land-speed
[Top] [All Lists]

RE: Halon & forward facing fresh air ducts

To: "'Chuck Rothfuss'" <crothfuss@coastalnet.com>, land-speed@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Halon & forward facing fresh air ducts
From: "Ferguson, Darrell" <dfergus@bactc.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 09:00:34 -0700
Chuck, 

        Last year when selecting the fire suppression system for our altered
I had an hour long conversation with Jim Deist. I asked him about the
effectiveness of the new "cold fire" halon replacement agent, as well as
optimum system design. He told me that besides the benefit of being
environmentally and driver friendly, it works far better than halon. While
halon is a gas that displaces oxygen to snuff out a fire, it doesn't cool
down a set of hot headers. He then sited a case where (I believe it was Mike
Cook) the engine blew, the driver set off fire bottle #1 and slowed the car,
activated bottle #2, finally got the car to a rest, and the heat from the
engine rekindled the engine fire. Since "cold fire" is a water based
suppression agent, it is supposedly much more effective than halon at
putting out fires and keeping them out.

        Darrell Ferguson
        BLACK RADON ENGINEERING
        # 939 BBFALT
        http://my.cybersoup.com/blackradon  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chuck Rothfuss [SMTP:crothfuss@coastalnet.com]
> Sent: Thursday, July 08, 1999 11:30 PM
> To:   land-speed@autox.team.net
> Subject:      Halon & forward facing fresh air ducts 
> 
> List,
> 
>   Here's a topic that none of us want to become authorities on, at least
> not
> from experience.  I've been talking to the aircraft fire fighters here at
> the
> Air Station about Halon.  I've heard nothing good about it other than the
> fact that it really does a great job putting out fires.  Lots of stories
> about people getting brain damage and going into cardiac arrest after
> being
> exposed to it.
> These wearn't old fire fighters either, these were 19 and 20 year old
> kids.
>   Makes me almost want to plumb some sort of snorkel in my helmet.
> Forward
> facing air ducts and vents are nice when you're going forward and you're
> moving. What happens in those few seconds when you're going backwards, or
> you roll to a stop, and you're on fire, maybe even unconscious?  Our fire
> crews are great, and they'd probably be there at the first sign of
> trouble,
> but if we have to pull the FIRE handle are we really gonna have enough
> air?  
>   I'm also concerned about ducting for the fresh air system.  What if your
> plastic ducting melts?  I'm hauling 15 pounds of this stuff around in my
> car, and never want to use it, but if I am on fire the last thing I want
> to
> be thinking about is holding my breath!
>   Surely there's a chemist, a flight surgeon or a fireman out there who
> can
> give us an expert opinion on this.
>      
> Chuck Rothfuss
> ECTA
>      

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>