EP0999877A1 - Appareil d'extinction d'incendie - Google Patents

Appareil d'extinction d'incendie

Info

Publication number
EP0999877A1
EP0999877A1 EP99923763A EP99923763A EP0999877A1 EP 0999877 A1 EP0999877 A1 EP 0999877A1 EP 99923763 A EP99923763 A EP 99923763A EP 99923763 A EP99923763 A EP 99923763A EP 0999877 A1 EP0999877 A1 EP 0999877A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fire extinguishing
extinguishing medium
generating means
storage reservoir
pressure
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99923763A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Phillip Raymond Michael Denne
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tomorrows Design Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0999877A1 publication Critical patent/EP0999877A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
    • A62C35/00—Permanently-installed equipment
    • A62C35/02—Permanently-installed equipment with containers for delivering the extinguishing substance
    • A62C35/023—Permanently-installed equipment with containers for delivering the extinguishing substance the extinguishing material being expelled by compressed gas, taken from storage tanks, or by generating a pressure gas

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to fire extinguishing apparatus and in particular to automatic fire extinguishing apparatus which uses a liquid as the extinguishing medium.
  • a fire extinguishing system by which water is distributed to strategic sprinkler points by pipes connected to a stored reservoir, e.g. a local storage tank.
  • a sprinkler device comprising a valve and a sprinkler head.
  • a valve When a valve is actuated at a sprinkler point, water from the stored reservoir is allowed to issue from the sprinkler device so as to douse any conflagration in the area of the sprinkler point.
  • the sprinkler head In order to make the system automatic, it is common for the sprinkler head to incorporate a capsule of a liquid which has a high coefficient of expansion, such as Toluol. When the liquid is warmed by the heat of a local fire, the capsule is fractured by the pressure of the expansion and this allows a water valve to open.
  • Liquid water is a conductor of electricity and the connection of a wet surface to an electrical system is dangerous to persons who approach the area.
  • halons and their byproducts are known to be dangerous to human life and it is normal to arrange for a short period of alarm to allow evacuation before releasing halon gas into areas in which human beings may be present. Further, halons are analogues of CFCs of the type held to be harmful to the ozone layer and their manufacture and use is now strongly discouraged.
  • apparatus for use as a fire extinguishing or security device which apparatus comprises a storage reservoir capable of the storage of a fire extinguishing medium, an atomisation device comprising an atomiser head provided with at least one nozzle for the passage of fire extinguishing medium from the storage reservoir to the exterior of the apparatus and a valve for controlling the passage of fire extinguishing medium from the storage reservior to the atomiser head, pressure generating means capable of applying pressure to fire extinguishing medium stored in the storage reservoir, and charge generating means capable of applying charge to the fire extinguishing medium, the arrangement being such that upon actuation of the apparatus fire extinguishing medium contained in the storage reservoir forced out of the apparatus in a charged, atomised form
  • the charge generating means should be situated within the apparatus so that it can apply the required charge to fluid extinguishing medium prior to its exit from the apparatus.
  • the charge generating means may be situated between the storage reservoir and the external surface of the atomisation device.
  • the charge generating means is preferably capable of applying a charge to, i.e. of ionisation of, individual droplets of atomised fire extinguishing medium.
  • the charge generating means may take the form of an electrostatic charge generator and charge may be applied to the fire extinguishing means by its passage between a pair of suitably positioned electrodes, preferably separated by an electrical insulator.
  • the charge generating means preferably applies a negative charge to the fire extinguishing medium.
  • the charge generating means may be automatically and/or manually activatable.
  • the charge generating means is automatically activated, for example, upon detection by the apparatus of a triggering external stimuli, or when the valve of the atomising device allows passage of fire extinguishing medium from the storage reservoir to the atomiser head or upon arrival of fire extinguishing medium at the atomiser head.
  • the pressure generating means has the function of forcing fire extinguishing medium out of the storage reservoir.
  • the pressure generated by the pressure generating means is preferably of the order of at least one hundred psi.
  • the pressure generating means is more preferably capable of producing a pressure of at least two hundred and more preferably three hundred psi to the surface of fire extinguishing medium contained in the storage vessel.
  • the pressure generating means is preferably capable of applying the generated pressure to the fire extinguishing means for sufficient time to allow all or a substantial part of the fire extinguishing medium to be expelled from the storage reservoir.
  • the pressure generating means may take any suitable form, for example, it could be mechanical in nature, e.g. it may include a piston arrangement within the storage reservoir.
  • the pressure generating means includes a gas-generator, e.g. a physical (i.e. pressurised) or a chemical gas generator.
  • a gas-generator e.g. a physical (i.e. pressurised) or a chemical gas generator.
