Finicky point - magnesium does not "make it's own oxygen" when it burns. It is simply so reactive when it's burning that it will combine with many things that you normally could use to put out a fire. Like water...
Sodium chloride - salt - is an ionic bond, and takes more energy to break the bonds than the fire can give, so it douses the fire - IF you can cover the whole mess deep enough to cut off the air. The first link that came up under Google for "magnesium fire": http://www.burningart.com/meico/pyro/mag.html More goodies - why CO2 is not a good idea: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03547.htm http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/jcesoft/CCA/CCA3/MAIN/MAGCO2/PAGE1.HTM Have fun...be safe! Chuck Kuecker Gerald V. Livingston II wrote: > The rest of your post was spot on. It *CAN* be done by someone who is VERY > good. > > But, they have to be good enough to make sure it never catches fire. > > There is *NO* "proper type extinguisher" for a magnesium fire. Once it's > lit it stays that way until it's all gone. Magnesium creates its own oxygen > when it burns so there is no way to smother it with an extinguishing agent. > It burns hot enough to melt through other metals and make glass from a pile > of sand. > > A sodium Chloride powder extinguisher i srated for magnesium. It can > contain the heat and MAY put a small magnesium fire out but don't count on > it for something engine sized with a good burn started. > > Lots of sand (enough to completely cover) once again is a good heat > container and MAY extinguish a small magnesium fire. > > Foam (lots and lots of foam) will help to keep the stuff around and under > the magnesium cool so that secondary fires don't start. And, since the VW > case is an alloy one *MAY* be able to stop the burn with CO2 or foam if > they see it start and catch it quick enough to cool it down below it's > ignition point. > > Gerald > > > On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:37:15 -0400 Mike <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >> In a word, no. >> >> Magnesium alloy = extremely difficult to weld, can catch fire if not done >> properly, hard to extinguish if it starts burning (white hot flame that can >> burn underwater). Some people do weld these cases behind #3 cylinder, so it >> can be done, but only by someone well-equipped (proper type extinguisher) >> > > _______________________________________________ > vintagvw site list > [email protected] > http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw > > > _______________________________________________ vintagvw site list [email protected] http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
