Halon 1301 is what you want to use to put out an engine fire. It is the most effective of any fire system. At 6% concentration to air, it will stop all A:B:C fires. It takes 34% concentration of CO2 to put out just B:C fires. 10% CO2 can kill you, 15% Halon won't. Both CO2 and Halon are clean and won't leave a residue or hurt electrics. All the new Halon replacements are more money, and less effective. The hotter the fire is, the better Halon works, which is reverse of the other popular extinguishers. Since we have very hot engines, it works to our advantage.
Halon works by interfering with the chemical reaction of the fire. Specifically, it bonds with the free hydrogen to make it harder to keep a fire going, if I understand the chemistry right.
You can also spray Halon into the intake to shut off the engine.
If you can carry only 5 lbs of extinguisher, it is the best choice. Aircraft and military were the first big users since weight to performance is important.
Halon 1211 comes out of the nozzle as a liquid, so it's best for handheld extinguishers, or where you need a longer distance from the nozzle to the fire.
SFI now won't rate Halon as a valid extinguishing agent due to political correctness, since Halon is ozone depleting. But it seems most race organizations aren't necessarily following their policy.
Halon works by interfering with the chemical reaction of the fire. Specifically, it bonds with the free hydrogen to make it harder to keep a fire going, if I understand the chemistry right.
You can also spray Halon into the intake to shut off the engine.
If you can carry only 5 lbs of extinguisher, it is the best choice. Aircraft and military were the first big users since weight to performance is important.
Halon 1211 comes out of the nozzle as a liquid, so it's best for handheld extinguishers, or where you need a longer distance from the nozzle to the fire.
SFI now won't rate Halon as a valid extinguishing agent due to political correctness, since Halon is ozone depleting. But it seems most race organizations aren't necessarily following their policy.
