EP1029560B1 - Mobile pump unit for fire-fighting - Google Patents

Abstract

The pump has a discharge water pipe (8) with an extra pressure and flow controlled branch pipe (7) connected to a foam mixer (4) with a foam forming pipe (5). The pressure pipe opens into a closed pressure regulated pressurized air pipe (20) with a compressor (2).

Description

The invention relates to a mobile pump unit for fire fighting with a pump for sucking extinguishing water from a water reservoir.

When fighting fires usually special fire fighting vehicles are used in which the required pumps for conveying and discharging the extinguishing agent via appropriate pressure lines and jet pipes are installed firmly on the fire truck. For fire-fighting work in rough or inaccessible to the large fire fighting vehicles areas, it is also necessary to carry on the fire fighting vehicles mobile, removable from the vehicle pump units that are placed at the fire site and can be supplied by a respective available water reservoir with an extinguishing agent.

The known, mobile pump units are usually designed for water as extinguishing agent.

By the so-called Schmitz ONE SEVEN® system, it is also known to introduce into the extinguishing water with certain Zumischern a foam concentrate, which contains substantially foaming agent and means for reducing the surface tension of the water, and depending on the amount of water, foam and air to provide the foaming agents and other factors with different foaming and fire-fighting properties according to the particular type of fire. The known devices of this type have proven to be excellent in fire fighting. However, they are not intended for mobile use independent of the fire engine

A generic mobile pump unit for fire fighting with the features specified in the introduction is from the U.S. Patent 5,582,776 ,

The invention has for its object to develop a mobile pump unit for fire fighting, either individually or simultaneously can provide both wet or dry foam and water as extinguishing agent available and is lightweight and compact with little equipment expense and quickly ready for use.

In a mobile pump unit for fire fighting with a pump for sucking extinguishing water from a water reservoir and for discharging the fire water in a specific flow rate via a fire-extinguishing water line and with a branching off from the extinguishing water line further pressure and flow-controlled pressure line, in which a foaming agent admixer with downstream foaming channel is involved and before the foaming channel connected to a compressor pressure-controlled compressed air line opens, the pump and the compressor are driven by a trained as an internal combustion engine engine, the engine according to the invention an exhaust gas heater, which is connected via the pump to the suction line to suck in the suction line existing air. As a result, the mobile pump unit is ready for use quickly.

By combining a conventional mobile fire water pump with an admixer for a Schaumkonzentat, a Verschäumungskanal and upstream of this compressed air supply and the corresponding pressure and flow control devices, it is possible either foam with certain extinguishing effects or fire water or both at the same time for fire fighting from a water reservoir , for example, a natural body of water, even in places that are not accessible to fire trucks. The pump unit, which is arranged on a carriage with carrying handles, can be carried in fire-fighting vehicles due to their compact design and worn due to the lightweight design to the final location.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the required cooling of the compressor via a cooling circuit, which is inserted from one into the pressure line bound venturi is operated. The cooling circuit thus produced is characterized by a low expenditure on equipment.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the foaming is carried out in a short expansion channel formed by the pressure line, are provided in the swirling elements, preferably in the form of attached to the circumference of an axially disposed rod discs.

In a further embodiment of the invention, a flow reduction element is in the extinguishing water pipe in front of the water outlet integrated in order to ensure a sufficient flow in the pressure line for foam generation in parallel extinguishing water and foam operation.

From the subclaims and from the following description of an exemplary, preferred embodiment of the invention, further features and expedient embodiments of the invention result.

An embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in the sole figure, a schematic representation of a mobile pump unit for water or foam is shown as extinguishing agent.

The mobile pump unit described below is mounted on a carriage (not shown) and covered with a cover (not shown). It can be accommodated in a fire truck and carried by means mounted on the carriage carrying handles to the site. Their essential functional elements are a pump 1 and a compressor 2, which are driven by a common motor 3, and a foaming agent admixer 4 and a foaming channel. 5

