Can sound waves douse a fire? YES, says Bahraini student Nada

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Across the globe, deadly fires are creating new risks for both human and the planet.

The loss is immense, both in terms of lives and assets. Nada Al-Khouli of Khawla Secondary Girls School says the solution to this growing devastation lies in technology. An impossible task, it seems.

But Al Khouli says, “it is possible to extinguish wildfires with sound waves.” The project by Nada Al-Khouli also grabbed the top spot in the scientific innovation competition held by the Ministry of Education as part of the Future Scholars competition. Nada created the project under the supervision and guidance of her chemistry teacher Zainab Aynati.

The idea was to develop a fire extinguisher that does not leave any residue, unlike the conventional type, which leaves a chemical residue harmful to humans and the environment. Nada’s acoustic extinguisher puts outs flame by employing sound frequencies between 30 to 60 hertz without relying on water or chemicals.

The equipment utilises the principle that when sound waves hit a fire source, it causes the pressure to drop, brings down the temperature, and kills the fire.

The theory is that the sound waves act like a pressure wave pushing oxygen away from the source of a flame, eventually breaking the fire combustion triangle made up of heat, fuel and oxygen.The 

US failed in 2008 It, however, is not the first time that people are trying such technology for fire fighting. Acoustic technologies were unsuccessfully tested as a firefighting tool by the United States Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency back in 2008.

Researchers are continuing their work in this direction in several parts of the world. Automation and Robotic Sciences and Artificial Cognizance (ARSAC) is one amongst them.