Foam concentrates work remarkably well for dealing with fire. The invention of foam as a fire extinguishing agent was a great upgrade from the water-based extinguishers. These concentrates contain a primary active agent called surfactants, solvents, stabilizers and water. In its initial developments, it had protein foam, but it was easily contaminated with flammable liquids. Later, fluorinated foam was developed that resisted oil contamination. Some of the most popular foam concentrates used today are AFFF and AR-AFFF. Both are fluorinated surfactants and function similarly. However, there are several key differences between them, including their applications.
We at Foamtech Antifire Company are well known for our firefighting solutions. Our foam concentrates have a diverse range available in different types. In this blog, we are sharing our expertise on this extinguishing agent to help you have an overview of AFFF and AR-AFFF.
All About AFFF
AFFF stands for Aqueous Film Forming Foam. As its name suggests, it forms a thin, aqueous film over the ignition/fire source, which immediately breaks the chain of chemical reaction. The composition of AFFF is that it contains fluorosurfactants, solvent, polysaccharide and stabilizers. It works especially on the Class B fires, i.e, flammable liquids like gasoline, oil, aircraft fuel, and non-polar liquids. However, the AFFF is not ideal when the flame is caused by polar liquids like ethanol and acetone because these liquids dissolve in the water of the foam solution, collapsing its structure and making it ineffective.
All About AR-AFFF
AR-AFFF is the Alcohol-resistant Aqueous Film Forming Foam. As another fluorinated foam concentrate, AR-AFFF is more versatile than the standard AFFF because of its chemical composition. Like AFFF, it is also made up of fluorosurfactant, polysaccharide, solvent and stabilizer, with the addition of a special polymer. This polymer is included because it creates a polymeric membrane, which is basically a film over polar solvents to prevent the collapse of foam. This concentrate has higher viscosity and applies faster than AFFF.
Conclusion
To deal with Class B (flammable liquids) fire, it is important to understand which type of extinguishing agent you need. With the above-mentioned details, you should have a better clarity about which type you should choose. Both AFFF and AR-AFFF are based on fluorinated concentrate and are used for hydrocarbons. AFFF is not suitable for alcohol based liquids, while AR-AFFF is. Foamtech AntiFire Company is renowned for providing various kinds of eco-friendly foam concentrates, so if you are looking for them, reach out to our support team.
