EP3409327B1

EP3409327B1 - Fire-extinguishing device for outboard engines

Info

Publication number: EP3409327B1
Application number: EP17173190.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Luis Santiago Piñeiro Rodriguez
Original assignee: Talleres Luis Pineiro SL
Current assignee: Talleres Luis Pineiro SL
Priority date: 2017-05-29
Filing date: 2017-05-29
Publication date: 2020-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-29
Also published as: EP3409327A1; ES2823189T3; PT3409327T

Description

Object of the invention

The present invention, as the title thereof indicates, relates to a fire-extinguishing device for when fire breaks out in an outboard engine of a boat.

Background of the invention

Outboard engines are composed of a two- or four-stroke engine arranged on the upper portion of the assembly, while the gear and propulsion system are arranged on the lower, submerged portion. Outboard engines are designed to be installed on the stern transom of small boats and can pivot horizontally such as to serve as a rudder, even with the engine turned off, to direct navigation. Its movement is also possible in a vertical inclination which enables the body of the boat to be manoeuvred, by submerging or raising the keel, for drainage needs or to avoid obstacles, or to protect the outboard engine when towed.
The special constructive characteristic of these engines located outside of a boat, not inside a machine room, requires them to be enclosed within a hood or casing that protects them from the elements and from the water. This hood encloses them completely, leaving only air inlets which are normally located on the sides or on the stern face (the portion farthest from the boat) and a front inlet connected to a "collective hose", wherethrough both the electric cables and the fuel hose run.
Therefore, in the event of a fire in the engine, any action aimed at extinguishing this fire is almost completely blocked by the hood, also requiring a dangerously close approximation to the burning engine in order to perform the fire extinguishing operations.
In general, outboard engines run on gasoline, although some manufacturers have replaced this fuel with diesel to reduce the possibility of a fire in the engine and the ensuing consequences for the equipment and for the boat; however, they have not actually addressed the problem of extinguishing the fire when the outboard engine sets fire, given its location and configuration, since the volume occupied by the engine inside the hood is very small and inaccessible and, at present, no device is known to make it possible to extinguish a fire that breaks out inside an outboard engine.
Document US3298349 reveals an electric outboard engine, in which to dissipate the heat generated by the operation of the electric engine there are pipes through which circulate cooling water, which favors the engine can absorb higher loads than an electric engine that is not cooled by water.
Document US3972373A discloses a fire extinguisher system designed to be placed in the engine compartment, or engine room of a vehicle or boat. This device allows to be fired without opening the lid of the machine room or vehicle bonnet. The author makes it clear that this invention is valid for vehicles or boats with inboard engine, that is, they have located the engine room inside the boat. In these cases the engine compartment (or engine room) is part of the vehicle, or boat that has a hatch for access.
Document WO2015/069768A1 explains the different mounting possibilities of the automatic remote head and the automatic head. Wherein it explains an embodiment where a sensor head distant from the rest of the extinguisher responds to the fire shooting the extinguishing agent This supplement is applicable to an infinity of devices, (from airplanes to containers or even submarines), but this has not been done thinking about the special characteristics of the outboard engines.

Description of the invention

The device of the invention envisages the injection of the extinguishing agent inside the hood of the outboard engine by means of a tube or connecting tube we have called "extinguishing agent hose", which is connected to a source of extinction (fire extinguisher). An area that, in principle, is adequate, notwithstanding other possible inlets, to perform the installation of this hose is the so-called "collective inlet hose", i.e. that the chosen assembly is executed upon introducing a tube or connecting tube through said hose, one end of which is inserted inside the hood and the other is connected to a source of extinguishing agent (fire extinguisher). In this manner, upon actuating or triggering this fire extinguisher the extinguishing agent is conducted directly inside the engine hood, whereupon extinction is much more effective.
The advantages of this device include, namely, its effectiveness in the extinction of the possible fire that occurs in this area, as it achieves the best effectiveness-efficiency relationship since the extinguishing agent is discharged into a partially closed compartment with a small volume of air, due to which this agent quickly occupies this free space between the engine and the hood, rapidly suffocating the fire, and using a minimum amount of extinguishing agent.
Another outstanding advantage offered by this system is safety, since it enables the remote extinction of the fire, i.e. without need for approximation to the outboard engine to extinguish the fire. It is only necessary to actuate the fire extinguisher, which may be located far from the engine. Likewise, it is also possible to actuate or trigger the fire extinguisher by means of an electric signal that may be manually or automatically activated upon detecting the fire. This considerably increases safety.
Lastly, it also minimises damages in case of fire, since it is rapidly extinguished, due to the fact that the extinguishing agent is discharged inside the hood, the fire is rapidly extinguished, thereby preventing its propagation to other areas of the boat (nearby engine(s)) and, if we use a neutral gas that displaces oxygen as an extinguishing agent, the damage caused to the engine is minimised, due to the extinction in itself, resulting in less costly repairs.

Description of the figures

As a complement to the description being made, and for the purpose of helping to make the characteristics of the invention more readily understandable, this description is accompanied by a set of drawings which, by way of illustration and not limitation, represent the following.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the assembly of this fire-extinguishing device in a boat (2) propelled by an outboard engine (1).
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a conventional outboard engine (1) equipped with a hose (6) connected to a source of extinction.

Preferred embodiment of the invention

As can be observed in the aforementioned figures, the fire-extinguishing device for outboard engines object of the invention comprises:

A tube or connecting tube (6) that connects a source of extinction (5) to the inside of the hood (3) that covers the outboard engine (1) as such.
A source of extinction (5) consisting of a fire extinguisher located in the boat (2), the outlet of which is connected to the tube (6) that extends to the inside of the casing (3).
And an outlet mouth (7) of the tube (6) wherethrough the extinguishing agent is injected inside the hood (3) of the outboard engine when the fire extinguisher (5) is actuated or triggered, such that the extinguishing agent is discharged inside the hood and the fire is rapidly extinguished, preventing its propagation to other areas of the boat.

The tube or connecting tube (6) that connects a source of extinction (5) to the inside of the hood (3), which covers the outboard engine, is introduced through the inside of the collective inlet hose (4) wherethrough both the electric cables and the fuel hose that feeds the outboard engine as such run.
Having sufficiently described the nature of the invention, in addition to an example of preferred embodiment, it is hereby stated for the relevant purposes that the materials, shape, size and layout of the described elements may be modified, provided that it does not imply altering the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below:

Claims

A fire-extinguishing device for outboard engines, which are enclosed within a hood or housing (3) that protects them from the weather and water, which is equipped with air intakes, located on the sides or on the stern face and a front entrance connected with a hose collective, through which both the electric cables and the fuel hose run, characterised in that it comprises:
- a tube or connecting tube (6) which connects a source of extinction (5) to the inside of the hood (3) that covers the outboard engine (1) as such;

- a source of extinction (5) consisting of a fire extinguisher located in the boat (2), the outlet of which is connected to the tube (6) that extends to the inside of the hood(3); and

- an outlet mouth (7) of the tube (6) wherethrough the extinguishing agent is injected inside the hood (3) of the outboard engine when the fire extinguisher (5) is actuated or triggered;
introducing the tube or connecting tube (6) that connects a source of extinction (5) to the inside of the hood (3), which covers the outboard engine, through the inside of the collective inlet hose (4) wherethrough both the electric cables and the fuel hose that feeds the outboard engine as such run.