause serious accidents involving both firefighters and their equipment. Thus, LDHs with radiant heat resistance will contribute to successful firefighting operations in the tank fires.
This study evaluates the heat flux resistance of LDH specimens that were subjected to a heat flux exposure experiment conducted in accordance with ISO 6942. After 10kW/m² of heat flux exposure, the unprotected LDH specimen underwent significant collapse, and the surface temperature of the hose reached 249̊C, which exceeds the flow beginning temperature of the elastomeric materials of which the LHDs are composed. The LDHs specimen protected with an aluminum-deposited aramid fabric cover suffered no damage after 10kW/m² and 20kW/m² exposure. The estimation of the radiant heat showed that the aluminum-deposited aramid fabric could protect LDHs from the radiant heat of various flammable liquids at tank fires. These results suggest that the aluminum-deposited aramid fabric is a suitable material for use as an antiradiant heat cover for LDHs.