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Does potassium help in fire suppression? 


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Potassium salts have been found to be effective in fire suppression . The addition of potassium salts, such as K2C2O4, K2CO3, and KNO3, to water mist has been shown to enhance the fire extinguishing efficiency . The presence of potassium salts in water mist can activate the salts and generate active substances, such as gaseous KOH, which aid in extinguishing the fire . The combination of physical effects of water mist and the inhibiting effects of potassium salts on combustion chemistry can result in a superior fire suppression agent . Potassium salts have also been effective in inhibiting vapor cloud explosions, with higher concentrations of potassium carbonate in water leading to increased mitigation of flame velocity and explosion overpressure . Overall, the research suggests that potassium salts, when combined with water mist or used as dry powders, can significantly contribute to fire suppression and explosion mitigation .

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Potassium salts, when combined with water mist, can enhance the fire extinguishing efficiency compared to using water alone. The presence of water vapor activates the potassium salts, aiding in the suppression of fire.
The paper states that the addition of potassium salts can improve the extinguishing efficiency of water mist on liquid fire, suggesting that potassium does help in fire suppression.
Potassium salts, specifically K2C2O4 and K2CO3, were found to be efficient in fire suppression in the study. The efficiency of potassium salts in extinguishing fire was found to be K2C2O4 > CH3COOK > KNO3 > K2CO3 > KOH > KCl > KH2PO4.
The paper states that a fire suppression agent includes a potassium salt solution, suggesting that potassium may be used in fire suppression.

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