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EP-4739404-A1 - FIRE-FIGHTING FOAMING COMPOSITION

EP4739404A1EP 4739404 A1EP4739404 A1EP 4739404A1EP-4739404-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a fire-fighting foaming composition which comprises: • - at least one surfactant; • - at least one polysaccharide, referred to as the main polysaccharide, having an average molecular weight greater than 300,000 daltons and advantageously less than 6,000,000 daltons; • - an additional compound which comprises at least one of the following compounds: • a) a polysaccharide, referred to as the secondary polysaccharide; • b) a water-soluble protein; the additional compound having a viscosity of less than or equal to 35 mPa/s, advantageously less than or equal to 30 mPa/s, even more advantageously less than or equal to 20 mPa/s, at 375 s -1 when it is dissolved in the foaming composition devoid of said main compound, at 20°C; • - a calcium salt soluble in aqueous solution, in a non-zero weight percentage of less than 2%.

Inventors

  • GUILLARME, Valentin
  • ARNAULT, Joris

Assignees

  • Bio Ex

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240628

Claims (15)

  1. Fire-fighting foam composition which includes: - at least one surfactant; - at least one polysaccharide, called the main polysaccharide, having an average molecular weight greater than 300,000 Daltons and advantageously less than 6,000,000 Daltons; - an additional compound which comprises at least one of the following compounds: a) a polysaccharide, called secondary; b) a water-soluble protein; the additional compound is chosen so that the foaming composition comprising it, and when it is free of the main polysaccharide, has a viscosity of less than 35 mPa/s, advantageously less than 30 mPa/s, even more advantageously less than 20 mPa/s, still more advantageously less than 10 mPa/s; - a calcium salt soluble in aqueous solution, according to a non-zero mass percentage, and less than 2%, advantageously between 0.1% and 1.5%, even more advantageously between 0.1% and 1%.
  2. The foaming composition of claim 1, wherein said composition is free of fluorinated compounds.
  3. Foaming composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main polysaccharide comprises at least one of the polysaccharides selected from: xanthan gum, guar gum, diutan, starch, pectic acid, alginic acid, agar, rhamsam gum, welan gum, galactomannan, dextran, carob bean gum.
  4. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the main polysaccharide is present in the foaming composition at a mass concentration of between 0.3% and 3%, advantageously of between 0.6% and 2.5%, even more advantageously of between 1% and 2%.
  5. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the secondary polysaccharide comprises at least one of the polysaccharides chosen from: gum arabic, 2-hydroxy ethyl cellulose.
  6. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the water-soluble protein comprises a plant protein or an animal protein.
  7. A foaming composition according to claim 6, wherein the water-soluble protein comprises gluten.
  8. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which the additional compound is present in the foaming composition at a mass concentration between 0.5 times and 5 times greater than the mass concentration of the at least one main polysaccharide, advantageously at least equal to the mass concentration of the at least one main polysaccharide, even more advantageously between 2 times and 3 times greater than the mass concentration of the at least one main polysaccharide.
  9. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 8, in which the at least one surfactant comprises: an anionic surfactant; a non-ionic surfactant; an amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant.
  10. Foaming composition according to claim 9, in which the anionic surfactant comprises an alkyl or alkylaryl chain whose number of carbon atoms is between 8 and 18, advantageously the anionic surfactant comprises at least one of the following compounds: alkyl sulfate, alkyl ether sulfate, alkylaryl sulfate, alkyl sulfonate, alkyl ether sulfonate, alkylaryl sulfonate, alkyl carboxylate, alkyl ether carboxylate, alkylaryl carboxylate.
  11. Foaming composition according to claim 9 or 10, in which the non-ionic surfactant comprises an alkyl chain whose number of carbon atoms is between 8 and 16, advantageously the non-ionic surfactant comprises at least one of the following compounds: a fatty alcohol, polyoxyethylene glycol alkyl, polyoxypropylene glycol alkyl, alkyl phenol ether, alkyl glucoside, alkyl polyglucoside.
  12. Foaming composition according to one of claims 9 to 11, in which the amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant comprises an alkyl group whose number of carbon atoms is between 8 and 18, advantageously the amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant comprises at least one of the compounds chosen from: betaine, sulfobetaine, aminoxide, hydroxysultaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  13. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 12, in which the calcium salt comprises at least one of the following salts: calcium chloride, calcium sulfate, a calcium carboxylate, for example calcium formate.
  14. Foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 13, in which the calcium salt is present in the foaming composition at a mass concentration of between 0.1% and 2%, advantageously of between 0.1% and 1.5%, even more advantageously of between 0.1% and 1%.
  15. Use of the foaming composition according to one of claims 1 to 14 for extinguishing a fire, the use comprising the circulation of water in a pipe, and the suction by venturi or by means of a pump, of the foaming composition in order to dilute said composition in the water circulating in the pipe.

