Fire extinguishers – Fluid systems – Gas-pressure discharge
Patent
1996-09-18
1998-12-08
Hoge, Gary C.
Fire extinguishers
Fluid systems
Gas-pressure discharge
A62C 3502
Patent
active
058457135
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a fire-fighting installation comprising a liquid source and a gas source connected by way of a line to an outlet line of the liquid source for mixing gas with outbound extinguishing liquid delivered to spray heads.
Certain kinds of gasoline fires, for example a kerosene fire in an aircraft jet engine undergoing an engine test in a hangar designed for that purpose, are nearly impossible to extinguish even by means of strong mist-like jets of liquid, as suggested for example in international patent application PCT/FI92/00155. Such a jet engine fire will only go out when the entire hangar, which may typically have a volume of about 3000 cm.sup.3, has been subjected to "total flooding", i.e. is in practice entirely filled with liquid mist having very small particles.
The liquid mist can in principle be produced with apparatus as described in international patent application PCT/FI92/00317. In that application, an outgoing ascension tube of a hydraulic accumulator is provided with wall apertures, so that the propellent gas of the accumulator initially drives out liquid only, and after the liquid level has sunk to be even with the uppermost tube wall aperture, mixing of gas into the outbound liquid is gradually started as the liquid level sinks and more tube wall apertures are exposed. In the final stage of emptying the accumulator, it is possible to obtain a liquid mist having sufficiently small droplets for the present purpose, but too large a portion of the liquid contained in the hydraulic accumulator will go waste.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel installation enabling effective delivery of liquid with immediate effective mixing of gas into the liquid right from the start.
The installation in accordance with the invention is characterized in that the liquid source comprises a hydraulic accumulator having at least one liquid tank, and that the gas source comprises at least one compressed-gas vessel connected to the liquid tank in such a way that the compressed-gas vessel and liquid tank form communicating vessels, the compressed-gas vessel being adapted to mix gas into the extinguishing liquid delivered to the spray heads to produce a finely divided liquid mist.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that a compressed-gas container is coupled to the liquid tank for driving out liquid from said at least one liquid tank, the compressed-gas vessel forming communicating vessels with the liquid tank and the compressed-gas source.
The proportion of gas mixed into the extinguishing liquid is determined by the proportion of the volumes of the propellent gas container of the liquid source and the compressed-gas container of the gas source.
If the propellent gas container of the liquid source and the gas source have the same initial charge pressure, gas is mixed into the extinguishing liquid from the start. If the propellent gas container of the liquid source has a higher initial charge pressure than the gas source, only liquid is discharged from the spray heads in a first step, until the pressure in the propellent gas container of the liquid source has decreased to equal the pressure of the gas source.
In the following the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing showing two preferred embodiments of the installation in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment having separate sources for propellent gas and gas to be mixed into the extinguishing liquid.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which a common source for propellent gas and gas to be mixed into the extinguishing liquid is provided.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hydraulic accumulator, having an outlet line 2 leading to a plurality of spray heads 3 via a valve 12. A compressed-gas container in the form of a compressed-gas bottle 4 is connected to the outlet line 2 by way of a line 10. The hydraulic accumulator incorporates two liquid tanks 1, the outlet tubes of which may be provided with apertures, as in international patent app
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