  • Suitable pressure generating means will be well known to the skilled man and include those used as pressure generators in other fields such as those used in vehicle safety air-bags, or in the starting motors of diesel engines or those used in powered model aircraft and boats.
  • Gas generators as used in conventional fire extinguishing systems will, of course, be particularly suited to the present invention. These include chemical compounds capable of generating a gas upon activation and pressurised gas containers, e.g. cartridges, which can release their pressurised gas contents.
  • the pressure generating means is preferably automatically activatable, although it may alternatively or additionally be manually activatable.
  • the atomisation device has the function of converting the fire extinguishing medium from the form in which it is stored in the storage reservoir, generally as a fluid, into an atomised form so that it can be discharged from the apparatus in the form of a dispersed liquid cloud.
  • the atomiser head is preferably provided with more than one, and most preferably a plurality of outlet nozzles through which pressurised fire extinguishing medium from the storage reservoir can be forced.
  • the valve should be capable of preventing exit of fire extinguishing medium from the storage reservoir until the time of actuation of the apparatus.
  • the valve may take the form of a barrier which is impermeable to the fire extinguishing medium until actuation at which time it becomes permeable to the fire extinguishing medium.
  • the valve may be a mechanical valve and in particular one operable from a closed position to an open position upon actuation.
  • the valve preferably takes the form of a thin barrier or membrane removable or piercable upon actuation of the apparatus. It is particularly preferred that the valve be actuated, i.e. allow passage of fluid extinguishing medium, upon application of pressure such as that generated by the pressure generating means.
  • the atomisation head should be arranged such that pressurised fluid being forced out of the storage reservoir after passing through the atomiser head leaves the apparatus at an elevated pressure, eg at pressures over 20 and more particularly over 40 bar.
  • the fire extinguishing apparatus of the present invention is preferably capable of self or automatic activation in the presence of an external circumstance for which activation is desired / e.g. the commencement of a fire or the presence of an intruder.
  • the apparatus may be provided with a detector capable of detecting the required external circumstance.
  • the detector may be internal or external and integral or separate from the main body of the apparatus.
  • Trigger of the detection means may also cause automatic activation of the charge generating means.
  • the detector, detection unit or sensor may take any suitable form.
  • an infra-red sensor may be provided.
  • fire heat triggered sensors such as those used conventionally in fire extinguishing systems may be used.
  • triggers may include the use of a liquid capsule which fractures when a certain temperature has been reached due to the expansion of fluid contained therein.
  • the storage reservoir may take any suitable form, e.g. any suitable vessel for the storage of fire extinguishing medium. Preferably it is provided with a storage capacity of up to five litres, and preferably of one to two litres. It is preferably formed of a light-weight material but one strong enough to cope with the pressures generated upon activation of the apparatus.
  • the fire extinguishing medium for use in the apparatus according to the present invention is preferably a liquid and most preferably water.
  • the fire extinguishing medium may be provided with additives. Suitable additives include components capable of lowing the freezing point, e.g. antifreeze for water, antibacterial compounds and marker compounds.
  • the addition of marker compounds may be used to indicate that activation of the apparatus has taken place. Such marker compounds preferably leave a visible, but easily removable, marker such as a suitable chemical material.
  • the apparatus of the present invention may be fully manually operable, for example, it may take the external form of a conventional hand operated fire extinguisher.
  • the apparatus may be used as a self-contained, independent fully automatic fire extinguishing system.
  • the apparatus may be provided as a fixture on room fixtures, walls or ceilings.
  • the apparatus is suitable for use in domestic, public or commercial situations and for both temporary or permanent purposes.
  • the apparatus of the present invention may be used in methods of fire extinguishing and security and intruder identification.
  • the present invention is advantageous as the atomisation of a fire extinguishing medium is aided by the use of an electrode system that allows each droplet to be raised to a charged, e.g. negative, electrical potential.
  • the repulsive forces between the charged atomised droplets reduce the pressure needed for atomisation and greatly increases the time for which they remain in air suspension.
  • the mutual repulsion between the electrified droplets will also cause a fog to spread rapidly throughout any volume, whatever the actual position from which it is released.
  • the nature of the combustion process is such that it generates an excess of positive ions: thus a flame is naturally attractive to negatively charged particles, causing them to move towards a negatively charged discharge from apparatus according to the present invention .
  • Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of apparatus according to the present invention.
  • FIG 2 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating use of a further embodiment of the present invention.
