Patent Grant
7608208
The current invention relates to water swellable polymers, which are at least partially based on at least simple unsaturated sulfonic acid group containing monomers, as additives for fire extinguishing water, which exhibits an elevated NaCl content, used in fire prevention and to combat fire.
For effective fire prevention and fire fighting, polymer additives with thickening properties are applied for increasing the viscosity of the fire extinguishing water in order to attain improved adhesion, as compared to just water, of the fire extinguishing medium to the surfaces, in particular on sloped surfaces.
Known from patent EP 0 774 279 B1 are viscosity increasing water additives which exhibit low moieties of acrylamido-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS). However, these polymers are not suitable for common salt containing aqueous solutions.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,018 patent describes how soluble salts such as sodium chloride interfere with the swelling ability of polymers. Such interference frequently occurs when using water absorbing polymer gels in medical, chemical and agricultural applications. The swelling ability of the described polymer gels results from the electrostatic repulsion of the charges on the polymer chains and from the osmotic pressure of the counter ions. The swelling ability of such polymers is drastically reduced in a saline solution. Solute salts such as sodium chloride exert two types of effects on ionic polymer gels. They shield off the polymer charges and balance out the osmotic imbalance by the presence of counter ions inside and outside of the gel matrix. The loose ions thereby undesirably transform the ionic gel into a non-swellable, non-ionic gel. In this document, the problem of the saline content is solved by adding ionic surface active substances to the polymer surface. However, such surface active substances are unsuitable for industrial scale production and therefore do not qualify as volumetric goods for fire prevention and fire fighting.
The task of the current invention is therefore to identify water swellable polymers which can be used as additives for high saline content fire extinguishing water and that essentially maintain their swelling properties in saline water.
The task is solved in accordance with the invention by water swellable polymers, which are at least partially based on at least simple unsaturated sulfonic acid group containing monomers, as additives for common salt containing fire extinguishing water used in fire prevention and to combat fires.
In accordance with the invention, the use of water swellable polymers, which are at least partially based on at least simple unsaturated sulfonic acid group containing monomers, as additives for common salt containing fire extinguishing water, exhibiting at least 0.8 weight % or more in NaCl, surprisingly leads to a significant increase in the viscosity of the fire extinguishing medium in spite of the high saline content. The polymers used in accordance with the invention allow, for example, the use of sea water as a fire extinguishing water whose viscosity is increased by the polymers.
As salt containing fire extinguishing water in the sense of the invention, any aqueous liquid is to be understood which exhibits common salt (NaCl) as the largest saline moiety and which preferably exhibits a total salt content of 1 to 28 weight %, especially preferably exhibits 1 to 10 weight %, and quite especially, preferably exhibits 2 to 5 weight % in total saline content. Most preferred is salt containing water with a total saline content of 3 to 4 weight %. Most exceedingly preferred as a saline fire extinguishing water is sea water, as described for example in “Römps Chemical Lexicon” (volume 3, 8th edition, p. 1596, 1983).
The polymers to be used in accordance with the invention are at least partially produced from at least one sulfonic acid group containing simple unsaturated monomer, preferably from aliphatic or aromatic vinyl sulfonic acids, especially preferred [are] allyl sulfonic acid, methallyl sulfonic acid, styrene sulfonic acid, acrylic sulfonic acid or methacrylic sulfonic acid, quite especially preferred [are] sulfoethyl acrylate, sulfoethyl methacrylate, sulfopropyl acrylate, sulfopropyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropyl sulfonic acid and most preferred 2-acrylamido-propane sulfonic acid and/or a water soluble salt of the aforementioned compounds. The person skilled in the art will recognize that, according to the invention, a mixture of at least two of the above mentioned substances can also be applied.
Polymers, which are entirely or partially based on at least one, or based in particular on at least one of the above mentioned sulfonic acid group containing monomers are largely insensitive to salt in terms of their swelling properties in salt containing fire extinguishing water.
Preferably, the polymers to be used are comprised of at least 25 to 100 mole %, more preferably of 40 to 90 mole % and especially preferred, of 50 to 75 mole % of a sulfonic acid group containing monomer or of several sulfonic acid group containing monomers.
Equally preferred are polymers which contain sulfonic acid group containing monomers and non-ionic monomers as copolymers.
Such non-ionic monomers suitable for copolymerization are, for example, methacrylamide, N-alkyl substituted acrylamide, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxy-propyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate, C1-C4-alkyl(meth)acrylate, vinyl acetate and preferably acrylamide.