To the designed as a single-stage centrifugal pump pump 1, a suction line 6 is connected, which in a water reservoir (water tank, natural water) (not shown) is sufficient. From the extinguishing water line 8 connected to the pressure side of the pump 1 branches to one Check valve 9 a pressure line 7 from. In the fire-extinguishing water pipe 8, a flow reduction element 10 of ball valve and baffle plate and a first shut-off valve 11 is further included for blocking or releasing the discharge of extinguishing water. The pressure line 7 continues via a venturi 12 with pressure gauge 12a, a baffle plate 13, a water filter 14, a solenoid valve 15 with integrated pressure reduction / flow rate limitation and a ball valve 16 to the foamant admixer 4. From the foaming agent admixer 4 leads the pressure line. 7 via a second check valve 17 and the Verschäumungskanal 5 and a second shut-off valve 18 to the foam outlet 19. In the pressure line 7 a coming from the compressor 2 compressed air line 20 is integrated before the Verschäumungskanal 5. The compressed air line 20 leads to air calming via an air calming boiler 21. In the compressed air line 20, a pressure control valve 22 with pressure gauge 23 and a Druckluftaustragsleitung 24 is integrated to supply other compressed air consumers. The entire pump unit is connected to a central drainage 25 which can be operated with a unitary lever system to substantially dewater the plant as a whole.

The function of the mobile pump unit to provide foam and / or water to a source of fire is described below.

The sucked by the pump 1 water is in the quenching water pipe 8 and - if the first shut-off valve is opened - promoted to the water outlet 8a. When simultaneously with the provision of extinguishing water at the foam exit 19 also foam for fire fighting is to be discharged is reduced with the flow reduction element 10 in the quenching water line 8 of the Waseraustrag at 8a, so that a sufficient amount of water to generate foam is available.

The engine 3 is an internal combustion engine, the exhaust pipe is formed as exhaust gas emitter 3a, which is connected to the suction side of the pump 1 to suck the existing air in the suction line 6 at startup of the mobile pump unit and a quick and easy suction of water guarantee.

For the foam generation, the sucked water is passed through the Venturi 12, which is connected to the compressor 2 in its conically narrowing space and its diffuser-like expanding space to form a cooling water circuit. As a result, sufficient cooling of the compressor 2 is possible in a simple manner. With the help of a venturi 12 downstream baffle plate 13, the pressure of the pumped water is reduced. With the subsequent, from a central control panel (not shown) via a button "water" to be actuated solenoid valve 15 with integrated pressure reduction and flow limitation the maximum for the generation of foam required Wasserdurchflußmenge, which is 170 l / min in the embodiment set. With the ball valve 16 upstream of the admixer 4 in the pressure line 7, the amount of water flowing through for wet or dry foam (170 l / min or 70 l / min) is set.

The foaming agent admixer 4 is designed as a metering piston. The adjustment of the admixing rate of foam concentrate takes place with a metering rod 4a provided on its underside. The foaming agent admixer 4 is operated hydraulically and sucks the foaming agent according to the set dosage from a container (not shown). The foaming agent admixer 4, a second check valve 17 is connected downstream in the pressure line 7, which prevents the then introduced into the pressure line 7 and thus in the water-foaming agent mixture via the compressed air line 20 compressed air or the now formed Wasser-Schaummittel- Air mixture flows back to the foaming agent admixer 4. The water-foaming agent-air mixture (foam), which is already partially foamed by the air supply, now enters the Verschäumungskanal 5, in which it is swirled by built-in these swirling elements 5a and thereby foamed intensively.

The wet or dry foam produced in accordance with the water flow rate set on the ball valve 16 is discharged via the second shut-off valve 18 and the foam outlet 19.

The described mobile pump unit can thus be operated simultaneously or optionally with water or foam as an extinguishing agent. It is compact and portable and can therefore be moved to inaccessible locations. The compressor 2 also provides the required compressed air for other applications and can also be used to achieve short-term greater throw lengths for the discharged via a jet extinguishing foam. The facility has via a control panel (not shown), over which its function is controlled from a central point. Some of the control elements of the central control panel are shown in the drawing for the sake of simplicity. Reference numeral 26 denotes a button for switching on and off the compressor 2. Furthermore, a button 27 for actuating the pressure control valve 22 for the compressed air supply and a button 28 for the actuation of the solenoid valve 15 in the water-carrying pressure line are shown. Also, the switching on and off of the foaming agent Zumischers 4, the delivery of wet or dry foam through the adjustable with the ball valve 16 amount of water, the connection or disconnection of the connected to the pump 1 exhaust faucet 3a, the opening and closing of the shut-off valves 11 and 18 at the water outlet 8a and / or foam outlet 19 or the Wasserdurchflußreduzierung for the water output in the extinguishing water pipe 8 by means of Durchflußreduzierungselements 10 via the arranged on the control panel display elements, switches and buttons (not shown).

