Heat absorption capacity of fire-extinguishing powder compositions in fire suppression in the mining industry

The article describes the study aimed at development and validation of a new experimental procedure for the impersonal evaluation of efficiency of fire-extinguishing powder compositions. The authors propose to use an integral and quantitative criterion as a heat absorption capacity—the parameter that integrates both heat removal (cooling of burning zone) and inhibition of chemical reaction of burn. The procedure involves the use of an original experimental plant including the key element of a nichrome glower placed in the model ethanol fire flame. In spraying fire-extinguishing powders on the hot glower, the latter cools, which changes electrical resistance. By recording the change in the current intensity at the constant voltage, the authors calculate the heat absorption capacity using the fundamental Joule–Lenz law. Reproducibility of the powder supply conditions is ensured by a system based on the proportional–integral–derivative controller and thermal converter. Validation of the proposed approach uses CFD numerical modeling in Pyrosim. The results obtained for the reference fire-extinguishing powder composition–sodium chloride (NaCl)–demonstrate a high degree of convergence. Disagreement between the physical test, computer modeling and theoretical calculations is not higher than 5%, which proves correctness of the procedure. It is concluded that the procedure is efficient and has a considerable potential to be used in scientific research aimed at creation and optimization of formulas of new fire-extinguishing powder compositions.

Kozhevin D. F., Samigullin G. H. Heat absorption capacity of fire-extinguishing powder compositions in fire suppression in the mining industry. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2026;(3):136-151. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2026_3_0_136.

D.F. Kozhevin¹, Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Assistant Professor, e-mail: YagmortKDF@mail.ru, SPIN-code: 9647-7196, Scopus Author ID: 757325, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6418-107X,
G.H. Samigullin¹, Dr. Sci. (Eng.), Professor, e-mail: samigullin.gh@yandex.ru, SPIN-code: 8830-4253, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5688-8921,
¹ Saint-Petersburg State Pedagogical University of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, 196105, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.

D.F. Kozhevin, e-mail: YagmortKDF@mail.ru.

1. Kozhevin D. F. The concept of perspective development of primary means of powder fire extinguishing. Bezopasnost’ zhiznedeatel’nosti. 2022, no. 7(259), pp. 44—50. [In Russ]. EDN ZDKCDW. 

2. Kitsak A. I. The effectiveness of fire extinguishing by jet powder extinguishing systems in conditions of unstable heat exchange processes and heterogeneous inhibition of active flame centers by powder particles. Fire and Explosion Safety. 2020, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 89—99. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.22227/PVB.2020.29.05.89-99. 

3. Kitsak A. I., Lobach D. S., Nadtochiy D. N., Khotelovskiy P. V. Method and device for measuring the specific optical density of fire extinguishing powder substances. Emergency situations: prevention and elimination. 2025, no. 1(57), pp. 169—188. [In Russ].

4. Lee E., Choi Y. Effects of particle size of dry water on fire extinguishing performance. Journal of the Korean Society of Safety. 2019, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 28—35. DOI: 10.14346/JKOSOS.2019.34.3.28. 

5. Birchall J. D. On the mechanism of flame inhibition by alkali metal salts. Combustion and Flame. 1970, no. 14(1), pp. 85—95. [In Russ].

6. Kozhevin D. F. The concept of evaluating the effectiveness of powder fire extinguishing agents by the heat absorption capacity of their extinguishing agent. Problems of technosphere risk management. 2021, no. 4(60), pp. 79—88. [In Russ]. EDN XDCCFS. 

7. Draisdale D. Vvedenie v dinamiku pozharov. Per. s angl. Bomshteyna K. G. [Introduction to the dynamics of fires. Translated from English by Bomstein K. G.], Moscow, Stroyizdat, 1990, 424 p. 

8. Korol'chenko A. Ya., Korol'chenko D. A. Pozharovzryvoopasnost' veshchestv i materialov i sredstva ikh tusheniya: spravochnik. Ch. 2. [Fire and explosion hazard of substances and materials and their extinguishing agents, Handbook], Moscow, Pozhnauka, 2004, 774 p. 

9. Babichev A. P., Babushkina N. A., Bratkovskiy A. M. etc. Fizicheskie velichiny: Spravochnik.  [Physical quantities, Handbook], Moscow, Energoatomizdat, 1991, 1232 p. 

10. Kozhevin D. F., Konstantinova A. S., Polyakov A. S., Mal'chikov K. B. Patent RU 2727271 C1, MPK G01N 25/30, G01K 17/16. 21.07.2020. [In Russ].

11. Ranz W. E., Marshall W. R. Evaporation from drops. Chemical Engineering Progress. 1952, vol. 48, рр. 141—146. 

12. Kozhevin D. F., Polyakov A. S., Sorokin I. A. Patent RU 168399, MPK A62C13/00 (2017.02), 01.02.2017. 

13. Huang D., Wang X., Yang J. Influence of particle size and heating rate on decomposition of BC dry chemical fire extinguishing powders. Particulate Science and Technology. 2015, vol. 33, no. 5, рр. 488—493. URL: DOI: 10.1080/0272635. 

14. Yan Y., Han Z., Zhao L., Du Z., Cong X. Study on the relationship between the particle size distribution and the effectiveness of the K-powder fire extinguishing agent. Fire and Materials. 2018, vol. 42, no. 3, рр. 336—344. 

15. Shalel A., Katoshevski D., Bar-Kohany T. Methodology for analyzing powder-based fire extinguishing and its optimization. Fire. 2025, vol. 8, no. 1, article 22. DOI: 10.3390/fire8010022. 

16. Burke R., van-Tiggelen A. Kinetics of laminar premixed methane — oxygen — nitrogen flames. Bulletin des Sociétés Chimiques Belges. 1965, vol. 74, article 426. 

17. Abduragimov I. M. Limiting phenomena in gorenje as a scientific and theoretical basis of fire and explosion hazard. Fire and Explosion Safety. 2012, vol. 21, no. 11, pp. 18—36. [In Russ].

18. Zel'dovich Ya. B. Izbrannye trudy. Khimicheskaya fizika i gidrodinamika [Selected works. Chemical physics and hydrodynamics], Moscow, Nauka, 1984, 374 p. 

19. Korobeynikova E. G., Kozhevin D. F., Kozhevnikova N. Yu. Teoreticheskie osnovy protsessov goreniya i tusheniya: uchebnik [Theoretical foundations of gorenje and extinguishing processes: textbook], Saint-Petersburg, 2022, 436 p. 

20. Zhao J., Xue F., Fu Y., Lu S., Zhang H. Insights into the particle diameter and base chosen for dry powder fire extinguishing agents. Fire and Materials. 2023, vol. 47, no. 6, рр. 774—783. DOI: 10.1002/fam.3117.