University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1970 Laboratory method for evaluating forest fire retardant chemicals Aylmer D. Blakely The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Blakely, Aylmer D., "Laboratory method for evaluating forest fire retardant chemicals" (1970). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 9184. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/9184 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A LABORATORY METHOD FOR EVALUATING FOREST FIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALS by Aylmer D. Blakely B.S. University of Montana, 1960 ’resented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Forestry University of Montana 1970 Approved by: C^l^man, Board of Examiners Dea^ÿ^ Gradué, chool Date 7 '' UMI Number: EP39986 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT OiSMNTtiition PluMishing UMI EP39986 Published by ProQuest LLO (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition ® ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQ^sf ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance of my graduate committee, Associate Professor R. W. Steele, Dr. B. C. Lory, and Dr. J. H. Lowe, Jr. of the University of Montana; and Mr. C. E. Hardy of the USDA Forest Service, Northern Forest Fire Laboratory. I am indebted to the Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station for permitting me to conduct this study as a Forest Service research study and to use the results for a thesis at the University of Montana. The Northern Forest Fire Laboratory provided official time, equipment, supplies, and manpower. I wish to thank the entire staff and especially C. E. Hardy and C. W. George for their special technical assistance. I am most grateful to Sandra Marshall for her unending, patience in preparing rough drafts, proofing, compiling data in the proper form, and typing final drafts. Recognition is also due Bryan Owen for his skillful preparation of figures and drawings; Herman Wittman for his reproduction and photographic work; and Merlin Brown for his precise operation of the combustion chamber. Special acknowledgment goes to my wife, Jean, and my family for their sacrifices while I devoted time to this study. 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES .................................................. v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................... vi LIST OF APPENDICES.................................................. vil CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................. 1 Objectives .............................................. 4 Literature Review....................................... 5 Methods used for determining the relative fire inhibiting abilities of chemicals when used for impregnating cellulosic materials .... 5 Methods used for determining the relative fire inhibiting abilities of chemicals when used for extinguishment and for pretreating the surface of cellulosic materials ................................ 16 II. P R O C E D U R E S ............................................... 30 Chemical Selection ..................................... 30 Chemical solution preparation........................ 32 Preliminary T e s t s ............. 34 F u e l .................................................. 34 Treatment method ..................................... 34 Treatment l e v e l ..................................... 35 Conditioning ......................................... 37 1 1 1 IV Pag© Fuel Preparation Methods and Procedures ............... 39 Fuel basket construction................................ 39 Fuel bed construction .................................. 39 Fuel treatment procedures ........................... 40 Fuel conditioning .......................................40 Data Measuring Systems.................................... 43 Weight loss ..............................................42 Basket support........................................... 43 R a d i a t i o n ................................................ 46 Burning Tests ........................................... 49 CHAPTER III. PRESENTATION OF D A T A .......................................51 Data Reduction............................................. 51 Treatment level ....................................... 52 Amount of radiation .................................... 53 Superiority Factor......................................... 54 IV. RESULTS.......................................................57 Superiority Factor......................................... 60 Comparison of Methods and Results ...................... 65 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.................................... 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................... 75 Additional References............................................. 78 APPENDICES ........................................................... 80 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. The effect of chemicals on the volatilization of wood volatilized in atmospheric pressure of n i t r o g e n ............................................ 15 2. Extinction superiority of chemical solutions over water when tested under no-wind conditions ............ 19 3. Effect of various chemicals on ignition time .... 24 4. Effect of various chemicals on fire intensity when 50 percent of the fuel was treated .............. 24 5. Characteristics of chemicals ............................ 31 6 . Comparisons of preliminary data from fires with fuels treated by single and multiple spray applications. 36 7. Two methods for determining fuel moisture lost while conditioning excelsior ................................... 38 8 . Chemicals ranked in order of effectiveness by comparing the computed curves in Appendices A, B, and C ................................................. 58 9. Effectiveness rating of chemicals determined by examination of the Superiority Factor data in figure 4 ............................................ 61 10. Superiority Factor data for each chemical at selected treatment levels used for plotting curves in figure 4 .......................................... 62 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Apparatus for spraying chemical solutions onto the f u e l .................................................. 41 2. Apparatus for measuring the weight loss and radiation.................................................. 4 4 3. Diagram of the weight loss and radiation measuring s y s t e m .................................................... 45 4. The Superiority Factors of chemicals as a function of chemical treatment levels ........................... 63 VI LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A. Curves showing average maximum rate of weight loss on test fires as a function of the chemical treatment level.................................. 80 B. Curves showing amount of radiation from test fires as a function of the chemical treatment level. , . 87 C. Curves showing percent residue from test fires as a function of the chemical treatment level ......... 94 D. Tables of values calculated by polynomial equations for each chemical for each parameter ......... 1 0 1 B. Tables of second degree polynomial equations used for determining curves for weight loss, radiation, and residue d a t a ............................... 115 F. Original values for treatment level, weight loss, radiation, residue, and the Superiority Factor for each corresponding data point and the total for each f i r e ........................... 118 G. Data from selected treatment levels used in determining the Superiority Factors in table 10. 133 V I 1 CHAPTER J INTRODUCTION During the past 25 years, the average number of acres burned over annually by forest fires in the United States has been decreasing steadily. From 1946 to 1955, the average size of wildfires decreased from about 122 down to 48 acres per fire; and from 1956 to 1961, from about 50 acres down to about 30 acres per fire. During the first 15 years of the period, the number of fires decreased from as many as 200.000 to as few as 81,000 per year. Since 1961 when there were 99,000, the number of fires occurring annually has increased to between 113.000 and 125,000 per year. (One exception was 1963 when there were 164.000 fires.) Even so, the average area burned per fire has remained low, ranging from an average of 43 to as low as 24 acres per fire. (U.S.D.A. Forest Service 1969b), Part of this reduction in acres burned over can be attributed to technological developments in firefighting techniques