Assessment of the fire-extinguishing effect of aqueous copper sulfate solutions for the suppression of landscape fires

The paper presents the results of an experimental study on the fire-extinguishing efficiency of Cu-containing aqueous solutions in suppressing a Class A model fire used to simulate processes characteristic of peat and surface forest fires. The relevance of the study is determined by the high labor intensity of peat fire suppression, the significant consumption of extinguishing agents, and the limited effectiveness of conventional water-based suppression under smoldering combustion conditions and the development of deep-seated fire fronts. Experimental investigations were conducted under a fixed discharge rate using technical water and aqueous copper sulfate solutions within a concentration range of 0.4–3.2 g/L. The geometric parameters of the model fire seat, ignition conditions, and application scheme of the extinguishing agent remained unchanged throughout all test series, ensuring comparability of the results. The calculated extinguishing agent consumption, determined from the experimentally measured extinguishing time at a constant discharge rate, was adopted as the primary performance indicator. This approach allows a transition from a time-based criterion to an integral quantitative assessment of suppression efficiency. It was established that the introduction of Cu-containing additives into water leads to a consistent reduction in extinguishing time and, consequently, in the total consumption of the extinguishing agent. The reduction in agent consumption compared with water reaches approximately 30%, and a rational concentration range providing the maximum effect without significant additional improvement at higher concentrations was identified. The results confirm the potential of Cu-containing aqueous solutions for improving peat fire suppression efficiency while maintaining conventional water-based application schemes.