Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C99/00—Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
  • A62C99/0009—Methods of extinguishing or preventing the spread of fire by cooling down or suffocating the flames
  • A62C99/0072—Methods of extinguishing or preventing the spread of fire by cooling down or suffocating the flames using sprayed or atomised water
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C3/00—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places
  • A62C3/02—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
  • A62C3/0207—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires by blowing air or gas currents with or without dispersion of fire extinguishing agents; Apparatus therefor, e.g. fans
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C3/00—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places
  • A62C3/02—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
  • A62C3/0221—Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires for tunnels
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C31/00—Delivery of fire-extinguishing material
  • A62C31/02—Nozzles specially adapted for fire-extinguishing

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a device for protecting a room, in particular a tunnel against fire.
• the damage, both human and material, which can be caused by fire is no longer to be demonstrated, and specialists have long sought to propose means to combat this scourge.
• the object of the present invention is to propose a device for protecting a room against fires having a markedly improved efficiency.
• This device is characterized in that it consists of a revolution box open at its two ends and intended to be fixed in the upper part of the room to be protected so that its median axis is substantially vertical.
• this housing comprises a substantially cylindrical lower part and a tightened, essentially bell-shaped upper part, and on the one hand contains pressure-reducing means capable of accelerating the circulation of air due to the temperature gradient and to the heat exchanges in particular by convection effect, and on the other hand spray means capable of injecting fine water droplets into the air circulated.
• the essential characteristic of the device according to the invention is linked to the presence of the pressure-reducing means which create a strong depression by application of the Bernoulli principle and thus make it possible to channel and accelerate the circulation of natural air generated by the fire following the presence of a temperature gradient.
• the device according to the invention may in certain particular cases correspond to semi-fixed equipment fitted to a fire truck, in particular mounted at the end of an articulated arm or of a telescopic arm and supplied with pressurized water.
• a device which can be inserted above or near a fireplace is likely to facilitate the approach of firefighters to fight the fire.
• the pressure-reducing means consist of a disc centered on the median axis of the housing, mounted essentially perpendicular to this axis and driven in rotation at high speed around the latter by a motor of ordered.
• this disc is equipped on its upper face with a series of fins of variable section which extend in the narrowed upper part of the housing so as to create a significant vacuum and to allow the suction of air from the top of the case to the bottom of the case.
• the drive motor for the disc can of course be arbitrary without departing from the scope of the invention and can operate with any source of energy (electricity, gas, air, etc.).
• an action or reaction water turbine such as a Pelton type water turbine or a Francis type water turbine.
• the spraying means can also be of any type and by way of example constituted by nozzles of conventional type, although the latter have the drawback of requiring the use of high pressure pumps or air bottles. .
• the spraying means consist of a cylindrical centrifuge chamber mounted integrally with the rotary disc so as to recover at least part of the water used in the turbine.
• this chamber is equipped, on its peripheral wall, with calibrated orifices allowing the injection of fine water droplets into the air put into circulation.
• the water entering the centrifuge chamber which rotates at high speed is pressurized, precipitated against the side walls of this chamber under the action of centrifugal force and sprayed in the form of fine droplets at the calibrated orifices. .
• This water can thus be injected into the air circulated by the pressure-reducing means, the speed of which is sufficiently high to allow the suction of the droplets.
• the housing can also be equipped with a fixed perforated cylinder mounted opposite the orifices of the centrifuge chamber to facilitate the generation of water droplets.
• the device comprises a fire detector cooperating with the spraying means to control the injection of fine water droplets into the air circulated.
• this detector may be a detection head of the “sprinkler” type known in itself constituted by a glass bulb containing a gas fixed in the lower and middle part of the housing. Under the effect of the heat generated by a fire, such a bulb bursts so as to release a mechanism capable of controlling the actuation of the spraying means, in particular to open the valve for supplying the jets to the water turbine.