  • a small volume ( 1 or 2 litres) of a liquid (2) such as water is stored in a light, strong storage vessel (3).
  • the liquid (2) may contain suitable additives such as antifreeze, anti-bacterial chemicals and marker compounds.
  • the apparatus (1) may be placed in any convenient position, such as within a false ceiling, behind coving or another architectural feature, in a high corner or upon the surface of a wall or ceiling of a room in an office area, a hotel or a family dwelling.
  • the apparatus (1) may also be fitted in a passenger lift.
  • a chemical gas generator (4) At one end of the vessel (3) there is provided a chemical gas generator (4) and at the other end an outlet passage (5). Across the outlet passage (5) a valve in the form of a thin membrane (6) is stretched. On the other side of the membrane (6) is an atomiser head (7) provided with several nozzles (9) that are normally sealed by the thin membrane (6) lining the inside of the outlet from the vessel (3) so preventing leakage of the liquid (2) contained therein.
  • electrostatic charge deposition means (8) Between the source of liquid (2) and the external surface of the atomiser assembly, there is arranged electrostatic charge deposition means (8) shown schematically.
  • the charge deposition means includes an electrical insulator separating two electrodes to which electricity can be supplied in such a way as to deposit a negative charge on each liquid droplet. This aids the dispersion of the fog and causes it to be attracted to the combustion zone, as previously described.
  • the small chemical gas generator (4) Upon the detection of a fire in the area, by means of an internal sensor or upon the receipt of signal from an external fire detector, the small chemical gas generator (4) is triggered within the vessel (3) containing the liquid (2).
  • a gas generator (4) might be similar to those commonly used in vehicle safety air bags, or those used for the starting of diesel motors or to power model aircraft and boats.
  • a small capsule of high-pressure gas might be employed, such as those used in soda siphons.
  • the release of gas from the gas generator (4) applies a pressure of several hundred psi. to the surface of the liquid (2) for a few seconds, so that the liquid (2) bursts through the thin membrane (6) which had previously prevented it from reaching the holes of the atomiser nozzles. During the time for which the gas pressure is applied, the liquid (2) is therefore expelled in all directions to form a dense fog in the region surrounding the device.
  • the apparatus may include an electronic control means, so contrived as to ignore spurious signals such as those that might arise from local electromagnetic interference, from a mobile telephone, for example.
  • the control electronics may be arranged to sound an alarm signal and to display an indication which continues for some while after the device has fired. It may be another function of the control means to monitor the readiness of certain components of the apparatus, e.g. of any stored electrical unit, and to emit a warning signal if, for example, a battery condition is unsatisfactory.
  • liquid is stored in a pressure vessel (box 1), within which is a thin membrane that prevents the liquid escaping through atomiser holes.
  • a generator of gas e.g. a high pressure gas generator such as a chemical cartridge, which, when triggered, pressurises the container (box 1) rupturing the membrane and forcing the liquid to be expelled via an atomiser and distributor unit or arrangement (box 3).
  • the apparatus contains a source of stored electrical energy (box 4), e.g.
  • a battery which is used both to operate the trigger device and to cause an electrostatic charge generator (box 5) to become active so as to electrify the liquid droplets via electrostatic charge deposition means (box 6), e.g. electrostatic charging electrodes.
  • An electronic control means (box 7) having internal fire sensor and control electronics is employed to prime the electrical charge generator means (box 5) and to check that it is so primed before the firing of the gas generator (box 2).
  • Audible and visual indicator means (box 8) are provided for alarm and checking purposes.
  • the apparatus includes external control interface means (box 9) to which a separate fire detector unit may be connected or by which an external monitoring and control system can supervise a bank of extinguishers if these are distributed throughout a building or an open-plan office, for example.
  • the inclusion of a chemical that is dispersed by the operation of the fog device will permit the application of the invention to be extended into the security systems market. That is to say, it would be possible for an embodiment of the invention when triggered by a security system that detects an unauthorised intruder in its vicinity, to release a dense fog that will not only alarm and confuse the intruder but will surround and coat his clothing and skin surfaces.
  • the chemical dissolved in the fog droplets might be a specific marker dye that will allow the intruder to be clearly identified.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Emergency Management (AREA)
  • Fire-Extinguishing By Fire Departments, And Fire-Extinguishing Equipment And Control Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention porte sur un appareil d'extinction d'incendie comprenant : un réservoir de stockage du milieu extincteur ; un dispositif de pulvérisation comprenant une
EP99923763A 1998-05-27 1999-05-26 Appareil d'extinction d'incendie Withdrawn EP0999877A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9811214.7A GB9811214D0 (en) 1998-05-27 1998-05-27 Improvements in fire extinguishing systems
GB9811214 1998-05-27
PCT/GB1999/001655 WO1999061109A1 (fr) 1998-05-27 1999-05-26 Appareil d'extinction d'incendie

