Experiment on Extinguishing Fires Involving Alcohol-Blended Gasoline

-A Full-Scale Fire Extinguishing Experiment using Firefighting Equipment-

Abstract

We examined the extinguishing properties of foam extinguishing agents for fires involving ethanol-blended gasoline by burning these fuels in a full-scale experiment and then applying foam hose stream using the foam extinguishing agents and foam makers deployed at the pump company. As a result, the following findings were obtained:
• Fire extinguishing requires longer time as the amount of ethanol contained in gasoline is greater.
• For ethanol-blended gasoline up to E10, radiation changes are roughly the same as those of ordinary gasoline. There is not any substantial effect of ethanol on fire extinguishment.
• Fires involving 30 percent ethanol-blended gasoline (E30) require extinguishing time of about 1.4 times longer than gasoline fires do.
• Fires involving 7 percent ETBE-blended gasoline (ETBE7) can be extinguished using synthetic surfactants.