• a detector can be constituted by a glass bulb of the aforementioned type positioned at the most suitable location for detecting fires and situated on the control circuit of a membrane valve mounted upstream of the water supply pipe for spraying means. It is also possible to envisage, in accordance with the invention, injecting water spray or water droplets into the air sucked directly into the upper part of the housing so as to cool this air which is at high temperature.
• This local overpressure prevents any ventilation of the tunnel and the fans when present become ineffective since the fire has created a plug of hot air.
• the device which is the subject of the invention overcomes this drawback thanks to the strong vacuum created which has the effect of channeling the air circulation by charging it with fine water droplets.
• the air is therefore cooled, and its density increases.
• the air plug is therefore weakened and mechanical or natural ventilation becomes effective again. It is thus possible to protect a tunnel, even a very long one, against fire by regularly distributing a series of devices in accordance with the invention along its upper part.
• tunnels are generally topped by hills or mountains. It is therefore advantageous to create at this level, in the upper part, a retention basin of sufficient capacity, the water of which can be used to supply the spraying means, in particular the supply lines for the jets of the water turbines of the devices. in accordance with the invention for fire protection.
• the elevation makes it possible to pressurize the water.
• the protection device comprises a revolution box 1 open at its two ends which is intended to be fixed in the upper part of a room to be protected so that its median axis x-x 'is substantially vertical.
• the housing 1 more specifically comprises a cylindrical lower part 10 extending at its upper part by a part 1 1 tightened in the shape of a bell.
• the housing 1 also contains at its internal part a Pelton type turbine 2 whose jets 15 are supplied with pressurized water according to arrow A by an axial pipe 3 and whose auger wheel 4 is integral with a disc 5 centered on the median axis xx 'of the housing 1 and mounted essentially perpendicular to this axis.
• the rotary disc 5 is therefore driven in rotation at high speed by the turbine 2.
• the rotary disc 5 is mounted in the junction zone between the cylindrical lower part 10 and the upper tightened in the shape of a bell 1 1 of the housing 1, and is equipped on its upper face opposite to the turbine 2 of a series of fins 6 of variable section which extend in the constricted upper part 11 of the housing 1.
• the housing 1 also contains a cylindrical centrifuge chamber 7 rotated at high speed by the bucket wheel 4 with the rotating disc 5 and mounted so as to recover at least part of the water used in the turbine 2.
• the chamber centrifuge 7 is equipped on its peripheral wall 8 with a series of calibrated orifices 9.
• the housing 1 is further equipped with a fixed perforated cylinder 12 mounted opposite the calibrated orifices 9 of the centrifuge chamber 7 as well as two grids 13, 14 mounted at the open ends of the housing 1 of so as to act as filtration devices.
• the operating mode of this device is as follows:
• the high-speed rotation of the fins 6 creates a depression in the internal part of the housing 1 causing the suction of air from top to bottom according to the arrows B.
• This air which circulates according to the arrows C to the internal part of the housing 1 passes opposite the calibrated orifices 9 of the centrifuge chamber 7, before rising according to the arrows D along the external periphery of the housing 1.

Landscapes

• Public Health (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Ecology (AREA)
• Forests & Forestry (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
• Fire-Extinguishing By Fire Departments, And Fire-Extinguishing Equipment And Control Thereof (AREA)
• Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)
• Inorganic Insulating Materials (AREA)
• Fire-Detection Mechanisms (AREA)
• Insulated Conductors (AREA)
• Buildings Adapted To Withstand Abnormal External Influences (AREA)
• Building Environments (AREA)
• Fireproofing Substances (AREA)
• Fire Alarms (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=8869672

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (6)

Family Cites Families (17)

• 2001
  • 2001-11-22 FR FR0115113A patent/FR2832316B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2002
  • 2002-11-20 US US10/495,694 patent/US7562716B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-11-20 ES ES02803445T patent/ES2306814T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-11-20 DE DE60226168T patent/DE60226168T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-11-20 AT AT02803445T patent/ATE392236T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-11-20 CA CA002467070A patent/CA2467070C/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-11-20 WO PCT/FR2002/003967 patent/WO2003043701A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2002-11-20 AU AU2002365955A patent/AU2002365955A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-11-20 EP EP02803445A patent/EP1446198B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events