Archived News - 2006

Chemguard Ultraguard 3%x3% AR-AFFF Passes LASTFIRE Test
Under Uncommonly Rigorous Conditions

Mansfield, Texas, September 5, 2006 --  In hot, August, Texas temperatures, Chemguard Ultraguard 3%x3% alcohol-resistant aqueous film-forming foam (AR-AFFF) proved its effectiveness and easily passed stringent LASTFIRE tests.  Ultraguard 3%x3% performed almost perfectly on aspirated, semi-aspirated, and system nozzles with both tap water and synthetic sea water. 

“When Chemguard was awarded a contract for 3%x3% AR-AFFF, the customer, a Middle Eastern company, specified LASTFIRE testing on product samples taken directly from the blender,” explained Kirtland Clark, Ph.D., the Chemguard vice president of research and development.  “This meant performing the LASTFIRE tests at Chemguard’s Texas production facility during the month of August, when ambient temperatures often exceed 100° F (38° C).  Temperatures inside the test building reached 140° F (60° C) during the LASTFIRE test.”

LASTFIRE (large area storage tank fire) tests are designed to predict which foam concentrates will perform well in the absence of 3M’s FC-600, for many years the product of choice.  The round, 50-square-foot LASTFIRE test pan has high sides and 12-inch protrusions along the sides to make extinguishment more difficult.  In addition, the test has the longest preburn time of any fire test today, resulting in very hot metal edges that must be cooled with the foam.  The three fixed-application nozzles, with high, moderate and low expansion properties, test the flexibility and resistance of the foam to fuel pickup.  Most of the LASTFIRE testing to date has been done outdoors in the vicinity of Bergen, Norway, where the ambient fire test conditions have been quite moderate to cool.

In this Chemguard AR-AFFF LASTFIRE test, 11 consecutive batches of Ultraguard 3%x3% were produced and tested under Resource Protection International monitoring.  Thirty of the 33 tests rated “Good/Level 1,” with 17 of these tests scoring 100 points.  Aspirated tests averaged 99.8 points, semi-aspirated 85.6 points, and system 95.8 points, an average for all 33 fires of 93.7 points.  Impressively, all average scores achieved “Good/Level 1.”

“The LASTFIRE performance under these conditions was exciting and unexpected,” Dr. Clark observed.  “Chemguard Ultraguard 3%x3% has only about 0.5% fluorine content, making it extremely fluorine efficient.”

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Chemguard is a global, full-service, ISO 9001:2000 Certified manufacturer of fire suppression foams, equipment, and systems; specialty pumps; and fluorosurfactant specialty chemicals.  Known for advanced R&D, engineering/design expertise, quality manufacturing, and high-quality, field-tested products, Chemguard provides unmatched customer support.