EP3773935A1

EP3773935A1 - An apparatus for active thermal protection of an asset

Info

Publication number: EP3773935A1
Application number: EP19721797.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Domingos XAVIER VIEGAS; António Rui DE ALMEIDA FIGUEIREDO
Original assignee: Adai Associacao Para O Desenvolvimento Aerodinamico Industrial; Universidade de Coimbra
Current assignee: Adai Associacao Para O Desenvolvimento Aerodinamico Industrial; Universidade de Coimbra
Priority date: 2018-04-02
Filing date: 2019-03-28
Publication date: 2021-02-17
Also published as: WO2019193466A1

Abstract

The present invention is enclosed in the area of thermal protection, in particular active devices for the protection of assets such as fire fighting vehicles. It is an object of the present invention an apparatus (1) for active thermal protection of an asset, such apparatus (1) 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). Such apparatus (1) provides for effective protection against radiative and convective heat, enabling that a liquid is sprinkled under the blanket (2), thereby providing for a lowering of temperature inside the blanket (2).

Description

DESCRIPTION

AN APPARATUS FOR ACTIVE THERMAL PROTECTION OF AN ASSET

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is enclosed in the area of thermal protection, in particular active devices for the protection of assets such as fire fighting vehicles, namely trucks, but also standard vehicles or buildings, namely cabins, houses or individual / collective fire shelters.

PRIOR ART

Solutions are known in the art in which protection from convective and radiative heat - a fire - is provided by a passive device, namely a blanket with convective and radiative heat protection properties. It is the case of the so-called fire shelter, a sort of bag which is carried folded by an individual and can be deployed prior to an approaching fire on an adequate terrain. Its user may then enter in the bag and wait until the fire front passes by the place of shelter. The fire shelter has saved many lives, but it is not effective against the direct impact of flames and several persons have been killed by a fire that hits the fire shelter with direct flames. Collective shelters are based on the same principle as the fire shelter and use the same materials. Even being built of more resistant and ticker layers they still have limited capacity to resist to direct flame contact.

Blankets (2) or poncho style devices made of reflective material are also known and used to provide protection against flame radiation when one has to stay near an approaching fire or has to cross an area with flames and strong radiation. It can be used to cross a flaming front with relatively low flames.

Radiative curtains are used in some applications to protect the inside of fire trucks with similar effects as those described above for blankets. These curtains are arranged inside glass surfaces of the truck, thereby not protecting the glass panels from the external radiation, making them susceptible for breaking and exposing the inside of the truck to the hot gases and flames of the external fire. With regard to such solutions, the present invention provides a higher effectiveness in the protection against high radiation fluxes or even to direct contact with flames.

Alternatively, other types of 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.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention an apparatus (1) for active thermal protection of an asset, such apparatus (1) 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). Such apparatus (1) provides for effective protection against radiative and convective heat, enabling that a liquid is sprinkled under the blanket (2), thereby providing for a lowering of temperature inside the blanket (2) and a much higher level of protection when compared to a single blanket (2) or a single sprinkling system. The present solution also requires lower quantities of cooling fluid (such as water) when compared to the referred active systems known in the art, and therefore less energy is necessary to inject it into the blanket (2) at a relatively low pressure as may be the case in remote locations. As no fluid is injected or sprinkled out from the protecting blanket (2) / shield, the system is not sensitive to external wind.

It is also an object of the present invention an asset comprising a liquid source with an output and the apparatus (1) of the present invention as of any of the described embodiments, the output of the source being connectable to the input, and said liquid source preferably consisting of at least one liquid tank. The asset may consist of a fire fighting vehicle, preferably a fire fighting truck, a standard vehicle or a building, in particular a cabin or a house. Even more preferably, it consists of a fire fighting vehicle, the liquid source consisting of a liquid tank.

It is yet an object of the present invention 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.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Figure 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.

Figure 2 - representation of an embodiment of 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 standard passenger vehicle, and a blanket (2) covering the whole vehicle.

Figure 3 - representation of a detail of an embodiment of the apparatus (1) of the present invention, in folded form, in the left hand image the flexible blanket (2) and the plurality of sprinklers (3) being mounted on a frame and thereby separated from the blanket (2), and in the right hand image the sprinklers (3) being mounted directly on the flexible blanket (2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The more general configurations of the objects of the present invention are described in the Summary of the invention. Such configurations are subsequently detailed, according to several advantageous and / or preferential aspects.