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0999877A1 true EP0999877A1 (fr) 2000-05-17

Family

ID=10832666

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99923763A Withdrawn EP0999877A1 (fr) 1998-05-27 1999-05-26 Appareil d'extinction d'incendie

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0999877A1 (fr)
AU (1) AU4052099A (fr)
GB (2) GB9811214D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO1999061109A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2359487A (en) * 2000-02-26 2001-08-29 Phillip Raymond Michael Denne Fire extinguishing or security device
GB2519071B (en) 2013-10-02 2019-02-13 Plumis Ltd Marker Deployment
CN110270026A (zh) * 2018-03-18 2019-09-24 宋文智 一种管道火花熄灭喷淋装置

Family Cites Families (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
IL84924A (en) * 1987-12-22 1993-02-21 Shlomo Ben Shlomo Fire extinguishier and method of using it
DE69119066D1 (de) * 1991-05-23 1996-05-30 Zeus Verfahren und Anlage für Brandschutz
US5633306A (en) * 1992-12-03 1997-05-27 Ransburg Corporation Nonincendive rotary atomizer
EP0693303A3 (fr) * 1994-07-21 1996-10-23 Kidde Tech Inc Déchargement d'un agent suppresseur de feu ou d'explosion
US5660236A (en) * 1994-07-21 1997-08-26 Kidde Technologies, Inc. Discharging fire and explosion suppressants
DE4427326B4 (de) * 1994-08-02 2004-07-29 Total Walther Gmbh, Feuerschutz Und Sicherheit Stationäre Feuerlöschanlage
SE514193C2 (sv) * 1995-05-18 2001-01-22 Teknikbolaget Ab Brandsläckare för slutna utrymmen
CA2194525A1 (fr) * 1996-01-17 1997-07-18 Matthew Alan Cox Appareil d'extinction a eau
DE19646562C2 (de) * 1996-11-12 1999-02-18 Anton Neumeir Hochdruck-Wasser-Feuerlöschgerät

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO9961109A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2337700A (en) 1999-12-01
AU4052099A (en) 1999-12-13
WO1999061109A1 (fr) 1999-12-02
GB9912160D0 (en) 1999-07-28
GB2337700B (en) 2001-10-03
GB9811214D0 (en) 1998-07-22

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