Sand quenches fire by excluding oxygen from the air. Magnesium burns by contact with oxygen from the air but also can burn on contact with water (hydrogen is reduced from +1 in water to 0 in H2 gas.) Magnesium, once hot, can even burn using Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide. Sand has none of these and will work to slow down the burn and stop it as the air trapped in between the grains runs out. Also, halogen extinguishers that flood the surroundings with argon gas, which then pushes out all the other things that will react with the magnesium will work to extinguish the fire.
Sand quenches fire by excluding oxygen from the air. Magnesium burns by contact with oxygen from the air but also can burn on contact with water (hydrogen is reduced from +1 in water to 0 in H2 gas.) Magnesium, once hot, can even burn using Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide. Sand has none of these and will work to slow down the burn and stop it as the air trapped in between the grains runs out. Also, halogen extinguishers that flood the surroundings with argon gas, which then pushes out all the other things that will react with the magnesium will work to extinguish the fire.
Maybe if you dump enough on the fire to exclude all oxygen, AND the sand is not wet.
But I also know a magnesium fueled fire burns very hot so I wonder if it would melt the sand and make glass.
By the way, why are you burning magnesium?
Maybe if you dump enough on the fire to exclude all oxygen, AND the sand is not wet.
But I also know a magnesium fueled fire burns very hot so I wonder if it would melt the sand and make glass.
By the way, why are you burning magnesium?
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Sand quenches fire by excluding oxygen from the air. Magnesium burns by contact with oxygen from the air but also can burn on contact with water (hydrogen is reduced from +1 in water to 0 in H2 gas.) Magnesium, once hot, can even burn using Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide. Sand has none of these and will work to slow down the burn and stop it as the air trapped in between the grains runs out. Also, halogen extinguishers that flood the surroundings with argon gas, which then pushes out all the other things that will react with the magnesium will work to extinguish the fire.
Sand quenches fire by excluding oxygen from the air. Magnesium burns by contact with oxygen from the air but also can burn on contact with water (hydrogen is reduced from +1 in water to 0 in H2 gas.) Magnesium, once hot, can even burn using Nitrogen and Carbon dioxide. Sand has none of these and will work to slow down the burn and stop it as the air trapped in between the grains runs out. Also, halogen extinguishers that flood the surroundings with argon gas, which then pushes out all the other things that will react with the magnesium will work to extinguish the fire.
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