Since the Montreal Protocol was established, the Army has been looking for a suitable replacement for Halon 1301 in vehicles and other crew containing compartments. Though HFC-227ea (with sodium bicarbonate based dry chemical) has replaced Halon 1301 in the interim, the Army continues to search for an agent with little to no global warming potential. Specifically, a water based agent containing potassium acetate has been tested at the full scale. While MSDS show that the agent should thermally decompose to 'oxides of carbon', FTIR data shows this is not the case. In multiple full scale tests, the potassium acetate based agent has been shown to break down into smaller hydrocarbons - including methane, acetone, ethylene, and acetylene. It is imperative that the thermal decomposition products of any agent used in an occupied space be fully characterized in a real-world environment.

Thermal decomposition of fire extinguishing agents in military systems

244th National Meeting (2012)

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