Оptimization of the composition of neutral gases for fire extinguishing in museum reservoirs

An effective fire extinguishing system has been created for extinguishing fires in museum warehouses with a mixture of neutral gases that do not distort museum artistic values and are able to compete with the best foreign examples of volumetric gas fire extinguishing systems. The proportion of the gas mixture consisting of argon, nitrogen and carbon dioxide has been optimized for fire extinguishing of museum art treasures. Taking into account the requirements of the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, an analysis of the state of the issue and the specifics of the solution to the problem of gas extinguishing fires in art museums and their fund storages was carried out. The direction of improvement of the existing automatic volumetric fire extinguishing installations with neutral gases has been determined. An effective and relatively inexpensive composition of a mixture of neutral gases has been developed for use in volume extinguishing of possible fires in fund repositories and museums, which ensures the preservation of material and artistic-aesthetic values without their distortion. Volume fractions of two mixtures of neutral gases № 14 (CO2=50 %, N2=40 %, Ar=10 %) and № 15 (СО2= 40 %, N2=50 %, Ar=10 %) were determined, which are close by its composition and have the best fire-extinguishing efficiency indicators in terms of extinguishing time of the model fire 4.6 s and 4.8 s. A test laboratory stand was created, as an analogue of a volumetric gas fire extinguishing installation with a mixer of the components of the proposed working mixture of neutral gases, on which the indicators of the effectiveness of extinguishing model fires were worked out when extinguishing samples of various fragments of artistic underdrawings on parts of line and Whatman. The technical parameters of the working chamber of the laboratory stand are substantiated, and the rational ratio of pressures filling the stand mixer with components of a mixture of neutral gases is recognized based on its mathematical model, which makes it possible to improve existing industrial installations of various sizes. The price reduction of the proposed neutral gas is justified.