Without smoke and fire: the new composition will protect oil depots from fires and explosions due to UAV attacks

Russian specialists have developed a new composition for automatic fire extinguishing and explosion prevention at strategic facilities under attack by UAVs. The solution can be used to protect enterprises in the oil and gas sector, energy and defense complexes, the developers said. The key feature of the technology is the use of finely dispersed spherical particles of a special composition, which are more effective than traditional powder mixtures in suppressing fire and preventing outbreaks.

A new unique composition for extinguishing fire

Scientists from the Institute of Technical Chemistry of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have created a unique fire extinguishing compound for automatic fire extinguishing modules and explosion suppression systems. The new technology is designed to protect strategically important facilities and has no analogues in the world, the developers told Izvestia. The solution can be applied at oil depots, energy and defense enterprises, increasing the level of safety where the risk of fires and explosions is particularly high.

Photo: ITKH Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences

— Today, industrial safety issues are of particular importance. The increased frequency of attacks on strategic enterprises shows how important modern protection systems are that can quickly localize fires and prevent the development of emergency situations," Professor Viktor Valtsifer, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Institute of Chemical Engineering of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences, told Izvestia.

The technology is planned to be used in automatic systems for rapid suppression of fires, and it will also be able to prevent the spread of fire and the threat of explosions.

The new composition is based on extinguishing agents based on ammonium phosphates in combination with a gaseous medium. This allows you to quickly form a fire extinguishing cloud in the protected volume and effectively prevent the development of gorenje and explosive processes, said the scientist.

The uniqueness of the approach lies in the production of spherical powder particles by spray drying. This technology ensures the correct shape, improves fluidity and increases spray efficiency. In addition, the tendency of particles to stick together decreases and the shelf life of the composition increases. Their average size is about 7 microns, which further increases the extinguishing efficiency.

— Spherical particles are better distributed in the gas flow, easier to transport through pipelines and more efficiently sprayed when the fire extinguishing system is activated. This is fundamentally important for automatic systems, because uneven discharge and clumping of powder can reduce the effectiveness of protection, up to equipment failure," said Victor Valcifer.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

In addition, a more uniform extinguishing cloud increases the reliability of flame suppression and reduces the risk of re-ignition.

Preliminary tests have shown that the spray resistance of the new formulation is reduced by at least 25% compared to existing analogues. This means faster release from the system and uniform distribution, which can accelerate the localization of the fire.

Neural calculation: The AI system will land the drone with an accuracy of one centimeter

How computer vision will help with the soft landing of the device

Prospects for a new approach

The development is really promising and may become a breakthrough in powder firefighting. This solves the long-standing problem of the contradiction between high dispersion and good fluidity, Dmitry Vysokogorsky, an expert at the National Technology Initiative (NTI), told Izvestia.

— The uniqueness is explained not by the formulation, but by a new technological approach to particle production. In traditional powders, they are obtained by mechanical grinding, which is why they have an irregular angular shape, adhere more strongly during storage, flow and spray worse. In the project, particles are obtained by spray drying of salt solutions, which makes it possible to form spherical particles of the correct shape with a given dispersion and with a surface modification that ensures, for example, the absence of sticking," he noted.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexander Kazakov

According to him, spherical particles are better distributed in the gas stream, easier to transport through pipelines and more efficiently sprayed when triggered. This is crucial for automatic systems.

In the context of increased attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities of the fuel and energy complex, the relevance of such systems is multiplying. UAV strikes are usually sudden and aimed at the most vulnerable nodes — reservoirs and technological installations, Oleg Zheltonozhko, a military expert in the field of radiation, chemical and biological protection, recalled.

— The use of traditional extinguishing methods at such facilities is often limited. Water is ineffective, as it is heavier than fuel and simply sinks to the bottom without suppressing combustion on the surface. Gorenje Gas systems in open spaces are useless because of the rapid volatility of the composition," he told Izvestia.

The powder works precisely and in a concentrated manner, the expert emphasized. The ideal protection scenario is modules with temperature and flame sensors pre—mounted on container lids. Such a system is capable of nipping a fire in the bud, even before it develops into a large-scale disaster requiring dozens of fire brigades, the expert noted.

"Despite their high efficiency, powder systems are not a universal soldier," says Oleg Zheltonozhko. — Gas trains will remain a priority for military equipment (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles) and the fleet. In closed, geometrically complex compartments, the gas penetrates into any hard-to-reach crevices, where the powder may not get into the targeted discharge. In addition, gases are less aggressive to complex electronics.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation

For industrial facilities and perimeter protection, this is the best price–performance solution, the expert believes. At the same time, he emphasizes that the effectiveness of the system is determined not only by the composition of the powder, but also by the operation of the automation responsible for detecting the source of ignition. The new composition gives engineers the opportunity to create more compact, fast and reliable autonomous protection stations that can operate 24/7 without human intervention.

There were roads: military convoys were guarded by ground and aerial drones

The new tactic makes it possible to avoid the detonation of army equipment by mines and land mines.

For strategic facilities that may suffer from drone attacks, this means faster fire extinguishing and reducing the risk of re-ignition, said NTI expert Vitaly Reshetnikov. According to him, the system will work without blockages, forming a uniform extinguishing cloud and ensuring maximum efficiency.

The production of the innovative composition is planned to be organized in Perm. The project became the winner of the Russian Science Foundation's competition for exploratory research projects in order to effectively use and develop the scientific potential of the subjects.