Fire extinguishers – Fluid systems – Distributing systems
Patent
1995-09-06
1997-10-07
Pike, Andrew C.
Fire extinguishers
Fluid systems
Distributing systems
169 20, 169 61, 137597, A62C 3568
Patent
active
056737556
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an installation for fighting fire, comprising a drive unit for extinguishing liquid.
In the Finnish patent application 924752 (see international patent publication WO 94/08659); is described an installation for fighting fire having as a drive unit e.g., a plurality of parallel hydraulic accumulators with an initial charge pressure of, e.g., about 200 bar. Such an installation is well suited for fighting fire, e.g., in an engine room of a ship. The engine room is usually divided into a number of separate fire sections or fire zones.
It is desirable to connect the drive unit of the fire fighting installation selectively to that particular fire section where a fire has started. High pressure guide or pilot valves are available for that purpose but they are expensive.
The object of the invention is to provide, for an installation of the kind mentioned above, a new pilot valve means which is of a simple structure and thus is cheap.
The basic idea of the invention is that after an alarm signal has been received, but before actuating the drive unit of the fire fighting installation, the desired flow path is opened through the pilot valve means to connect the drive unit for extinguishing liquid to the respective fire section. Thanks to the invention it is possible to use simple and cheap pilot valves dimensioned for low pressure, or alternatively, small pilot valves intended for high pressure which likewise are cheap.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, liquid is in a first step delivered at a relatively low pressure, e.g., about 20 bar, in order to fill the lines leading to the respective fire section with liquid and to cool the respective spray heads and nozzles before actuating the drive unit intended for high pressure liquid spraying, and by utilizing the initial low pressure liquid the connection from the outgoing line of the drive unit is at the same time opened through the pilot valve means to the respective fire section. The outgoing line is still closed at the drive unit during the initial step of combined low pressure spray and opening said connection through the pilot valve means, and thus it is possible to use pilot valves dimensioned for low pressure.
The initial spraying of low pressure liquid as well as establishing the connection from the respective fire section to the main drive unit of the installation can, alternatively, be accomplished by means of, e.g., a hydraulic accumulator which can be charged to either a high pressure or a low pressure. If the accumulator is charged to a high pressure, the connection thereof to the respective outgoing fire section line is arranged through a small high pressure valve which passes a small flow of liquid. Instead of a separate hydraulic accumulator it is also possible to for this purpose use the main drive unit itself which preferably comprises a plurality of hydraulic accumulators coupled in parallel, whereat thus the drive unit at first is connected to the pilot valve means through a small high pressure valve in order to, before commencing the main extinguishing procedure, open such a connection from the respective fire section to the main drive unit that is capable of passing the whole liquid delivery capacity of the drive unit.
By a small high pressure valve, which acts as a pilot valve within the pilot valve means, is here meant a valve having a pass flow aperture diameter of the order, e.g., 2 mm. In comparison, if one were to actuate the drive unit directly at full power, the pilot valve means would require high pressure valves having a pass flow aperture diameter of about 40 mm.
It is essential to perform the establishment of the desired connection in the pilot valve means, intended for the main extinguishing process, by means of a small power, i.e., either by utilizing a low drive pressure, whereat the amount of liquid can be relatively great, although considerably smaller than the main flow during the main extinguishing process, or by utilizing a high pressure and a small amount of liquid.
In the f
REFERENCES:
patent: 3990518 (1976-11-01), Hemme
patent: 4082148 (1978-04-01), Willms
patent: 4305469 (1981-12-01), Morrisette
Derwent's abstract, No. 93-270751/34, week 9334, Abstract of SU, 1754132 (Fire Fighting Res Inst), 15 Aug. 1992 (15.08.92).
Derwent's abstract, No. 87-155796/22, week 8722, Abstract of SU, 1263262 (Fire-Fighting Cons), 15 Oct. 1986 (15.10.86).
Derwent's abstract, No. 91-337852/46, week 9146, Abstract of SU, 1614814 (Klimenko AS), 23, Dec. 1990 (23.12.90).
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