Experimental investigation of the fire extinguishing capability of ferrocene-containing water mist

• The extinguishing and corrosive properies of ferrocene dispersions are studied.
• The suppression capability is negatively correlated with the ferrocene particle size.
• The suppression efficiency also depends on surfactant used.
• The ferrocene dispersions containing triton X-100 do not present a corrosion risk.

This study focuses on the fire-suppression capabilities and corrosive properties of ferrocene dispersions. The motivation behind the present study was to develop a high-performance, phosphorus-free fire suppressant. Aqueous dispersions containing micron-sized ferrocene particles and surfactants were prepared using sonication techniques. In this study, Triton X-100 (TX), Noigen TDS-80 (NT), Tween 60 (T60), and Tween 80 (T80) were used as surfactants. Suppression experiments involving pool fires clearly indicated that aqueous ferrocene dispersions containing TX and micron-sized ferrocene with a d50=16.9 μm exhibit shorter extinguishing times than a conventional wet chemical. Corrosion trials using steel plates immersed in ferrocene dispersions containing TX confirmed that there was no pitting corrosion, implying that ferrocene dispersions containing TX do not present a corrosion risk.