Extinguishing of fires

The ignition, burning, and extinguishment of fires can be explained in terms of classical heat transfer principles. Heat is transferred by one or more of three mechanisms ... 

Fire protection systems achieve extinguishment of fire by a number of methods, principally ... 

For example, extinguishment of fire by water is accomplished by any or a combination of cooling, smothering from produced steam, emulsification of some liquids, and dilution. 

The primary purpose of such systems is the extinguishment of fire in the protected hazard area. For this purpose, suitable foam-solution discharge densities should be provided by system design and by provision for adequate supplies of air/water at suitable pressures. 

In discussing the extinguishing of fires, Sax makes the following remarks about metal fires ... 

The objectives of fire prevention or protection engineering are to minimize opportunities for personal injury, loss of life, property damage, and production interruptions. These objectives are achieved by (1) prevention, (2) control, and (3) extinguishment of fire. The term fire prevention applies to that phase of process design which minimizes fire hazards inherent in the process. Fire control refers to that phase of process design which seeks to control and protect against fires which have already been started, until available extinguishing forces can become effective. 

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