RE: Halon and the Hydrogen radical

[David Redpath <dredpath@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I needed to respond to the posting in AD V7 #284

Robert Brady writes:
Halon extinguishes flames by scavanging the Hydrogen radicals.  For 
combustion to continue (propagate), hydrogen radicals are required to split 
the Oxygen molecules forming an Oxygen radical and a hydroxy radical.
 (cont'd)

It reminds me of an anecdote I once read while on the pondering the subject...

 A horse and a chicken are playing in a meadow.  The horse falls
 into a mud hole and is sinking.  He calls to the chicken to go and get
 the farmer to help pull him out to safety. The chicken runs to the farm
 but the farmer can't be found. So he drives the farmer's Alfa Romeo back to the
 mud hole and ties some rope around the bumper.  He then throws the other
 end of the rope to his friend, the horse, and drives the car forward
 saving him from sinking!
 
 A few days later, the chicken and horse were playing in the meadow
 again and the chicken fell into the mud hole.  The chicken yelled to the
 horse to go and get some help from the farmer. The horse said, "I think
 I can stand over the hole!"  So he stretched over the width of the hole
 and said, "Grab for my 'thingy' and pull yourself up." And the chicken
 did and pulled himself to safety.
 
 The moral of the story:
If you are hung like a horse, you don't need an Alfa Romeo to pick up chicks.

Maybe not...  but what else is a farmer with talking livestock gonna drive?

I had to break up that Halon talk...  
And I take nothing away from Mr. Brady, he obviously knows a thing or two about combustion!

Dumbing down the Digest for ya!

Dave
'85 Spider Veloce 

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