Experimental and theoretical studies on the thermal decomposition of trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene and 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene and their fire-extinguishing performance

Abstract

trans-1-Chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (trans-CF₃CHCHCl) and 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (CF₃CClCH₂) have the potential to act as fire extinguishing agents, but their thermal decomposition mechanism and fire extinguishing performance have not been investigated. In this paper, thermal decomposition experiments and theoretical calculations were carried out to verify the possible thermal decomposition process and fire extinguishing performance of these potential fire extinguishing agents. trans-CF₃CHCHCl and CF₃CClCH₂ can be decomposed into radicals, such as HCl, ˙CF₃, and ˙CF₂, which can consume ˙OH and ˙H radicals for fire suppression. Furthermore, the experimental and calculation results demonstrated that CF₃CClCH₂ shows better thermal stability. To characterize the inhibitory efficiency of trans-CF₃CHCHCl and CF₃CClCH₂, the minimum extinguishing concentrations were measured to be 6.8% and 6.9%, respectively. As a result, trans-CF₃CHCHCl and CF₃CClCH₂ performed well, and their application as Halon substitutes is worth exploring.