| Fire is a beautiful natural event which has been | | | | equation and come in many forms and are used |
| venerated as well as enslaved throughout its | | | | in rocket motors and vehicle technology. Rocket |
| history with man. This phenomenon is one of the | | | | propellants have to make fire in a non oxygen |
| first external energy sources available to man. | | | | environment and race cars use nitrous oxide for |
| Fire is formed by a chain reaction between heat, | | | | extra acceleration, both of which are non oxygen |
| fuel and an oxidizer. If any one of these elements | | | | oxidizers. |
| is not present then a fire will most likely not occur | | | | Fuels in fires can be liquid, solid or gaseous and |
| or quickly die. When the temperature of the heat | | | | each form has been put to use for our benefit. |
| source exceeds the flash point of the fuel and | | | | Gaseous fuel includes propane which is used for |
| oxygen mix the chain reaction occurs. Oxidizers in | | | | cooking and fuel and acetylene which is used for |
| the form of oxygen gas or an oxygen rich | | | | cutting metal. Gasoline, alcohol and acetone are |
| compound can be replaced by certain non-oxygen | | | | examples of liquid fire fuel and are used for many |
| oxidizers. | | | | different purposes. |
| Air is the most common oxidizer for fires | | | | Solid fuel includes anything that is not liquid or gas |
| because it is in the air we breathe. Any | | | | and can burn. Paper, cardboard, wood, plastic and |
| combustible material that is exposed to air is a | | | | metals are some examples of solid fuel matter. |
| fire waiting to erupt as one of the three elements | | | | Early humans observed as it spewed out of |
| is constantly present. Pure oxygen is used as a | | | | volcanoes burning everything in its path or as it |
| tool in cutting torches where it is used as both an | | | | raged in the form of forest fires started by |
| oxidizer and a fuel for the fire in the torch. | | | | lightening. There is no way to know when the |
| Internal combustion engines also use air as an | | | | first deliberate fire was made but it is a |
| oxidizer for the fuel that is lit by the spark plug. | | | | momentous event in our history. |
| Non-oxygen oxidizers replace oxygen in the fire | | | | |