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U.S. Department of Energy
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Preliminary screening procedures and criteria for replacements for halons 1211 and 1301. Technical note (Final)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6407583

The signing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 demonstrated an international consensus that a variety of fully halogenated organic chemicals (halocarbons) were damaging stratospheric ozone. The current halogenated fire suppressants, or halons, were among the chemicals whose production is restricted by the Protocol. The likelihood of major reductions or a total ban on their production by the turn of the century is driving a search for alternative chemicals. No such search has been conducted since the late 1940s, when the U.S. Army conducted the study that led to today's predominant halogenated fire suppressants: halons 1301 (CF3Br) and 1211 (CF2ClBr). Halon 2402 (C2F4Br2) is in use to a lesser degree, as are halons 1001 and 1011. The project corresponds to a first step in a government/industry program to identify and qualify candidate replacements for halons 1301 and 1211 that will satisfy the needs of the major users for existing applications. Nine screening procedures have been defined for characterizing potential candidates for replacing halons, particularly 1211 and 1301, now in use for fire suppression applications.

Research Organization:
National Inst. of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (USA)
OSTI ID:
6407583
Report Number(s):
PB-91-107110/XAB; NIST/TN--1278; CNN: AF-89CS8204
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English