GB2320681A - Fire extinguishing system and head - Google Patents
Fire extinguishing system and head Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2320681A GB2320681A GB9623463A GB9623463A GB2320681A GB 2320681 A GB2320681 A GB 2320681A GB 9623463 A GB9623463 A GB 9623463A GB 9623463 A GB9623463 A GB 9623463A GB 2320681 A GB2320681 A GB 2320681A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- fire extinguishing
- head assembly
- valve
- thermostat
- extinguishing material
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A62—LIFE-SAVING; FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62C—FIRE-FIGHTING
- A62C37/00—Control of fire-fighting equipment
- A62C37/36—Control of fire-fighting equipment an actuating signal being generated by a sensor separate from an outlet device
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
- Emergency Management (AREA)
- Fire-Extinguishing By Fire Departments, And Fire-Extinguishing Equipment And Control Thereof (AREA)
Abstract
An fire extinguishing system has a spray head which can be operated at a pre-set temperature and includes a cylinder 10 containing fire extinguishing material a head assembly 16 consisting of a nozzle 32 and a valve 34 which opens when a thermostat 36 reaches a predetermined temperature. The temperature at which the thermostat activates the valve can be chosen according to the location of the fire extinguishing system. The valve may be a solenoid type. The fire extinguishant is preferably water or foam.
Description
FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM
The present invention relates to a fire extinguishing system and, in particular, to an automatic fire extinguishing system and to a sprinkler head assembly for use with such a system.
Automatic fire extinguishing systems are, of course, well known and are installed in many buildings such as factories, offices and restaurants.
Automatic fire extinguishing systems may also be used in vehicles and machinery and an example of such a system is described in my earlier patent
GB-B-227 1058.
The system described in my earlier patent consists of a vessel containing a pressurised fire extinguishing material connected to a heat sensor which causes the release of the fire extinguishing material in response to excessive heat.
The heat sensitive means described in my earlier patent consists of a sprinkler head of the type commonly used in buildings which has a vial of liquid which ruptures at high temperature causing release of fire extinguishing material.
This system is effective but has the disadvantage that relatively high temperatures are required in order for the fire extinguishing material to be released. This is a problem in some circumstances as a fire may already have taken hold and caused a considerable amount of damage before the fire extinguishing system is operated. Alternatively, if the fire extinguishing system is intended to protect, for example, machinery which is designed to operate at a relatively high temperature, the fire extinguisher may be operated unnecessarily causing delay and possibly damage to the machinery in which it is installed.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide a more flexible fire extinguishing system, and in particular, a head assembly for a fire extinguishing system which can be pre-programmed so that fire extinguishing material is released at a pre-set temperature.
In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a head assembly for a fire extinguishing system comprising: 1. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material ii. a distribution tube; iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material within the distribution tube; wherein the valve is connected to a programable thermostat and automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and out of the dispensing means when the thermostat reaches a pre-set temperature.
Fire extinguishing systems which incorporate valves actuated by heat sensors are known in the prior art, for example from US 5,018,586, J-A-63183078,
US 4,356,870, WO-A-8102609 and US 3,949,812. However, none of these documents suggest that it would be an advantage to incorporate a system in which the release of fire extinguishing material may take place at a temperature chosen according to where the system is to be installed.
Thus, the system of the present invention is particularly flexible as it can be installed in a variety of situations and the temperature at which it will be activated can be chosen according to its particular situation.
In the head assembly of the present invention, the valve will usually, although not always, be directly connected to the thermostat.
Although it is possible to use other types of valve, solenoid valves have been found to be particularly suitable for use in the present invention because of their relatively low cost and easy availability. If a solenoid valve is used, it is preferably servo assisted, with a servo diaphragm.
Since the valve is for use in a pressurised fire extinguishing system, it is also preferable for it to have a high flow rate and a relatively high maximum pressure, for example about 16 Bar.
