ASTM_F_1129_-_F_1129M_-_12.pdf

Designation:F1129/F1129M12Standard Guide forUsing Aqueous Foams to Control the Vapor Hazard fromImmiscible Volatile Liquids1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F1129/F1129M;the number immediately following the designation indicates the yearof original adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.A superscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.INTRODUCTIONThe vapor released by spills of volatile hazardous substances(either flammable or toxic)can presenta significant hazard to life and property in the spill area and for some measurable distance downwind.Such spills may also cause natural resource damage by penetration into the ground or by movementinto groundwater.Aqueous foam blankets have been shown to be an effective technique to reduce the hazard arisingfrom vapor release of volatile chemicals and to reduce the chance of accidental ignition of flammableliquids.Because they are a common tool of the fire services,they are available early in the spillresponse effort.Foams can be used to control spill vapors to extend evacuation time and may offer acontrol for the life of the incident.Effective actions have been demonstrated for a wide variety of chemical classesvolatile organics,some water reactive inorganics,and certain classes of liquefied gases.The water reactive compounds and liquefied gases require special considerations peculiar to eachchemical grouping.Although foam solutions are not considered to be dispersants,foam treatment mayenhance the penetration of water soluble materials into the ground,or transport into the groundwater,or both.Adequate information is not available to generalize on such questions.1.Scope1.1 This guide restricts itself to addressing the application offoam to water immiscible liquid and some water reactivecompounds with boiling points above 15C for vapor controlor fire suppression of land spill or contained spills on water.1.2 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound unitsare to be regarded separately as standard.The values stated ineach system may not be exact equivalents;therefore,eachsystem shall be used independently of the other.Combiningvalues from the two systems may result in non-conformancewith the standard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.For hazard state-ments,see Section 10.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2F716 Test Methods for Sorbent Performance of AbsorbentsF726 Test Method for Sorbent Performance of Adsorbents2.2 NFPA Standards:NFPA11 Standard for Low-,Medium-,and High-ExpansionFoam33.Terminology3.1 alcohol or polar solvent foamThis is one type of foamthat is resistant to destruction by water miscible polar com-pounds.It is usually termed polar solvent resistant,andcontains a water soluble polymer.When this polymer contactsa water miscible polar fuel,it gels and forms a membranewhich floats on the fuel and serves as a barrier to protect thefoam from destruction by the fuel.Polar solvent resistantfoams may be either surfactant or AFFF based.They behavelike a conventional foam on hydrocarbons.They may be1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F20 on HazardousSubstances and Oil Spill Responseand is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF20.21 on Initial Response Actions.Current edition approved April 1,2012.Published April 2012.Originallyapproved in 1988.Last previous edition approved in 2009 as F1129 09.DOI:10.1520/F1129_F1129M-12.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from National Fire Protection Association(NFPA),1 BatterymarchPark,Quincy,MA 02169-7471,http:/www.nfpa.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 applied by nozzle or by any other low expansion foam-makingequipment on either hydrocarbons or polar fuels.Alcohol orpolar solvent resistant foams produce surface tensions in waterranging from 15 to 50 dyne/cm.3.2 aqueous film forming foam(AFFF,pronounced“A tripleF”)AFFF is a mixture of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbonsurfactants.It is usually used at low expansion.The very lowsurface tension of AFFF solution permits the formation of anaqueous film on top of most hydrocarbon fuels and alcohol-compatible material is resistant to destruction by miscible orimmiscible water-reactive or strong polar compounds,or both.Because maintenance of this film requires drainage of solutionfrom the foam,AFFF is fast draining and the foam is notpersistent.The film is easily disrupted and s