Kerosene is used to stabilize sodium, to keep it from reacting with moisture. But will it smother a sodium fire that is already going? Or will the flames ignite the kerosene first?
2006-07-06 07:52:47 · 14 answers · asked by wisefool 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
kerosene stabilizes sodium because water has poor solubility in it. Water cannot get to the sodium to cause a reaction.
Since water and kerosene are not miscible, the kerosene will float on the water (not sure of densities, so this may be backwards). So you would have a pool of ignitable solvent floating on top of a combusting material.
Sounds bad to me.
2006-07-06 08:03:18 · answer #1 · answered by scott_d_webb 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO, NO, NO!! Kerosene is great to store sodium (for separating the sodium from water and air) but once the sodium is on fire, the reverse is true. Since the sodium will grow very hot, if you try to put kerosene on it, it will result in the ignition of the kerosene, due to kerosene's high flash point. Then you will have two fires to worry about... Since water will react with the sodium, the universal extinguisher CO2 would be best to stop this calamitous fire.
2006-07-06 17:20:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, kerosene will not extinguish any kind of fire. It is used to isolate sodium from the air and from moisture. After it ignites, there really is nothing to do but get out of the way.
but, It all depends on ignition point. If the heat of the sodium fire is higher than the combustion/ignition point of the kerosene, then the kerosene will ignite further fueling the fire.
2006-07-06 16:31:30 · answer #3 · answered by Drs P 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds good except for one thing. The heat generated for sodium fire is a lot more hotter than ignition point of Kerosene. You would just add to the problem.
Best way to smother a sodium fire is with foam or dry power.
Now the kerosene would work to keep it from ever starting, it would keep the h2o away form the sodium.
2006-07-06 15:09:18 · answer #4 · answered by jjnsao 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
(1) Yes it will .... but you have to make sure, that you bring enough kerosene to cover the whole quantitiy of sodium pretty fast and also to take the heat out of the sodium.... my estimation is, that for 10g of burning sodium, you need 5 liters of kerosene... after the sodium is covered and not burning anymore, the kerosene might have caught fire meanwhile, if air is around .... so this second fire now you have to extinguish at the same time making sure, that the kerosene still covers the sodium .... so for extinguishing the second fire should be best, to cover the kerosin surface with carbondixoide or nitrogen or argon. DON'T PUT WATER ON THE KEROSENE SURFACE. IT IS HEAVIER THAN KEROSINE, WILL FALL THROUGH THE KEROSENE ON THE BOTTOM AND IMMEDIATELY RE-INCINERATE THE SODIUM.
(2) A better strategy might be first to cover the burning sodium with carbondioxide or argon .... and after that to put into the system kerosene to overlay the sodium. Of course this strategy only works, if not water is the reason of the burning of the sodium.
2006-07-06 15:03:43 · answer #5 · answered by consultant_rom 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It all depends on ignition point. If the heat of the sodium fire is higher than the combustion/ignition point of the kerosene, then the kerosene will ignite further fueling the fire.
2006-07-06 14:57:09 · answer #6 · answered by bombhaus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, kerosene only protects the sodium from the air which contains a high amount of water, or at least enough to react it. putting something flammable on an already burning thing will only feed the blaze, not smother it.
2006-07-06 15:56:17 · answer #7 · answered by The Frontrunner 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, kerosine will not extinguish any kind of fire. It is used to isolate sodium from the air and from moisture. After it ignites, there really is nothing to do but get out of the way.
2006-07-06 14:56:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
kerosene is flamable so don't use it to estinguish a fire use CO2 estinguisher or smother the sucker. it's coating the Na so it can't react with water in the air
2006-07-13 14:25:08 · answer #9 · answered by shiara_blade 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kerosene is a fuel. No.
2006-07-06 20:59:34 · answer #10 · answered by jsn77raider 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