Using Sound as a Fire Extinguisher

Summary by Krater

The creator tests whether a large speaker can put out a fire using sound waves, comparing its effectiveness against a standard fan and exploring the science of acoustic flame extinction.

From the video

Answers: Can a large speaker put out a fire using sound waves?

• Acoustic fire suppression
• Speaker bass reflex ports
• Air vortex cannons
• Sound waves vs flames
• Oxygen depletion in fires

What it concludes

• A speaker at 70 Hz can extinguish a small flame when directed at it.
• A speaker reflex port produces coherent air movement in a smaller area, making it more effective at blowing out flames than direct speaker cones.
• Attaching an air vortex cannon to a speaker port focuses air and makes it easier to put out fires from a distance.
• A standard box fan blows much more total air over a larger area but fails to extinguish flames as effectively as focused acoustic or vortex air movement.
• Blowing on larger fires usually increases flame size by supplying oxygen, whereas sound waves disrupt natural convection and starve the flame of oxygen.