Classifications

• • 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
  • A62C3/0257—Fire curtains, blankets, walls, fences
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C2/00—Fire prevention or containment
  • A62C2/06—Physical fire-barriers
  • A62C2/10—Fire-proof curtains
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C27/00—Fire-fighting land vehicles
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
  • A62C8/00—Hand tools or accessories specially adapted for fire-fighting, e.g. tool boxes
  • A62C8/06—Fire-blankets

Definitions

• solution - active - are known in the art, such as systems which contain water sprinklers.
• Such sprinklers may be of various types, and are used to protect the cabin of a fire truck and other vital parts of the truck like the engine, electric, fuel and hydraulic systems. These systems are very sensitive to the elements, namely wind, which can lead to water loss in irrelevant directions. Furthermore, direct contact of water with the heat source leads to a high evaporation rate associated to little impact in temperature reduction inside the asset to be protected.
• the object of the present invention innovatively overcomes the described issues.
• an apparatus (1) for active thermal protection of an asset comprising a flexible blanket (2), a liquid distribution system and a plurality of sprinklers (3) connected to said liquid distribution system, the blanket (2) having a first side and a second side, wherein the first side comprises a material with radiation flux reflective properties and the plurality of sprinklers (3) being arranged adjacently to the second side sprinklers (3) and in such a way that, when sprinkling a liquid, such liquid is directly sprinkled onto the second side of the blanket (2).
• a vehicle comprising a plurality of assets to be protected, each of such assets being covered with an apparatus (1) of the present invention as of any of its described embodiments, such assets preferably including wheels, engine, hydraulic and/or pneumatic systems.
• FIG. 1 - representation of an embodiment the apparatus (1) of the present invention, comprising a plurality of sprinklers (3) arranged on a side of a protected asset, in such case a building, and a blanket (2) covering the whole building.
• the apparatus (1) of the present invention is light, easily deployed, and, accordingly to preliminary tests already performed in laboratory, works with small amounts of cooling fluid, which make it especially adaptable to fire trucks or similar structures.
• the same principle can extended to the protection of trees, poles, wooden or metallic structures and other assets that can be threatened by fire or by some other intense thermal impact.
• the same principle can be used in military or aeronautical and aerospace applications to improve the insulation of some spaces and assets and to protect them against intense heat fluxes.
• the blanket (2) has a single layer, namely with a thickness between 0,1 and 6mm, in particular the material of the single layer consisting of fire shelter tissue.
• the liquid distribution system distributes a liquid that vaporises at a temperature between 80 to 120 Q C, such liquid preferably consisting of water.
• the plurality of sprinklers (3) is uniformly arranged. It thus provides for a higher homogeneity of protection throughout the protected asset.
• the liquid distribution system comprises a plurality of liquid distribution branches which in turn comprise one or more liquid distribution tubes, such distribution branches being connected to said sprinklers (3) and thereby providing distribution of liquid to the sprinklers (3).
• Such distribution scheme provides an efficient way of distributing the liquid throughout the plurality of sprinklers (3).
• each n sprinklers (3) - the total number of sprinklers (3) being a multiple of n - is connected to a single liquid distribution branch, which enables that liquid pressure is also homogeneous in each branch, all branches containing the same number of sprinklers (3).
• a frame connected to the liquid distribution branches and the blanket (2), the frame comprising a plurality of spacers connected to each liquid distribution branch and to the blanket (2), such spacers having a length that spaces apart the sprinklers (3) and the blanket (2) of a predetermined distance.
• the blanket (2) In order to provide higher effectiveness of the sprinkling under the blanket (2), the blanket (2) must be spaced apart of a predetermined distance from the sprinklers (3).
• the sprinklers (3) are mounted directly onto the second surface of the flexible blanket (2).
• the liquid distribution system comprises at least one input connectable to a liquid source, preferably a liquid tank, preferably comprising an automatic control unit and a controllable valve providing access to the liquid distribution system through the input, such control unit being configured to, under issue of a predefined command, open the controllable valve.
• a liquid source preferably a liquid tank
• the issue of said predefined command is dependent on detection of a predefined reference temperature.
• the liquid source may also consist of a local water distribution network.
• the asset when compared to the above described configuration of the asset, may consist of a part of a vehicle or of a building.
• the vehicle In the case of the vehicle, it may consist of the wheels, engine, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, to avoid the destruction of the vehicle.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Emergency Management (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Biodiversity & Conservation Biology (AREA)
• Ecology (AREA)
• Forests & Forestry (AREA)
• Fire-Extinguishing By Fire Departments, And Fire-Extinguishing Equipment And Control Thereof (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=66397343

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2019
  • 2019-03-28 EP EP19721797.9A patent/EP3773935A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2019-03-28 WO PCT/IB2019/052544 patent/WO2019193466A1/en unknown

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