Fire extinguishers – Sprinkler heads
Patent
1992-10-29
1996-05-07
Hoge, Gary C.
Fire extinguishers
Sprinkler heads
169 38, 251282, A62C 3708
Patent
active
055137083
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a spray head for fighting fire.
Known spray heads operate at a liquid pressure of about 7 to 10 bar and require large quantities of water, wherefore the pipelines of the respective fire fighting system are inevitably large in dimensions and water damages are generally considerable.
The object of the invention is to provide a new spray head which can operate at a high liquid pressure, e.g. about 100 bar.
The spray head according to the invention, by which the above object is achieved, is mainly characterized in that it comprises a housing with a central boring in which a movable spindle is arranged; that the spindle comprises a shoulder for defining an annular space between the spindle and a surrounding boring wall; that the annular space communicates with a respective feed line and has the same cross-sectional area as the end of the piston subjected to the liquid pressure prevailing in the line, and that a spring force is arranged to act on the piston in the direction of release.
Due to said annular space, which compensates for the influence exerted on the spindle by the liquid pressure prevailing in the feed line, only said spring force acts on the release means in its inactivated state, the release means being usually a glass ampoule and does not withstand any high mechanical loads.
The high liquid pressure produces a fog-like spray of the fire fighting liquid with very small liquid drops which require a small quantity of water in relation to their fire fighting capacity and thus the resultant water damages are insignificant in comparison with the previously known equipment. The pipe lines of the system can be considerably smaller in dimensions than what has been possible previously.
If desired, the system pressure can be kept constantly at the working pressure, which is high; preferably, however, the operating means of the system, usually a pump, is arranged to be activated to the working pressure from a considerably lower inactive rest-state pressure only after the detection of a fire.
As the spray heads are pressure compensated, the high working pressure of the fire fighting system, prevailing at least after the detection of a fire, does not lead to an undesired release in places where there is no fire; the high liquid pressure does not break the release means in question.
Similarly, if a fire breaks out in a ship cabin, it may be desirable that the spray heads in the neighbouring cabins are activated. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spray heads are therefore provided with a device for causing the release means to activate the spray head possibly on the basis of an advance judgement.
Existing release means usually comprise a glass ampoule containing liquid which expands on heating, or a fuse. An electric heating coil positioned about the release means is thus suitable for the purpose. The heating coil can be switched on automatically or manually.
In addition to activation as a precaution by breaking the ampoule by the heat of the coil before the temperature in the cabin does it, it is suggested that the system be provided with means for activating the heating coil positioned about the ampoule at an early conventional alarm indication, such as a detected formation of smoke, or with some other means for switching on the equipment as early as possible in case of fire.
In this way, people sleeping in the cabin are protected from smoke poisoning, in addition to which a cabin fire can be extinguished with a smaller quantity of water.
With an explosive fire, whereby so-called over-ignition of flue gases may take place, there is a risk that the spraying of the fog-like fire fighting liquid is not able to extinguish the first but only smother it partially. In order to ensure that the fire will be extinguished in such a case, it is suggested that the spindle of the spray head is provided with an axial, through-going boring the outlet end of which is closed with a plug such that it comes off at elevated temperature, whereafter a large quantity of liquid, e.g. abou
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patent: 4590999 (1986-05-01), Snaper
patent: 4674535 (1987-06-01), De Menibus
patent: 4702209 (1987-10-01), Sausner et al.
patent: 5099882 (1992-03-01), Smith
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