The thermostat may be of any suitable type but capillary thermostats are particularly well adapted for use with the present invention as they are readily available and can easily be set to the required temperature. A capillary thermostat used in the present invention is typically of the wet bulb, liquid expansion or copper bulb type and preferably has a control temperature range of from 10 to 90"C.
Any conventional dispensing means may be attached to the head assembly of the present invention and the dispensing means chosen may depend upon the situation in which the head assembly is designed to operate. Typical dispensing means which have been found to be effective include spray/jet nozzles and sprinkler heads.
Although any fire extinguishing material can be used, it has been found that the system of the invention is at its most effective when the fire extinguishing material is a liquid and in particular water or a water-based foam.
The head assembly of the invention is designed for use with automatic fire extinguishing system and therefore in a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an automatic fire extinguishing system incorporating a head assembly comprising: i. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material ii. a distribution tube; iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material within the distribution tube; wherein the valve is connected to a programable thermostat and automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and out of the dispensing means when the thermostat reaches a pre-set temperature.
The head assembly is, as discussed above, particularly well adapted for use in vehicles and/or machinery and therefore the fire extinguishing system of this aspect of the present invention may be installed or adapted to be installed in a vehicle or in machinery.
In particular, the fire extinguishing system may be as described in my earlier patent No. GB-B-2271058.
Thus, in a third aspect of the invention there is provided a fire extinguishing system comprising: a. a head assembly comprising:
i. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material;
ii. a distribution tube;
iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material
within the distribution tube;
wherein the valve is connected to a programable thermostat and
automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and
out of the dispensing means when the thermostat reaches a preset
temperature; b. a vessel containing fire extinguishing material; and c. a connector assembly adapted to connect the vessel to the head assembly; wherein the components are arranged such that when the system is primed and ready for use the head assembly contains fire extinguishing material but substantially no air or other propellant gas.
The system is, of course, adapted for positioning the head assembly in close proximity to areas most likely to overheat or catch fire.
The system optionally is provided with a bleed means adapted to bleed air or gas from the distribution tube.
The head assembly is preferably connected to the rest of the system via a shut off valve so that it can easily be connected to and removed from the fire extinguishing system. This valve is preferably manually operated.
The connector assembly may incorporate a non-returnable valve adapted for pressurizing the system with fluid, for example compressed air or nitrogen.
When the system is pressurized with compressed air, suitable valves include those of the sCHRAEDERTM type such as are used on motor vehicles.
The system may be portable and is particularly well adapted for installation in a vehicle such as a car, lorry or caravan, or in any other form of transport, for example a boat. The system is also intended for installation in fixed or mobile machinery, for example agricultural machinery such as combine harvesters.
The system may also include an alarm device to alert an operator to the existence of a fire or to the potential failure of the system. This alarm device typically provides an alarm signal in response to a pre-determined drop in pressure in the vessel of the system. For example, the vessel may have a pressure switch held open by the pressure in the vessel and set to close when the pressure drops, the switch forming part of an alarm circuit.
The system may comprise not just one but several head assemblies according to the first aspect. This is particularly useful if the system is intended to be installed in large or complex machinery. Because the temperature at which each of the head assemblies is triggered can be individually controlled, machinery may be provided with several head assemblies positioned in different locations and adapted to dispense fire extinguishing material at a pre-selected temperature suitable to that particular location.
Other preferred features are as described for the first aspect of the invention.
The invention will now be further described by way of example only with reference to the following drawing which is a representation of an automatic fire extinguishing system incorporating a head assembly of the present invention.
Referring to Figure 1, the system comprises a cylinder (10) containing extinguishing liquid (12), typically water or a water-based foam. The cylinder may be of a size from 2 to 25 litres depending upon the use for which the system is intended. Internal of cylinder (10) is a syphon tube (38) with a lowermost filter (40) associated therewith. A connector assembly (14) joins the cylinder to a head assembly (16). The connector assembly (14) consists of a chamber (18) isolated from the head assembly (16) but communicating with a gas space (20) above the fire extinguishing liquid (12).
