Water on Titanium Fires

PYROPHORIC METALS

DOE-HDBK-1081-94

Spontaneous Heating and Pyrophoricity

takes place with this procedure, but rapid extinguishment follows if the

technique is pursued. Well-advanced fires in several hundred pounds

(100 lb equals 45 kg) of magnesium scrap have been extinguished in less than

1 minute with two 37.5 mm (1-1/2 in.) fire hoses. Water fog, on the other

hand, tends to accelerate rather than cool such a fire. Application of water to

magnesium fires must be avoided where quantities of molten metal are likely

to be present; the steam formation and possible metal-water reactions may be

explosive.

Water on Titanium Fires

Water must not be used on fires in titanium fines and should be used with

caution on other titanium fires. Small amounts of burning titanium (other than

fines) can be extinguished and considerable salvage realized by quickly

dumping the burning material into a large volume of water to completely

submerge it. Hose streams have been used effectively on fires in outside piles

of scrap, but violent reactions have been reported in other cases where water

was applied to hot or burning titanium, resulting in serious injury to personnel.

Additional information on the use of water on titanium fires can be found in

NFPA 481, Standard for the Production, Processing, Handling, and Storage

of Titanium.

Pyrophoricity

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