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment of a pump unit described above by way of example. Within the scope of the invention, which consists in combining the components required for both water and foam supply into a compact, portable pump unit, numerous modifications are conceivable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Pump (single-stage centrifugal pump)

2

Compressor (piston compressor)

3

Engine (combustion engine)

3a

Exhaust jet pump

4

Foaming agent admixer (dosing piston mixer)

4a

metering

5

Verschäumungskanal

5a

turbulators

6

suction

7

pressure line

8th

Water supply line

8a

Wassserausgang

9

first check valve

10

Durchflußreduzierungselement

11

first shut-off valve

12

venturi

12a

Pressure gauge water pressure

13

baffle plate

14

water filters

15

Solenoid valve with integrated pressure reduction and flow limitation

16

Ball valve dry / wet

17

second check valve

18

second shut-off valve

19

FOAM OUTPUT

20

Compressed air line

21

Plenum boiler

22

Pressure control valve

23

Pressure gauge (air pressure)

24

Druckluftaustragsleitung

25

central drainage

26

Push button compressor

27

Push button for pressure control valve 22

28

Button for solenoid valve 15

Claims (15)

1. A mobile pump unit for fire fighting with a pump (1) for aspirating water from a water reservoir at a specific flowrate via a water fire main (8) and another pressure and flowrate-controlled pressure pipe (7) that branches off the water fire main (8) and has an integrated foam agent admixer (4) with a downstream foaming duct (5), and runs into a pressure-controlled compressed air pipe (20) connected to a compressor (2) upstream of said foaming duct (5), the pump (1) and the compressor (2) being driven by a joint engine (3) that is designed as an internal combustion engine, characterized in that the engine (3) comprises an exhaust gas jet (3a) that is connected via the pump (1) to the suction line (6) to suck off the air that is present in the suction line (6).
2. The mobile pump unit according to claim 1, characterized in that a venturi nozzle (12) the nozzle part and diffusor part of which are integrated into a cooling circuit that runs via the compressor (2) is integrated into the pressure pipe (7) in the flow direction of the pump (1).
3. The mobile pump unit according to claim 1, characterized in that a flow reducing element (10) is provided upstream of the water outlet (8a) in the water fire main (8) for simultaneous ejection of fire fighting water and fire fighting foam to ensure the pressure required for foam generation.
4. The mobile pump unit according to claim 1, characterized in that vortexing elements (5a) are integrated into the foaming duct (5).
5. The mobile pump unit according to claim 4, characterized in that said vortexing elements (5a) consist of discs attached to the periphery of a rod orientated in axial direction.
6. The mobile pump unit according to claim 1, characterized in that a check valve (17) is inserted into the pressure pipe (7) before it runs into the foaming duct (5).
7. The mobile pump unit according to claim 1, characterized in that a ball valve (16) for adjusting the throughput of wet and dry foam is inserted upstream of the foaming agent admixer (4).
8. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a baffle plate (13) for pressure reduction, a water filter (14), and a solenoid valve (15) with an integrated pressure reducer and flow restrictor are inserted into the pressure pipe (7) in flow direction upstream of the foaming agent admixer (4).
9. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a check valve (9) is inserted immediately after the pump (1) into the water fire main (8).
10. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the compressed air line (20) for generating an even air flow is conducted across a plenum (21).
11. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that a pressure outlet line (24) for supplying other compressed air consumers is connected to the compressed air line (20) via a pressure control valve (22).
12. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that its water-conducting components are connected to a central drainage system.
13. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by a central operating console on which pushbuttons are provided for switching the compressor and the foaming agent admixer on and off, for flow and pressure setting for water or compressed air to produce a specific foam quality or to ensure parallel operation of fire fighting water and foam, for releasing and/or shutting off the water and/or foam outlet and for starting the internal combustion engine as well as the respective pressure display devices for air and water pressure.
14. The mobile pump unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the foaming agent admixer (4) is designed as a hydraulically operated proportioning piston admixer with dosing rod (4a).
15. The mobile pump unit according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that all functional and control components including the operating console and a cover are placed on a carriage with carrying handles.

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