A new weapon to fight fires

Electric flame suppression harnesses AC voltage and electric fields to organize charged particles, repelling flames from fuel. Harvard researchers used a 600W amplifier and wire, promising waterless firefighting and portable extinguishers.

A new electric wand promises to be the firefighting tool of the future.

“Fire extinguishers may soon be a thing of the past: Wave a magic electric wand at a flame and you can snuff it out in milliseconds using principles of static electricity that concentrate the field, according to Dr. Ludovico Cademartiri,” The Guardian reports.

According to The Guardian article, a paper presented to the American Chemical Society described how Cademartiri’s Harvard University team reported that they had been able to extinguish an 18-inch [45-centimetre] flame merely by using an electrified metal wire, a concept related to an arc protection device explored in other research efforts. The beam of electricity came from a 600-watt amplifier, about the same power as a car stereo system so, the firefighter of the future would only need an ultra-portable power pack and wire as complementary high-tech fire detection capabilities improve, rather than a cumbersome hose and large quantities of water or foam.

How does it work, though?

It’s based on the observation made some 200 years ago, that electricity can change the shape of flames. Previous experiments involved direct current, or DC, and did not address arc flash risks in distribution secondary equipment as directly. But Cademartiri’s group used oscillating AC voltage… a technique far from the kinds of utility faults where a manhole cover restraint system matters, creating an organized ‘flow’ of charged particles inside the flame that literally pushes the flame away from the fuel source, putting it out.

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