Fire extinguishers – Fluid systems
Patent
1994-12-30
1996-11-19
Pike, Andrew C.
Fire extinguishers
Fluid systems
169 9, 169 22, 137113, 137509, A62C 3566, A62C 3568
Patent
active
055753388
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a valve for a fire fighting installation and, in particular, for a fire fighting installation that is capable of operating with a high drive pressure for the extinguishing liquid. A high pressure in this context means a pressure within the range of from about 30 bar to about 300 bar, which contrasts with conventional low pressure installations, which have operating pressures of about 5-10 bar. The source for such high-pressure extinguishing liquid preferably is at least one hydraulic accumulator on an out-going line to a number of automatically releasable spray heads.
Known high pressure valves are expensive and, in most cases, electrically operated, which is a drawback in fire situations.
The object of the invention is to provide a new valve which is reliable without access to electric current and which is of a simple structure and, thus, cheap.
The valve according to the invention has an inlet connectable to a high pressure liquid source, an outlet connectable to an out-going line, and a spindle which is movable in one direction between a stand-by position in which the spindle closes a connection from the inlet to the outlet and an activated position in which the spindle opens the connection from the inlet to the outlet. The spindle has an axial through channel which connects the outlet of the valve to a liquid space which is under the influence of a secondary liquid source with a lower pressure than the high pressure source, whereby the pressure of the secondary liquid source acts on the spindle in a direction opposite to the one direction that opens the connection from the inlet to the outlet. The valve spindle also has a shoulder face under the influence of the pressure of the high pressure source in the one direction which is opposite to the pressure action of the liquid space on the spindle. The pressure of the secondary liquid source and the size of the shoulder face are mutually adapted in such a way that, when the secondary liquid source acts with its full pressure on the spindle via said liquid space, the spindle is held in the stand-by position but, when the pressure of the secondary liquid source has decreased to a predeterminable value due to liquid delivery to a released spray head, the pressure of the high pressure source on the shoulder face drives the spindle to the activated position.
A nonreturn valve is preferably positioned in the axial channel of the valve spindle. In the activated start of the valve, it prevents the pressure of the high pressure source from entering the liquid space. A spring also can be positioned in the liquid space to act on the valve spindle with such a force that the spindle is pressed toward the stand-by position after the high pressure source has been discharged to, e.g., 20 bar.
It is in many cases desirable to first release one spray head directly by a fire and then release a whole group of usually nearby spray heads. The invention also relates to a spray head for this purpose. The spray head comprises a spindle element pressed into the inlet of the spray head with such a spring force that the spindle element keeps the inlet closed against the pressure of the secondary liquid source, but yields to the pressure of the high pressure liquid source.
The invention is described below with reference to exemplifying preferred embodiment also shown in the attached drawing.
FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, of a valve in a stand-by state.
FIG. 2 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, of the valve in an activated state.
FIG. 3 is a coupling diagram of a fire fighting installation with the valve of FIG. 1 and spray heads in stand-by states.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation of a first preferred embodiment of a spray head included in the installation in the stand-by state.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation of the first preferred embodiment of the spray head in an individually released state.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional elevation of the first preferred embodiment of the spray head in a group release
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