Fire extinguishers – Fluid systems – Gas-pressure discharge
Patent
1996-09-10
1998-09-15
Pike, Andrew C.
Fire extinguishers
Fluid systems
Gas-pressure discharge
169 15, 2224641, A62C 3502
Patent
active
058066012
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a fire-fighting equipment, comprising a hydraulic accumulator and a pressure gas source connected thereto for delivering a mixture of liquid and gas to an outgoing tube.
Certain kinds of petrol fires, e.g., a kerosene fire in a jet engine of an aeroplane during engine test in a hangar intended for that purpose, are almost impossible to extinguish, even by means of strong fog-like liquid sprays, as is proposed, e.g., in the International Patent Application PCT/FI92/00155, publication number WO 92/20453. Such a jet engine fire is not extinguished until the whole hangar in question, which may typically have a volume of about 3000 cubic meters, has been subjected to so-called "total flooding", which means that it has been filled with a liquid fog consisting of very small drops practically entirely.
The liquid fog required can be generated in principle by means of an equipment described in the International Patent Application PCT/FI92/00317, publication number WO 93/10859. In said application, an outgoing rising pipe of a hydraulic accumulator is provided with apertures in its wall so that the drive gas of the accumulator initially drives out liquid only and the drive gas is being mixed into the outgoing liquid gradually after the liquid level has fallen to the level of the uppermost aperture in the tube wall, in increasing proportions according to the falling liquid level and more apertures in the tube wall becoming free. During final discharge stage of the accumulator, a liquid fog consisting of drops small enough for the present purpose can be achieved, but a far too large part of the liquid of the hydraulic accumulator is lost.
The gas source may be a container including nitrogen gas and having a charge pressure of e.g. about 200 bar, and it can be arranged to feed one hydraulic accumulator or a plurality of hydraulic accumulators connected in parallel.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to provide a novel equipment enabling an efficient liquid delivery from one hydraulic accumulator or a plurality of hydraulic accumulators by mixing gas efficiently in the liquid immediately from the beginning and enabling the emptying of the liquid container/containers.
The present invention provides a fire-fighting equipment, comprising a hydraulic accumulator with a liquid container, having a gas space and a pressure gas source, a connection for connecting the pressure gas source T to the hydraulic accumulator, said pressure gas source being adapted to feed pressure gas to the liquid container through a gas inlet thereof and to drive liquid by pressure gas out of the hydraulic accumulator through a rising tube having a wall and arranged in the accumulator, to an outgoing tube, a throttle means in contact with the gas inlet and between the pressure gas source and the outgoing tube for mixing the gas in the outgoing tube and a check valve connected between the gas inlet and the gas space of the liquid container preventing backflow of the gas from the liquid container to the throttle means.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the throttle means comprises a throttled gas inlet formed in the rising tube between the gas space and the outgoing tube. In such embodiment preferably the fire-fighting equipment further comprises a throttling made in the rising tube between the gas space and the outgoing tube. Hereby, preferably, the throttling and the throttled gas inlet are preferably adapted to provide at least essentially equal pressure drops. If the gas source has a pressure of 100 bar, the respective throttlings can be dimensioned to provide a pressure drop of, e.g., 5 bar.
Due to the check valve, the gas enclosed in the accumulator continues driving out liquid by expanding, while the gas source continues delivering gas only through the throttled inlet after the throttling of the liquid tube.
In a preferred embodiment, the connection comprises a housing with the gas inlet to the accumulator, the rising tube, and a mounting part mounted in an o
REFERENCES:
patent: 3199600 (1965-08-01), Jacobs
patent: 3977474 (1976-08-01), Boegli
patent: 4318443 (1982-03-01), Cummins
patent: 5086846 (1992-02-01), Carlson
patent: 5113945 (1992-05-01), Cable
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