Final answer:
To achieve extinguishment, sufficient water must be applied to smother all flames.
Step-by-step explanation:
To achieve extinguishment, sufficient water must be applied to smother all flames. When water is applied to a burning fuel, it cools the fuel below its ignition temperature, removes oxygen from the fire, and prevents the release of combustible gases. This prevents the fire from continuing to burn. To achieve extinguishment, sufficient water must be applied to absorb heat faster than it is being generated. This is crucial when dealing with fires involving substances like crude oil that release a large amount of energy when burned. For example, each liter of crude oil releases
of energy. To absorb this energy, water needs to be heated from 20.0°C to 100°C, vaporized into steam, and then the steam heated further to 300°C. The heat capacity of water and the latent heat of vaporization must be considered to calculate the total amount of water required. Additionally, the lower density of crude oil compared to water introduces complications, such as the oil floating on the water's surface, making direct contact cooling less efficient and potentially requiring the use of special firefighting foams.