A pressure gauge (22) is connected to the chamber (18) via a valve which closes when the pressure gauge (22) is removed for maintenance or other purposes leaving the chamber (18) sealed. The chamber has an inlet valve (24), typically of the SCHRAEDERTM type, by which gas, for example compressed air, may be introduced to pressurise the cylinder, and a pressure switch which here is incorporated into the pressure gauge (22) which is adjustable to close when the pressure in the chamber falls below a predetermined value in the range of from about 2 to 20 bar.
The switch forms part of an electrical warning circuit comprising a power supply, typically a 12V d.c. supply which may be taken from the battery of a vehicle on which the system is mounted, and an alarm box (26) which provides an audible and visual signal. Thus when the pressure in the cylinder drops, either because the device has been activated by a fire or because of a leak in the system, the switch closes completing the circuit and activating the alarm (26).
The head assembly comprises a distribution tube consisting of a flexible hose (28) which is connected to the connector assembly (14) via a shut off valve (30) which allows the head assembly to be isolated from the rest of the system for maintenance or replacement but which is open when the system is in use. At the end of the hose (28) distant from the cylinder (10) is a shower head nozzle (32) through which the fire extinguishing liquid is dispensed. Between the shut off valve (30) and the nozzle (32) is a solenoid valve (34), typically a servo assisted valve with a brass body, a high flow rate and a maximum pressure of at least 16 bar. The solenoid valve may be operated for example from a 12V d.c. supply (35) which may be taken from the battery of a vehicle on which the system is mounted.
The solenoid valve (34) is under the control of a capillary thermostat (36) which is protected to 1P40, is supplied with a changeover microswitch and has a temperature range of from 10C to 90"C, accurate to within 3"C.
In order to prepare the system for operation, the head assembly is attached to the cylinder (10) via the connecting assembly (14) and the shut off valve (30) opened. The system is then pressurised by putting compressed air into the cylinder via the valve (24). Hose connected to the primary side of the solenoid valve (34) should be loosened in order to bleed the system.
In operation, the thermostat (36) will be set to a particular temperature. If the temperature in the location where the thermostat (36) is positioned reaches this temperature, the thermostat will activate the solenoid valve (34) causing it to open. Because of the pressure in the system, extinguishing liquid (12) will flow from the cylinder (10) through the open shut off valve (30) and the solenoid valve (34) to the nozzle (32) where it will be dispensed so as to extinguish the fire.
At the same time, the drop in pressure in the cylinder (10) and connecting assembly (14) will be detected by the pressure gauge and switch (22). The switch will close so that the alarm (26) is activated alerting the operator to the fire.
From the above description, it can be seen that the fire extinguishing system incorporating head assemblies of the invention is extremely flexible because, not only can the temperature of the thermostat be set so that the apparatus is adapted to various uses but, also, a single fire extinguishing system can be provided with several head assemblies connected in parallel allowing different parts of a single vehicle or machine to be protected with fire extinguishing apparatus which will still be operated at a temperature appropriate to the location.
Claims (21)
1. A head assembly for a fire extinguishing system comprising: i. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material; ii. a distribution tube; iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material within said distribution tube; wherein said valve is connected to a programmable thermostat and automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and out of said dispensing means when said thermostat reaches a pre-set temperature.
2. A head assembly according to claim 1 wherein said valve is directly connected to said thermostat.
3. A head assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said valve is a solenoid valve.
4. A head assembly according to claim 3 wherein said solenoid valve is servo assisted by means of a servo diaphragm.
5. A head assembly according to any preceding claim wherein said thermostat is a capillary thermostat.
6. A head assembly according to claim 5, wherein said capillary thermostat has a control temperature range of from 100 to 90 C.
7. A head assembly according to any preceding claim wherein said dispensing means is a spray/jet nozzle or a sprinkler head.
8. A head assembly according to any preceding claim wherein said fire extinguishing material is a liquid.
9. A head assembly according to claim 8, wherein said fire extinguishing material is water or a water-based foam.
10. An automatic fire extinguishing system incorporating a head assembly comprising: i. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material; ii. a distribution tube; iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material within said distribution tube; wherein said valve is connected to a programmable thermostat and automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and out of said dispensing means when said thermostat reaches a pre-set temperature.