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.

Furthermore, 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.

Preferably, 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. Also, in a preferred embodiment, the liquid distribution system distributes a liquid that vaporises at a temperature between 80 to 120^QC, such liquid preferably consisting of water.

In an advantageous embodiment, the plurality of sprinklers (3) is uniformly arranged. It thus provides for a higher homogeneity of protection throughout the protected asset.

In an inventive aspect of the apparatus (1) of the present invention, 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). Preferably, 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).

In yet another inventive aspect of the apparatus (1) of the present invention, 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. 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). Alternatively to the above described embodiment comprising spacers, the sprinklers (3) are mounted directly onto the second surface of the flexible blanket (2).

In an advantageous embodiment, the sprinklers (3) are so arranged that, when sprinkling a liquid, such liquid is directly sprinkled onto the second side of the blanket (2).

In yet another inventive aspect of the present invention, providing automatic initiation of the sprinkling under manual instructions of a user of the apparatus (1) or identification of a risk situation, 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. Preferably, the issue of said predefined command is dependent on detection of a predefined reference temperature. In the case of a building, the liquid source may also consist of a local water distribution network.

Alternatively, when compared to the above described configuration of the asset, the asset may consist of a part of a vehicle or of a building. In the case of the vehicle, it may consist of the wheels, engine, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, to avoid the destruction of the vehicle.

Preferably, the above described vehicle comprises a passenger cabin with windows and a top, wherein said at least one apparatus (1) is arranged folded over such top, and from such position is deployable, thereby covering said passenger cabin, namely its windows.

As is clear to the skilled person when considering the present disclosure, the invention is not strictly limited to the described embodiments, for several possible configurations exist and are yet within the scope of the invention.

Furthermore, the above disclosed embodiments are combinable, being herein the repetition of all possible combinations avoided.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for active thermal protection of an asset characterised in that it comprises 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) is 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).

2. Apparatus (1) according to the previous claim wherein the blanket (2) has a single layer, preferably with a thickness between 0,1 and 6mm.

3. Apparatus (1) according to the previous claim wherein the material of the single layer consists of fire shelter tissue.

4. Apparatus (1) according to any of the previous claims wherein said liquid distribution system distributes a liquid that vaporises at a temperature between 80 and 120^QC, such liquid preferably consisting of water.

5. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein the plurality of sprinklers (3) is uniformly arranged.

6. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein said 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).

7. Apparatus (1) according to the previous claim wherein each n sprinklers (3) - the total number of sprinklers (3) being a multiple of n - is connected to a single liquid distribution branch.

8. Apparatus (1) according to any of the claims 6-7 further comprising 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.

9. Apparatus according to any of the claims 6-7 wherein the sprinklers (3) are mounted directly onto the second surface of the flexible blanket (2).

10. Apparatus (1) according to any of the preceding claims wherein said liquid distribution system comprises at least one input connectable to a liquid source, preferably a liquid tank.

11. Apparatus (1) according to the previous claim wherein it further comprises 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.

12. Apparatus (1) according to the previous claim wherein the issue of said predefined command is dependent on detection of a predefined reference temperature.

13. Asset comprising a liquid source with an output and an apparatus (1) according to any of the claims 10-11, the output of the source being connectable to the input, and said liquid source preferably consisting of at least one liquid tank.

14. Asset according to the previous claim wherein it consists of a fire fighting vehicle, preferably a fire fighting truck, a standard vehicle or a building, in particular a cabin or a house.

15. Asset according to the previous claim wherein it consists of a fire fighting vehicle, the liquid source consisting of a liquid tank.

16. Vehicle comprising a plurality of assets to be protected, each of such assets being covered with an apparatus (1) according to any of the claims 1-11, such assets preferably including wheels, engine, hydraulic and/or pneumatic systems.

17. Vehicle according to the previous claim wherein it comprises a passenger cabin with windows and a top, wherein said at least one apparatus (1) is arranged folded over such top, and deployable and covering said passenger cabin, namely its windows.