Final answer:
Fire extinguisher systems with high rates of discharge quickly release extinguishing agents and are used for large-scale fires. They contain gas at high pressures and are designed with a safety factor regarding this pressure. Knowing how hot the gas can get before the cylinder fails is crucial to the system's safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
High Rate Discharge Fire Extinguisher Systems
Fire extinguisher systems with high rates of discharge are typically classified as those that release fire-suppressing agents very quickly, often in seconds, to rapidly extinguish a fire. These systems are equipped with metal cylinders that store gases at high pressures, near 200 atmospheres at room temperature, and are designed with a safety factor of 2, which implies they may fail if internal pressures reach around 400 atmospheres. If a fire escalates, causing the cylinder to heat, the contained gas's pressure will increase. To determine at what temperature the gas would heat up sufficiently to potentially breach the cylinder, we need to employ the gas laws, which relate temperature, pressure, and volume. Without fire damage to the cylinder, we would apply the ideal gas law to calculate the critical temperature at which the cylinder may fail.
The use of fluorinated solution and foams in fire extinguishers is common because they can quickly spread across burning surfaces and extinguish fires. High discharge rate systems are particularly effective against large-scale fires of organic liquids, where the rapid spread of the extinguishing agent is crucial. It's important to note that after a certain hot gas temperature is reached, the pressure might exceed the cylinder's design capacity, which could cause it to fail, especially without considering potential fire damage to the structural integrity of the cylinder.