Experimental studies on the extinction of methane/air cup-burner flames with gas–solid composite particles

•BTP/zeolite 13X composite was more effective than that of neat BTP and zeolite 13X.•Extinguishing concentration of the composite was affected by the content of BTP.•Much less HF was produced in the suppression of the composite than that of BTP.•The composites extinguished the cup-burner flame through a blow-off process.

Fire suppression effectiveness of gas–solid composite particles consisting of 2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (BTP) and zeolite 13X was evaluated on a cup-burner apparatus with coflowing methane/air flame. A series of composite samples with the weight concentration of BTP (ω) varying from 1.0 to 12.0% were tested. For comparison, extinction measurements were also conducted using neat BTP and zeolite 13X, respectively. Results indicated that the composite particles on a mass basis were much more effective than that of BTP and zeolite 13X used alone. A synergistic effect was exhibited by the BTP/zeolite 13X composites, which was affected by the ω values. Furthermore, significantly reduced HF concentrations (<70 ppm) were detected in the suppression tests with the composite particles, in comparison to that of neat BTP (1436 ppm). The composite particles extinguished the flame through a blowoff process, in which the flame base oscillated, detached from the cup-burner rim and extinguished eventually. Mechanism of the composite particles in suppressing the cup burner flame was studied.