Protein foaming agent

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The protein foam concentrate is a foam concentrate for the production of extinguishing foam which is used by the fire brigade for fire fighting. It is based on water-soluble protein products.

Manufacturing, construction

Protein foaming agents are dark brown liquids. As the oldest foam concentrate for extinguishing purposes in the air foam process, it used to be made from animal waste such as horn shavings, horn meal, hair or feathers. In addition to the risk of infection, it was often broken down by bacteria and therefore only had a limited shelf life. Today's protein foaming agents have developed significantly so that they can no longer be compared with previous products, but are still produced on the same basis and can still be labeled as "on a natural basis". Nevertheless, one should avoid that the foam concentrate comes into contact with wounds.

Today, fluoroprotein foams ("FP") are manufactured in which fluorosurfactants significantly improve the flow properties. These were further developed into film-forming fluorine protein foams ("FFFP") which, like AFFF foaming agents, form a gas-tight liquid film on non-polar liquids.

application

The protein foaming agents are considered to be the foaming agents with the best adhesive effect, but they can only be used as low-expansion foam. But they are sensitive to high temperatures, which denature the proteins and thereby disintegrate. However, the finished foam has very good heat resistance. If only good flowability and film formation are required, FFFP foaming agents can also be applied unfoamed if necessary.

Protein foaming agent is hardly used by the public fire brigades these days, nor do they usually have it in stock. Protein foams are often used by plant fire brigades.

The proportioning rate is usually between 3% and 6%.

Sub Surface

Fluorinated protein foams (FP and FFFP) are suitable for the "base-injection" method (also called "sub surface") for fighting fires in mineral oil tanks: the finished foam is fed into the bottom of the tank and rises either freely through the liquid or through one Hose up to the surface. Due to the lipophobic effect of the fluorosurfactants, the foam is hardly loaded with fuel, as would be the case with non-fluorinated protein and multigrade foams. This enables a good extinguishing success to be achieved - otherwise adhering fire material would continue to burn on the foam surface and destroy the foam.

See also

swell

  • Special issue 2/2006 of the "Feuerwehr-Magazin", fire fighting with foam
  • Documents from Dr. Richard Sthamer GmbH & Co. KG and other manufacturers