• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.117-124
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• 2022

This study collected powder extinguishers with 6-10 years of elapsed life from January 2012 to January 2017 in market, factory, and apartment areas to experiment with changes in fineness and to examine the characteristics of extinguishing power. First, in the case of ABC powder, 98.3 wt% of the 8-year market area and 98.6 wt% of the 10-year apartment complex were found to be inappropriate in the first, second, and third arithmetic average analysis of the powder extinguisher from 6 to 10 years. That is, the fine distribution and size of the powder extinguishing agent particles should be managed within an appropriate range. It is analyzed that the powder fire extinguisher may experience a change in the fineness of the powder depending on the external environment exposure, placement, management status, and age of use, resulting in a decrease in digestive power or inability to radiate. Second, the fire extinguisher cannot be used in the initial fire suppression depending on the place of deployment, the environment of deployment, the progress of the number of years of use, and maintenance, so it is necessary to strengthen the device that enables fire extinguisher maintenance and inspection. Third, in the manufacturing process, the charging method should also be reviewed in consideration of the conditions of the workplace, the humid season, and the rainy environment.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.91-99
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• 2012

Fatal injuries and deaths have occurred resulting from the operation or disassembling of a powder extinguishers in Korea. If a rusted powder extinguisher is exploded during operation or disassembling, it rises to the air like a rocket and hits a head, chest, or neck part of an operator, resulting in his (her) death or injury. In this study examines the explosion accident cases of a powder fire extinguisher and analyzes their causes, reactions to explosion, and precautionary measures. And in this paper suggests 1) no using of old fire extinguishers in fire drill or education, 2) education and public information on danger of old fire extinguishers, 3) indication of explosion danger to cartridge-type dry chemical powder fire extinguishers had already placed to buildings etc., 4) obligatory indication of durable years on fire extinguishers, 5) examination for introduction of system that do hydraulic pressure test about fire extinguishers that given period past, 6) construction of system that reclaim old fire extinguishers, 7) construction of system that recycle or reuse old fire extinguishers, and 8) operation of help desk related to old fire extinguishers as precautionary measure of fire extinguisher explosion accidents.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.67-74
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• 2023

This study aims to measure sedimentation status change with the changes in internal pressure for dry chemical extinguishers of various use periods and analyze the suitability of the fire extinguishers' performance criteria. When the internal pressure of the fire extinguisher is 0%, 2 out of 10 new dry chemical powders for the 5 elapsed years were noted to be suitable, including 3 recycled dry chemical powders with 5 elapsed years that were found eligible. One out of 10 new dry chemical powders for 10 elapsed years was shown as suitable. Also, one new dry chemical powder for 13 elapsed years was suitable. When the internal pressure of the fire extinguisher was 50%, all 10 out of 10 new dry chemical powders for 5 years, recycled one with 5 elapsed years, and a new one with 10 elapsed years were found to be suitable, while 9 new dry chemical powders for 13 years were shown as suitable. When the internal pressure of the fire extinguisher was normal, new ones with 5 elapsed years, recycled ones with 5 elapsed years, new ones with 10 elapsed years, and new ones with 13 elapsed years were all 10 out of 10 samples noted as suitable. In summarizing the experiment results, it was found that the sedimentation status, one of the fire extinguisher's physical properties experiments, affects the fire extinguisher's performance criteria rather than the change with use periods.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.47-55
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• 2005

Fire extinguisher, which is cost effective and easily accessible, is a very effective way of fire suppression. To keep its initial performance it needs periodical inspection and appropriate maintenance. However, many fire extinguishers of which the powder is incompletely coated deteriorates due to the moisture and leak of charge pressure after several years. Accordingly inappropriate powder replacement and pressurization has widely been doing by unqualified persons. Also, the absence of lifetime for fire extinguisher made people keep old bad fire extinguisher without precise inspection. This study specified those issues through case studies and suggested some ways for the systematic improvement.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.661-666
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• 2022

