EP1142610B1 - Fire fighting system for a passenger aeroplane - Google Patents

Abstract

The fire extinguisher comprises a storage container (8) for the extinguisher agent and connected to several smoke-warning hoods (6) each of which has a smoke-warning sensor and an ejector-nozzle. The discharge valves and ejector nozzles are controlled from the cockpit. The fire-extinguisher unit extends from the passenger areas in the lower deck part (2). One or more ejector nozzles in the passenger areas are attached to a pipe system (7) by means of pipes and branch elements.

Description

The invention relates to a fire extinguishing system for a passenger aircraft using a, arranged in the fuselage piping system containing extinguishing agent reservoir mechanically connected to several smoke alarms, each smoke alarm has at least one smoke alarm sensor and cooperating with this smoke alarm extinguishing Ausströmdüse, wherein outlet valves of the reservoir and the Extinguishing agent ejection nozzles are controllable from the cockpit of the aircraft, and wherein the smoke alarm hoods in the underfloor area of the aircraft, preferably in the front cargo hold and / or in the rear cargo hold and / or in the luggage compartment of the aircraft are arranged.

From DE 36 15 415 C2 a fire extinguishing device with two fire extinguishing agent containers for under pressure liquid extinguishing agent for generating a first and a second Feuerlöscheinsatzes for cargo holds of means of transport is known, in particular of aircraft. Here, the gaseous at atmospheric pressure fire extinguishing agent of the two fire extinguisher container via a common piping network with common Feuerlöschmittelausströmdüsen to the Freight spaces of the aircraft transported. The controllable from the cockpit of the aircraft fire extinguishing device may, for example, have a total of four exhaust nozzles, of which two exhaust nozzles can be mounted in the front cargo hold and one exhaust nozzle in the rear cargo hold and in the luggage compartment.

Currently, so-called LD-MCR containers (Lower Deck-Mobile Crew Rest Containers) are used on some aircraft that are installed in underfloor areas. These containers offer the crew and passengers of the aircraft the opportunity to rest during a flight. The only temporarily used rest rooms are equipped with separate fire extinguishing equipment. This also applies to similar rooms that are designed as fixed installations in the underfloor area, such as BCRC rooms (Bulk Crew Rest Compartments) and other LDF rooms (Lower Deck Facility Rooms). The separate fire extinguishers disadvantageously lead to an increased cost of fire extinguishers, piping, brackets and electrical system connections and thus to unwanted weight, cost and maintenance.

The invention is therefore based on the object, with the elimination of separate fire extinguishing equipment to provide a device of the type mentioned, with a designed for the void volume of the entire cargo hold cargo compartment fire extinguishing system is made available without much additional effort for the above-described rest rooms in the aircraft underfloor area.

The object is achieved in that the fire extinguishing system extends to arranged in the lower floor area passenger areas such that one or more arranged in the passenger areas extinguishing agent Ausströmdüsen are connected via pipes and branch elements to the piping system.

Embodiments of the invention are described in the subclaims 2 to 4.

• daß keine zusätzliche manuelle Feuerbekämpfung im Kabinenunterflurraum bzw. -container erforderlich ist,
• daß nur ein geringer Abdichtungsaufwand am Kabinenunterflurraum bzw. -container notwendig ist, da die Frachtraumverkleidung den wesentlichen Anteil zur Dichtigkeit beisteuert, und
• daß die Schnittstellen zu den angrenzenden Räumen und Systemen, wie Zutrittsöffnungen, Klimazu- und -abluft, außerhalb der Frachtraumverkleidung im Brandfall den Dichtigkeitsanforderungen unterliegen und daher abgeschottet sein müssen.

An inventive advantage is that after activating the cargo space fire extinguishing system, the extinguishing agent flows through the branch elements to the extinguishing agent Ausströmdüsen in the passenger areas and there reaches the fire affected passenger area for deletion purposes. Advantageously, there is a simultaneous deletion of cargo space and cabin basement, ie both rooms are independent of the source of fire secured by fire. Further advantages of the invention can be seen therein

• that no additional manual fire fighting is required in the cabin underfloor space or container,
• that only a small sealing effort on the cabin underfloor space or container is necessary because the cargo compartment panel contributes to the essential part of the tightness, and
• that the interfaces to the adjacent rooms and systems, such as access openings, air supply and exhaust air, outside the cargo compartment lining in case of fire are subject to the tightness requirements and must therefore be sealed off.

