Cold Fire 3 Class D Magnesium Fire

Magnesium Demo, cold fire Class D-Fire

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Cold
• fire
• Magnesium

[william29tli]

Makes sense the vapors have only a small amount of oxygen not enough to allow the match to continue to burn. Believe me I would not try it either.

Take care.

[jfpinell]

@william29tli I'm not saying I'd TRY it, but I recall in H.S. he said that "because it's the vapors on top of the liquid and not the liquid itself that burns, theoretically if you could take a match and shove it fast enough into a pail of gasoline it would go out." I kinda' believe it because if you try that with something that ignites slower, like heating oil, the match DOES go out. (I found that out after trying to light our oil burner at the cabin on occasion)

[william29tli]

@jfpinell  What we believe along with a large number of fire fighters is the further the distance from a fire is the safest way to fight a fire. That's why we say stand back 25 feet or more from a SMALL mag fire. If possible stand back even further from a LARGE mag fire. I would like to better understand the theory behind your chemistry teacher's statement it seems strange but maybe it works also. We try and keep an open mind to all different ways to fight high temperature fires.

[jfpinell]

@william29tli Interesting. I just wouldn't risk it if it were me. I'm thinking it'id be similar to using water on "just a small can of grease" or what have you. Yeah in theory you COULD put out a fire with gasoline (don't laugh....our high school chemistry teacher told us that 21 years ago) if it were small enough because it's the fumes and not the liquid that actually burns if you could cover the entire flame all at once, . In theory it'id go out. I trust him but still wouldnt risk it! :)

[william29tli]

@stevedogan Yes you are correct in your assumption, but when you have a small fire as in the Cold Fire film you could use a garden hose, 25 feet back from the fire, you will safely extinguish it. Also, mag fires are vapor fires and not metal surface fires. When you extinguish a mag fire you will get flaring as in the Cold Fire video and the flaring is caused by the disruption of the molten mag. Flare-up can cause the spreading of the fire more than a hydrogen flare which goes up in the air.

[stevedogan]

@bobc7033 Uhhhhh.....burning mag. will cause an explosion if water is applied if the fire is intense enough. Mag. burns at several thousand degrees....when water is applied to something that hot, the molecules will actually separate into hydrogen, which is explosive, and oxygen which will intensify the flames.

[bobc7033]

Forget it!!! Water works just as well on a mag fire if you do a comparison fire with water.