Fire extinguishers – Special applications
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-24
2001-04-17
Brinson, Patrick (Department: 3752)
Fire extinguishers
Special applications
C169S016000, C169S037000, C169S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06216793
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an installation for extinguishing fire in a railway carriage for transportation of lorries, trailers and the like. The invention also relates to an installation for extinguishing fire in a tunnel, preferably in a car or train tunnel.
Railway carriages transporting vehicles, such as lorries and trailers, are rarely equipped with fire extinguishing installations; the reason being the problematic surroundings for fire extinguishing installations. One problem is to extinguish a fire that starts inside a covered trailer transported by the railway carriage. The fire is very difficult to extinguish, since the top of the trailer is covered, typically with an aluminium cover, and the sides of the trailer are covered with a tarpaulin preventing the extinguishing medium from being sprayed from the outer side of the trailer into the goods space of the trailer. Owing to the above the goods that have caught fire have plenty of time to burn, and the fire may rapidly spread far, before the extinguishing medium is delivered to the fire area. If extinguishing medium is sprayed towards the side surfaces of the tarpaulin, said surfaces will only be cooled and protect the tarpaulin from burning, while the goods inside the tarpaulin can unimpededly continue to burn.
Car tunnels are another problematic environment for extinguishing fire, which is why fire extinguishing installations are seldom installed therein. As regards fire extinguishing a similar problem to the one with railway carriage transportation arises when trailers and the like are transported in tunnels. Consequently, a possible fire extinguishing installation is rarely capable of preventing the goods in the trailer from burning.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to efficiently extinguish fire in trailers and the like when these are transported in railway carriages. Another object of the invention is to efficiently extinguish fire in trailers and railway carriages when these travel through tunnels.
Said first object is achieved with an installation for extinguishing fire in a railway carriage for transportation of lorries, trailers and the like, the installation comprising at least two spray heads, whereof the first spray head is placed in the railway carriage close to a first longitudinal side wall of the railway carriage and obliquely directed downwards at an angle of 40 to 70° in relation to a vertical plane, and the second spray head is placed in the railway carriage close to a second longitudinal side wall of the railway carriage opposite the first side wall and obliquely directed downwards at an angle of 40 to 70° in relation to the vertical plane, the spray heads being placed at a height of 3.2 to 4 m above the railway carriage floor and arranged to spray water-based extinguishing medium at a spread angle of 45 to 120°.
The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the attached claims
1
to
11
.
Said second object is achieved with an installation for extinguishing fire in a tunnel, preferably in a car or train tunnel, the installation comprising at least two spray heads, whereof the first spray head is placed close to a first longitudinal side wall of the tunnel and obliquely directed downwards at an angle of 40 to 70° in relation to a vertical plane, and the second spray head is placed close to a second longitudinal side wall of the tunnel opposite the first side wall and obliquely directed downwards at an angle of 40 to 70° in relation to the vertical plane, the spray heads being placed at a height of 3.2 to 4 m above the floor level of the tunnel and arranged to spray water-based extinguishing medium at a spread angle of 45 to 120°.
The invention is based on the idea to place the spray heads on such a location in relation to the trailer that the spray heads, when activated, immediately spray extinguishing medium into the trailer after the fire has burnt holes on the tarpaulin, whereby the extinguishing medium is sprayed or injected through the hole, and the spray heads are then positioned so that they, on one hand, are directed towards the goods in the trailer for putting out the fire and, on the other hand, so that they are placed so high up that, when functioning, they suck heat from the hot flue gases, which speeds up the vaporization of the water-based extinguishing medium used in the installation, whereby the area immediately above the fire is rapidly cooled down. By selecting a wide spread angle some of the extinguishing medium can be delivered into the areas where hot gas zones exist, thus preventing the flue gases from rapid and sudden ignition.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4091876 (1978-05-01), Valdatta
patent: 4989675 (1991-02-01), Papavergos
patent: 5040611 (1991-08-01), Steel
patent: 5808541 (1978-05-01), Golden
Brinson Patrick
Ganey Steven J.
Ladas and Parry
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