Voitovych T. Improvement of the Subsurface Extinguishing Technology in Tanks with Petroleum Products

The dissertation offers a solution to an urgent scientific and technical task – an improvement of the subsurface fire extinguishing technology in tanks with petroleum products. The following research methods were used in the dissertation: a combination of analysis and generalization of technological advances in development and usage of foam fire extinguishers; gravimetrical method to analyze the influence of corrosion inhibitors on corrosive properties of foam concentrate solutions; one of physicochemical methods – thermodynamic method; statistical data analysis; methods of mathematical modeling for the purpose of theoretical estimation of the movement parameters of submerged low expansion foam jets in a tank with motor fuel that would be optimal for transporting foam through the fuel layer to its surface. The scientific novelty of obtained results consists in detailed analysis and description of particularities of the subsurface fire fighting of fires in tanks with oil and petroleum products with the help of foam agents. For the first time regulatory values of the general and special-purpose domestic foam concentrates’ application rate used for subsurface fire fighting of oil and petroleum were experimentally determined. Also, a simulation of the movement of a submerged non-free foam jet in a petroleum products medium was developed. Moreover, this simulation adequately describes the real physical processes that occur during the fire fighting process. The influence of corrosion inhibitors alkilimidazoline and alkilimidazoline M on corrosive properties of general and special-purpose foam concentrate solutions were presented for the first time. This work has also proved that diesel fuel that was left after fire fighting process with film-forming foam concentrate-based foam, can still be used as intended. This conclusion was made based on analysis of the following quality characteristics of the fuel: cetane index, density, flash point, and fractional composition. The dissertation provides grounds for changes in existing domestic regulatory documents related to application rate requirements for the foam solutions.