For one, industrial settings are usually enclosed, and those extinguishers are for point sources. https://docs.johnsoncontrols.com/specialhazards/api/khub/doc... says 100 lbs of high pressure CO2, plus the take, weighs 331 lbs. If I did my PV=nRT right, that's about 25 cubic meters of CO2. Enough for a good sized room. Not enough for a good-sized tree.
For volume, people install suppressant systems, like the old-school halon systems.
And again, you've got strong winds mixing the CO2 with air. It doesn't just sit there.
Regarding propane containers, propane tanks are very safe. It is hard to make them explode. https://www.levco.io/blog/2022/march/can-a-propane-tank-expl... say house propane tank explosions are rare (I assume that's what you mean by "huge container"), and generally require being in continuous flame, as when the house is on fire, causing a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion.
> and smother the fire attempting to cross the ridge
If 'hot embers managed to cross the Lewis Canyon, a natural canyon up to a mile wide and 600 feet (180 m) deep' then why do you think a small valley full of CO2 is enough?
Valleys aren't basins. CO2 will quickly exit the valley.
> Curious if you believe the current state of the art cannot be improved upon.
Unlike you, I have no reason to doubt that the state of the art has been ever-improving since the 1960s.
> I wondered if modern materials science was up to the task
If 120 feet of asphalt isn't enough, I don't see why a thin tarp placed on top of signs, trees, bushes, cars, power poles, etc, and with nothing to weigh it down against 80+ mph winds, should be any better.
FWIW, emergency fire shelters exist (for "shake and bake" burnovers). They weigh a few of pounds, for one person. They last for tens of seconds to a minute or so, depending on the fire intensity. https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/11280543/fire-shelters-l... says "The current price of a federally approved fire shelter is nearly $335." That gives you some idea for what the state of materials tech is, and tells me you didn't do much research.
You say you are spitballing, but you started by saying that after research you were 'underwhelmed by the lack of advancements in actually putting out an aggressive fire'.
It sounds more like you are spitting on the last 50 years of firefighters due to personal belief that your ideas are somehow gems in the rough.
For one, industrial settings are usually enclosed, and those extinguishers are for point sources. https://docs.johnsoncontrols.com/specialhazards/api/khub/doc... says 100 lbs of high pressure CO2, plus the take, weighs 331 lbs. If I did my PV=nRT right, that's about 25 cubic meters of CO2. Enough for a good sized room. Not enough for a good-sized tree.
For volume, people install suppressant systems, like the old-school halon systems.
And again, you've got strong winds mixing the CO2 with air. It doesn't just sit there.
Regarding propane containers, propane tanks are very safe. It is hard to make them explode. https://www.levco.io/blog/2022/march/can-a-propane-tank-expl... say house propane tank explosions are rare (I assume that's what you mean by "huge container"), and generally require being in continuous flame, as when the house is on fire, causing a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion.
> and smother the fire attempting to cross the ridge
If 'hot embers managed to cross the Lewis Canyon, a natural canyon up to a mile wide and 600 feet (180 m) deep' then why do you think a small valley full of CO2 is enough?
Valleys aren't basins. CO2 will quickly exit the valley.
> Curious if you believe the current state of the art cannot be improved upon.
Unlike you, I have no reason to doubt that the state of the art has been ever-improving since the 1960s.
> I wondered if modern materials science was up to the task
If 120 feet of asphalt isn't enough, I don't see why a thin tarp placed on top of signs, trees, bushes, cars, power poles, etc, and with nothing to weigh it down against 80+ mph winds, should be any better.
FWIW, emergency fire shelters exist (for "shake and bake" burnovers). They weigh a few of pounds, for one person. They last for tens of seconds to a minute or so, depending on the fire intensity. https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/11280543/fire-shelters-l... says "The current price of a federally approved fire shelter is nearly $335." That gives you some idea for what the state of materials tech is, and tells me you didn't do much research.
You say you are spitballing, but you started by saying that after research you were 'underwhelmed by the lack of advancements in actually putting out an aggressive fire'.
It sounds more like you are spitting on the last 50 years of firefighters due to personal belief that your ideas are somehow gems in the rough.