This study presented the criteria for analyzing the corrosion of the powder extinguisher storage container according to the useful life, and conducted an experiment on the market area, the factory area, and the apartment building area to ensure proper performance at all times and drew the following conclusions.First, the experimental value for the degree of corrosion of external contact storage containers was found to be unsuitable in the factory area in 2014. In 2012, the experimental value for the degree of corrosion of external contact storage containers in apartment complexes was found to be inappropriate. Second, the experimental value for the dropout of the external paint in the storage container was found to be inappropriate in the factory area in 2014. In 2012, the experimental value of the degree of coating of the external paint storage container in the apartment building area was found to be inappropriate. It was analyzed that the useful life of the fire extinguisher is 10 years, and if it passes the sample test only once, it will be used for up to 13 years, but in fact, the difference varies greatly depending on the surrounding environment of the fire extinguisher place. Since the degree of corrosion of the storage container of the fire extinguisher from 8 years of the fire extinguisher's useful life is clearly decreased, it is judged that 5 years of the fire extinguisher is appropriate.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.607-617
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze whether the performance of the fire extinguisher meets the criteria for the apparent specific gravity property test by calculating the change in internal pressure and the use period of the fire extinguisher as a new one with 5 years, recycled one with 5 years, a new one with 10 years, and a new one with 13 years, respectively. As a result of the experiment, when the internal pressure of the fire extinguisher was 0%, the first, second, and third arithmetic mean analysis of the dry chemical extinguisher according to the use period was found to be condemned. When the internal pressure of the fire extinguisher was 50%, it was measured as 130 ml in sample 12-08-new and analyzed as unsuitable. Also, sample 09-09-new of a new dry chemical extinguisher with 13 elapsed years measured 145ml, which was found inappropriate. All other dry chemical extinguishers were analyzed to be suitable. All were noted suitable when having normal internal pressure of the fire extinguisher, except for sample 09-06 of a new dry chemical extinguisher with 13 elapsed years, which was determined to be unsuitable caused by measuring as 131 ml for experimental value. As a result of experiments, some of the apparent specific gravity tests of dry chemical extinguishers from 10 years to 13 years have found that they are unsuitable for the performance of the fire extinguishers due to the massive phenomenon. Accordingly, it is necessary to reduce the endurance period of dry chemical extinguishers from 10 years to 7 years.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.117-123
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• 2017

This study was intended to find methods of fire extinguishing system designs that can improve the equipment's usability. In this study, the fire suppression experiment through fire extinguishers and the data drawn through the experiment were analyzed, and then the guideline for the improvement of designs was presented. The procedure is as follows. A fire suppression experiment with the use of fire extinguishers was done by 43 average adults. The whole process of the fire suppression was videotaped, and then captured major scenes were analyzed with the use of RULA, a human engineering measurement tool. The analyzed data were divided into 4 steps, and then the guideline for design improvement was presented. The summary of the study is as follows. Step 1, Fire extinguisher distance step. To reduce overload occurring at the process of holding fire extinguishers suddenly, wheels are attached to the body of extinguishers, or pedestals are installed. Step 2, Fire extinguisher transportation step. The length of hose is extended, or fire fighting water is sprayed far, so that overload of legs occurring at the process of travel can be reduced. In addition, the weight of fire extinguisher shouldn't be over 2 kg. Step 3, Safety pin removal stage. Safety pins should be applied with button type, so that excessive posture of lower limbs and excessive twisting of wrists won't happen during safety pin removal process. Besides, safety pins should be designed for easy identification and operation. Step 4, Fire extinguishing agent spraying step. To reduce overload occurring at sudden spraying of fire fighting water, pressure should be increased gradually until high pressure. With the above study results applied to existing fire extinguisher design, it may contribute to reducing any fire damage.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.38-43
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• 2013

An automatic spreading fire extinguisher usually installed in a closed area like a boiler room, a laundry store or a restaurant's kitchen room is one of the fire protection equipments. This extinguisher automatically discharges dry powder, extinguishing fire. As this extinguisher has the extinguishing capability applicable to the nominal protection area, objects outside the area cannot be properly extinguished. However only its number is being requested according to the floor area in the related laws, and the extinguishing capability depends on the distance from a fire source. In this study we tried to investigate the extinguishing capability of the automatic spreading fire extinguisher in accordance with horizontal separation distance from a fire source. It appeared that the maximum horizontal separation distance was about 30 cm for both class A and B fire to be certainly extinguished.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.24 no.6_2
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• pp.795-800
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• 2021

Magnesium fires require early fire extinguishment due to impulsive and rapid-fire expansion that makes difficult fire fighting. For this reason, efficient early fire fighting and appropriate prevention of fire spread are considered mainly as significant fire extinction measures. However, there is a limit to developing tools for metal fire fighting, such as devices, facilities, and fire extinguishing agents, due to a lack of regulatory instruments in South Korea. It often generates challenges to early fire fighting implementation by fire responders. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate a measure for securing the efficiency of early fire fighting in magnesium. This study identified the applicability of the metal fire extinguisher used in the United States for magnesium fire through a performance test of a fire extinguishing agent for metal fire. Moreover, we implemented a free burning experiment using magnesium powder to compare varying combustion and extinction process that could occur during applying metal fire extinguishers. Finally, this study suggests measures of the use and application of metal fire extinguishers for magnesium.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.277-282
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• 2008

We developed fixed aerosol auto fire-extinguishing systems which are different from fire suppression systems like powder extinguisher or halon extinguishing system, etc. Fixed aerosol auto fire-extinguishing substances which are including solid alkali salts generated by combustion of solid composition. It represents high fire suppression ability due to particle friendly auto fire-extinguishing systems for the reason of excluding toxic substances in it's composition.