Preferably, the copolymers used in accordance with the invention contain 0 to 75 mole %, preferably 10 to 60 mole % and quite especially preferred, 25 to 50 mole % of a non-ionic monomer.
Other polymers can also possibly be added to the polymers to be used in accordance with the invention, so long as there remains a sufficient swelling capability in the salt containing water. Acrylic acid and other polymerizable carboxylic acids should not be added, or at least only in slight quantities, to the polymers to be used in accordance with the invention.
In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, the polymers are cross-linked. Suitable as cross linking agents are preferably all multifunctional cross-linking agents. Especially preferred are those cross-linking agents with at least two olefinic unsaturated double bonds.
Viable cross-linking agents along with their application are described, for example, in the document DE 100 41 394.3, in particular on page 5, in the before last paragraph, which is hereby introduced as a reference and is therefore to be considered as a part of the disclosure.
The degree of cross-linking quite substantially influences viscosity and thus, the adhesion properties of the resulting polymer.
Preferred compositions of the polymers to be used in accordance with the invention are comprised of at least
After polymerization, at least one residual monomer eradicator is preferably added to the polymers to be used in accordance with the invention.
Such an additive considerably enhances the environmental compatibility of the polymer additives used in fire extinguishing water applications.
Residual monomer eradicators, in the sense of the current invention, are substances that modify the polymerizable monomers by chemical reaction in such a manner that they are no longer polymerizable, so that they no longer represent monomers. To this end, substances can be used that react with the double bonds contained in the monomers and/or substances that can introduce further polymerization.
Residual monomer eradicators, in the sense of the current invention, are disclosed in detail in the German patent application DE 100 41 395.1, in particular on pages 6 through 7, which is hereby introduced as reference and is therefore to be considered as a part of the disclosure.
The polymers at least partially containing sulfonic acid groups are added to the saline fire extinguishing water preferably at a quantity of 0.25 to 10 weight %, more preferably at 0.5 to 5 weight %, especially preferred at a quantity of 1 to 3 weight % relative to the fire extinguishing water charged with polymer.
Preferably, the polymers to be used in accordance with the invention occur as water-in-oil polymer dispersion or as water-in-water polymer dispersion.
The additives in accordance with the invention are preferably used in the form of water-in-oil or water-in-water polymer dispersions which are added to the fire extinguishing water as the primary dispersion. The designated primary dispersions effect an acceleration of the intermixing and swelling processes in an advantageous manner.
Water-in-oil polymer dispersions in the sense of the current invention and processes for the production thereof are described in the patent EP 0 774 279 B1, for example on page 3, lines 3 through 55 and on pages 7 through 8, as well as in the German patent DE 100 41 395.1, for example on pages 3 through 5, which are hereby introduced as references and are therefore to be considered as an integral part of the disclosure.
Water-in-oil polymer dispersions are comprised of a continuous oil phase in which the particles of a largely cross-linked water swellable polymer are dispersed. The polymer particles normally exhibit particle sizes ranging from 0.1 to 10 μm, preferably smaller than 2 μm, which yield extremely brief swelling periods of less than 3 seconds.
These dispersions are preferably produced by reversed phase emulsion polymerization. By adding water-in-oil emulsifiers in a continuous, practically non-water-miscible organic phase, finely divided cross-linked, water swellable polymers are thereby produced. For the production of such polymers, the monomers from the organic phase are added as aqueous monomer solution, comprised of suitable monomers and preferably of at least one bifunctional cross-linking agent. In principle, all substances for reversed phase emulsion polymerization known to the person skilled in the art can be used as the organic phase. Such organic phases are specified, for example, in the German patent DE 100 41 395.1, page 4, last paragraph, which is hereby introduced as a reference and is therefore to be considered as an integral part of the disclosure.
Water-in-water polymer dispersions in the sense of the current invention and processes for the production thereof are described in the patents EP 670 333 B1, EP 761 701 B1 and in EP 664 302 B1 as well as in the German patent DE 100 41 394.3, which are hereby introduced as references and are therefore to be considered as an integral part of the disclosure.
In the case of water-in-water polymer dispersions, we are dealing with a class of products which is produced by polymerization in the liquid phase, for example, by emulsion or suspension polymerization. Hereby, monomers or a monomer solution are/is added to an aqueous phase containing at least one dispersing agent and the mixture resulting from this is polymerized. The particle size of the polymers from these primary dispersions lie in the range of 0.05 to 10 μm, preferably in the range of 0.5 to 5 μm, quite especially preferred, in the range of 0.5 to 2 μm. Dispersing agents and the application thereof are described, for example, in the first two paragraphs on page 6 of the German patent DE 100 41 394.3.