Description

fire-fighting foaming composition FIELD OF THE INVENTION TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of fire-fighting foam compositions. More particularly, the present invention relates to foam compositions provided with polysaccharides in order to stabilize the foam likely to be formed by said foam composition. Concentrated aqueous foaming compositions (hereinafter "foaming composition") for firefighting comprise diluted surfactant compounds. These surfactants may comprise amphoteric, zwitterionic, anionic or nonionic surfactants. In this regard, it has long been considered to use fluorinated surfactant compounds that allow the formation of an aqueous film, impermeable to air, on the surface of the fuel. In addition, fluorinated surfactant compounds also make it possible to improve the stability of foams on polar solvent fires. However, the bio-persistent nature of fluorinated surfactant compounds and the evolution of environmental standards have put an end to these fluorinated compounds, so that their use remains prohibited in many countries. In order to overcome this effect, it is now considered to add stabilizing agents to foaming compositions, and in particular high molecular weight polysaccharides. These polysaccharides have the effect of increasing the viscosity of foaming solutions. This increase in viscosity makes it possible to limit the drainage of the liquid contained in the foam and consequently to increase its thermal resistance. Consideration of polysaccharides that are insoluble or poorly soluble in polar solvents also improves the efficiency of extinguishing foam on polar solvent fires (i.e.: water-miscible liquid fires). However, consideration of these polysaccharides induces an increase in the viscosity of the foam composition and thus makes the automated proportioning or dosing of the latter when mixing it with water complicated. This phenomenon is exacerbated when the temperature of the foam composition decreases. It is then complicated to implement polysaccharides with a sufficient concentration to sufficiently stabilize the foams formed without seeing the viscosity of the foaming composition increase. In order to overcome this problem, it has been possible to consider implementing polysaccharides of different types. In this regard, document EP 3 126 015 B1 discloses a fire-fighting foaming composition which comprises a first polysaccharide and a second polysaccharide. In particular, the first polysaccharide comprises xanthan gum and the second polysaccharide may comprise at least one of the compounds chosen from guar gum, konjac gum, tara gum or methylcellulose. The first polysaccharide is in particular implemented in order to stabilize the foam likely to be formed by the foaming composition, while the second polysaccharide is implemented to limit the increase in viscosity of the foaming composition. An aim of the present invention is therefore to propose a fire-fighting foaming composition whose viscosity is controlled and which is capable of forming a stable foam. The present invention relates to a fire-fighting foaming composition which comprises: - at least one surfactant; - at least one polysaccharide, called the main polysaccharide, having an average molecular weight greater than 300,000 Daltons and advantageously less than 6,000,000 Daltons; - an additional compound which comprises at least one of the following compounds: a) a polysaccharide, called secondary; (b) a water-soluble protein; the additional compound is chosen so that the foaming composition comprising it, and when it is free of the main polysaccharide, has a viscosity of less than 35 mPa/s, advantageously less than 30 mPa/s, even more advantageously less than 20 mPa/s, still more advantageously less than 10 mPa/s; mPa/smPa/smPa/s- a calcium salt soluble in aqueous solution, according to a non-zero mass percentage, and less than 2%, advantageously between 0.1% and 1.5%, even more advantageously between 0.1% and 1%. According to one method of implementation, said composition is free of fluorinated compounds. According to one embodiment, the main polysaccharide comprises at least one of the polysaccharides chosen from: xanthan gum, guar gum, diutan, starch, pectic acid, alginic acid, agar, rhamsam gum, welan gum, galactomannan, dextran, carob gum. According to one method of implementation, the main polysaccharide is present in the foaming composition at a mass concentration of between 0.3% and 3%, advantageously between 0.6% and 2.5%, even more advantageously between 1% and 2%. According to one embodiment, the secondary polysaccharide comprises at least one of the polysaccharides chosen from: gum arabic, 2-hydroxy ethyl cellulose, hydrolyzed wheat gluten. According to one embodiment, the water-soluble protein comprises a plant protein or an animal protein. According to one embodiment, the water-soluble protein comprises gluten. According to on