Answers would be gratefully appreciated!
2007-05-30 16:54:16 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
By displacing available oxygen. Fibrous items such as cloth, wood, etc, become saturated with the water, making oxygen unable to penetrate the fibres for combustion. Flammable items that do not have this property are unaffected by water. For example, a grease or oil fire can be spread by splashing water on the fire.
2007-05-30 16:57:41 · answer #1 · answered by supastremph 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The main way in which water interrupts fire is through thermal exchange. For combustion you need fuel, heat, and oxygen. Water is an excellent coolant in that it will readily transfer heat. When the water absorbs the heat from the fire, one of the three necessities is taken.
To displace the oxygen there would have to be a tremendous amount of water, or a confined space that can be filled by the water. This is why firefighters are moving more towards using foams that create a barrier between the burning material and the surrounding atmosphere. This way oxygen can not get to the fuel.
2007-05-31 04:54:14 · answer #2 · answered by Chad J 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Water is a neutral liquid therefore it could interrupt combustion. Unlike fuel, water does not have the necessary elements to support combustion.
2007-05-30 17:02:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smothers it. The water displaces all other gases, both combustible and inert, and eliminates the fuel (oxygen) that combustion needs.
2007-05-30 17:02:43 · answer #4 · answered by MUDD 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are several things that water does. By vaporizing it uses a lot of heat and also creates a large volume of gas(steam) that keeps the oxygen from getting to the fire
2007-05-30 18:46:57 · answer #5 · answered by peter n 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
combustion needs heat water when it hits hot temperatures evaporates and cools down thing below combustion point
2007-05-30 17:04:11 · answer #6 · answered by Ibredd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