Fig. 1a

einen Ausschnitt eines Flugzeugrumpfes mit zugehöriger Feuerlöscheinrichtung im Unterflurbereich nach dem Stand der Technik in Seitenansicht im Schnitt,

Fig. 1b

eine Draufsicht auf Fig. 1a im Schnitt, und

Fig. 2

eine Seitenansicht eines Flugzeugrumpfabschnittes mit einem Kabinenunterflurraum im Schnitt.

In the drawing, an embodiment of the invention is shown, namely shows:

Fig. 1a

a detail of an aircraft fuselage with associated fire extinguishing device in the underfloor area according to the prior art in side view in section,

Fig. 1b

a plan view of Fig. 1a in section, and

Fig. 2

a side view of an aircraft fuselage section with a cabin underfloor space in section.

In Figures 1a and 1b, the underfloor region of an aircraft fuselage 1 is denoted by 2, said underfloor region having a front cargo compartment 3, a rear cargo compartment 4 and a luggage compartment 5. In all rooms 3 to 5 are smoke alarms 6, which are preferably mounted on their ceilings. Each smoke alarm hood 6 has at least one smoke alarm sensor and an extinguishing agent ejection nozzle cooperating with this sensor, which are not designated in more detail in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The extinguishing agent discharge nozzles are mechanically connected via a pipeline system 7 with one or more storage containers 8 containing the extinguishing agent. When a fire occurs in one of the cargo rooms, the fire is first detected by a smoke alarm sensor and there is a message to a arranged in the aircraft cockpit signaling device. From the cockpit then the exhaust valves of the reservoir for the purpose of releasing the extinguishing agent as well as activated for firefighting extinguishing agent ejection nozzle or nozzles are controlled.

From FIG. 2, a passenger area 9 arranged in the underfloor area 2 of the fuselage 1 can be seen in the form of a fixed installation whose walls are designated 9a and which preferably serves as a rest area for passengers and / or crew members. This could also be a container installed in the underfloor area. Also to be seen is a part of the designated fire extinguishing system 10, namely a smoke alarm hood 7 and a part of the piping system 7. In the interior of the passenger area 9 an extinguishing agent ejection nozzle 11 is arranged, which via a pipe 12 and a branch element 13 to the piping system. 7 connected. By this combined fire extinguishing system 10 advantageously eliminates a separate extinguishing system, as described in the introduction to the description.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

fuselage

2

Underfloor

3

front cargo bay

4

rear cargo bay

5

Luggage hold

6

Smoke alarm cover

7

Piping

8th

Extinguishing agent reservoir

9

passenger region

9a

Walls of the passenger area 9

10

Fire extinguishing system

11

Extinguishing discharge nozzle

12

pipeline

13

branch element

Claims (4)

1. Fire-fighting system for a passenger aircraft using a pipework system disposed in the aircraft fuselage which mechanically connects storage containers containing extinguisher agent to several smoke alarm hoods, each of which smoke alarm hoods has at least one smoke alarm sensor and an extinguisher agent discharge nozzle cooperating with this smoke alarm sensor, and outlet valves of the storage containers and the extinguisher agent discharge nozzles can be controlled from the cockpit of the aircraft, and the smoke alarm hoods are disposed in the lower deck region of the aircraft, preferably in the front cargo compartment and/or in the rear cargo compartment and/or in the luggage compartment of the aircraft, characterised in that the fire-fighting system (10) extends as far as passenger areas (9) disposed in the lower deck region (2) so that one or more extinguisher agent discharge nozzles (11) disposed in the passenger areas (9) are connected to the pipework system (7) by means of pipelines (12) and branch elements (13).
2. Fire-fighting system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the extinguisher agent discharge nozzles (11) are disposed in a lower deck-passenger rest area (9).
3. Fire-fighting system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the lower deck-passenger area (9) is disposed in a container installed in the lower deck region (2) of the aircraft (1).
4. Fire-fighting system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the lower deck-passenger area (9) is designed as a permanent installation in the lower deck region (2) of the aircraft (1).

Images