Water-in-water polymer dispersions for the prevention of fire have the advantage that such dispersions are ecologically superior on the one hand, and they exhibit less flammable components on the other.
Especially well suited are the water-in-oil and water-in-water polymer dispersions with polymer particles whose largest dimension amounts to less than 10 μm, preferably to less than 2 μm and especially preferred, to less than 1 μm.
The swelling period for such polymer dispersions to be used in accordance with the invention preferably amounts to no more than 3 minutes, especially preferred to no more than 30 seconds and quite especially preferred, to no more than 10 seconds.
These brief swelling periods make it possible for the polymer particles to have completely swelled up already prior to being dispensed with the standard fire fighting equipment onto the source of fire or onto the surfaces being primed for fire protection.
Such polymer dispersions are outstandingly suitable for applications in continuously mixing dispensing equipment for combating fire or for preventing it.
These polymers exhibit an improved environmental compatibility and can be produced, for example, by addition of the residual monomer eradicators after the completion of polymerization. Such polymers are especially suitable for fire extinguishing or fire preventative measures in the outdoors, that is, offset from areas set up with sewage lines or water storage reservoirs, such as for example in the case of forest, bush, island or ship fires.
Based on economic efficiency and logistics during the extinguishing process, the addition of the polymer to the extinguishing water, in accordance with the invention, makes it possible to attain a viscosity of at least 100 mPas for the extinguishing liquid. In practice, it has furthermore been shown to be advantageous to add the additives to the electrolyte containing extinguishing water at a quantity which is sufficient to boost the viscosity of the resulting fire extinguishing water—polymer mixture to over 1,000 mPas, measured according to Brookfield (1 UpM at 20° C.), or preferably to between 5,000 and 50,000 mPas.
In order to attain this level of viscosity, polymer dispersions are fed in with electrolyte containing water (fire extinguishing water), preferably at a concentration of 0.25 to 10 vol. %, more preferably at 0.5 to 5 vol. %, and especially preferred, at 1 to 3 vol. %, relative to the water admixed with the polymer.
The extinguishing water-additive mixtures to be used in accordance with the invention can be applied to the fire affected surfaces with any type of conventional fire fighting equipment. Such equipment is described, for example, in the patents EP 0 774 279 B1 and in the German patent DE 299 04 848 U1, which are hereby introduced as references and are therefore to be considered as part of the disclosure.
Mixing of the additive with the saline fire extinguishing water is preferably carried out continuously in a conventional fire fighting dispensing unit. In this manner, natural saline fire extinguishing water sources can be used such as brackish water or sea water, for example, in the case of fires aboard ships and on drilling platforms or in ports or along the coastlines and without any time delays.
The additive can be admixed batch-wise to the fire extinguishing water before it is applied via a dispensing unit, as previously described, onto a surface, preferably onto a vertical surface, a sloped or projecting surface for the prevention of fire and to combat fire.
In the following, the invention is detailed by way of examples. These examples merely serve to clarify the invention and do not limit the general purport of the inventive idea.
A 29 weight % solids containing water-in-oil polymer dispersion, in accordance with patent EP 774 279 B1, column 10, lines 26-28 [(polymer composed of sodium acrylate, sodium salt of acrylamido-propane sulfonic acid and acrylamide (molar ratio of 80/2.5/17.5)], with a mean particle size in the range of 0.1-10 μm, was mixed with sea water in a 5 and in a 10 weight % concentration, relative to the mixture, and the viscosity levels were determined for various shear rates with a Brookfield viscosity meter (at 20° C.):
A 30 weight % solids containing water-in-oil polymer dispersion composed of 52 mole % acrylamido-propane sulfonic acid-sodium salt and of 48 mole % acrylamide, with a mean particle size in the range of 0.1-10 μm, was mixed with sea water in a 5 and in a 10 weight % concentration, relative to the mixture, and the viscosity levels were determined for various shear rates with a Brookfield viscosity meter (at 20° C.):
A 30 weight % solids containing water-in-oil polymer dispersion composed of 43 mole % acrylamide, 42 mole % acrylamido-propane sulfonic acid-sodium salt and of 15 mole % sodium vinyl sulfonate, with a mean particle size in the range of 0.1-10 μm, was mixed with sea water in a 5 and in a 10 weight % concentration, relative to the mixture, and the viscosity levels were determined for various shear rates with a Brookfield viscosity meter (at 20° C.):
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| PCT/EP02/01296 | 2/8/2002 | WO | 00 | 3/31/2004 |
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