Gel
Gel
Phos-Chek AquaGel-K belongs to a group of Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) chemical firefighting additive products best described as "water enhancers" that have unique properties which make them ideal to use in certain wildfire and municipal applications.
Phos-Chek AquaGel-K is a dry granular crystalline product which, when mixed with water, forms a gel-like mixture. Due to its ability to retain large quantities of water many times the size of each individual crystalline structure, AquaGel-K can be a valuable tool for the fire manager. Depending on the concentration and water quality, the result can be anything between a slightly thicker than water appearance to a coagulated mass.
This unique product quality works as a highly efficient barrier against rapid evaporation from heat and allows for water coherency when applied from the air. AquaGel-K provides increased target control (reduced drift), better controlled evaporation in advance of the fire, controlled evaporation on the fire, and increased cooling and wetting time on the fuel. AquaGel-K is recommended for use in direct attack applications enabling minimized fuel reignition.
Phos-Chek AquaGel-K also provides many benefits in water shortage areas where efficient water conservation is essential. Similarly, the high efficiency of the product enables diminished water run-off from the seat of the fire.
AquaGel-K also possesses superior insulating properties coupled with high adherence rate to structures and other vertical surfaces allowing for robust structural protection measures to be implemented on buildings, tanks, and other vessels such as LP gas, petrochemical or other hazardous storage facilities and decreasing adjacent property damage.
Phos-Chek AquaGel-K has been tested and approved for use by the USDA Forest Service as a water enhancer at mix ratios between 0.4% and 1.2%. On the lowest mix ratio scale (0.4%), the product is ideally suited for manual operations such as backpacks and extinguishers; 0.4% to 0.5% for ground engine applications, 0.5% to 0.6% for aerial applications, while elevated mix ratios are more suitable for structural protection measures.
Phos-Chek AquaGel-K is a hydrophilic compound and can be kept for long periods without degradation provided it is kept in a clean, closed UV protected tank or vessel and away from intense heat. The dry powder is self-dispersing in many applications or can be easily mixed by in-line induction or by simple circulation. Phos-Chek AquaGel-K is environmentally friendly and contains no poly-acrylamide, NPE, oils or solvents.
For more information, download our Phos-Chek AquaGel-K brochure or Phos-Chek AquaGel-K Mixing, Storage, and Use Instructions or contact:
Gordon Springell
Gel Business Leader
Cell: 909-821-1331
Gordon.Springell@icl-pplp.com