11. A fire extinguishing system comprising: a. a head assembly comprising:
i. a dispensing means for a fire extinguishing material;
ii. a distribution tube;
iii. a valve which controls the flow of fire extinguishing material
within said distribution tube;
wherein said valve is connected to a programable thermostat and
automatically opens to allow the flow of material through a hose and out
of said dispensing means when said thermostat reaches a pre-set
temperature; b. a vessel containing fire extinguishing material; c. a connector assembly adapted to connect said vessel to said head assembly; and d. optionally, a bleed means adapted to bleed air or gas from said distribution tube; wherein components are arranged such that when the system is primed and ready for use said head assembly contains fire extinguishing material but substantially no air or other propellant gas.
12. A system according to claim 10 or claim 11 wherein said head assembly is connected to the system via a shut off valve so that said head assembly can be connected to and removed from said system.
13. A system according to claims 10-12 wherein a connector assembly incorporates a non-returnable valve adapted for pressurising said system with fluid.
14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the fluid is compressed air or nitrogen.
15. A system according to claims 13 or 14 wherein said non-returnable valve is of a SCHRAEDERTM type typically used on motor vehicles.
16. A system according to claims 10 to 15 which is portable.
17. A system according to claims 10 to 16 which is adapted for installation in a vehicle, car, lorry, caravan, boat or in any other form of transport, or for installation in fixed or mobile machinery, or for installation in or on agricultural machinery
18. A system according to claims 10 to 17 which further includes an alarm device so as to alert an operator to the existence of a fire or to the potential failure of the system.
19. A system according to claims 10 to 18 which includes a plurality of head assemblies according to claims 1 to 9.
20. A head assembly for a fire extinguishing system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
21. A fire extinguishing system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9623463A GB2320681B (en) | 1996-11-12 | 1996-11-12 | Fire extinguishing system |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9623463A GB2320681B (en) | 1996-11-12 | 1996-11-12 | Fire extinguishing system |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9623463D0 GB9623463D0 (en) | 1997-01-08 |
| GB2320681A true GB2320681A (en) | 1998-07-01 |
| GB2320681B GB2320681B (en) | 2003-05-28 |
Family
ID=10802769
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9623463A Expired - Fee Related GB2320681B (en) | 1996-11-12 | 1996-11-12 | Fire extinguishing system |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2320681B (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2890868A1 (en) * | 2005-09-22 | 2007-03-23 | Bernard Edmond Jules Queulain | Fire extinguisher for communal waste bin has sprinkler system round covering hood actuated by solenoid valve and temperature sensor(s) |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1279722A (en) * | 1968-10-28 | 1972-06-28 | Fenwal Inc | Fire protection apparatus |
| GB1500446A (en) * | 1974-05-14 | 1978-02-08 | Siemens Ag | Automatic fire sensing and extinguisher devices |
| US4356870A (en) * | 1980-11-18 | 1982-11-02 | Gaylord Industries, Inc. | Water spray fire protection for hoods over cooking units |
| US5463375A (en) * | 1990-06-19 | 1995-10-31 | Dylec Ltd. | Status-reporting device for reporting a predetermined temperature state, temperature sensor suitable for such a status-reporting device, and process for the production of such a temperature sensor |
-
1996
- 1996-11-12 GB GB9623463A patent/GB2320681B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1279722A (en) * | 1968-10-28 | 1972-06-28 | Fenwal Inc | Fire protection apparatus |
| GB1500446A (en) * | 1974-05-14 | 1978-02-08 | Siemens Ag | Automatic fire sensing and extinguisher devices |
| US4356870A (en) * | 1980-11-18 | 1982-11-02 | Gaylord Industries, Inc. | Water spray fire protection for hoods over cooking units |
| US5463375A (en) * | 1990-06-19 | 1995-10-31 | Dylec Ltd. | Status-reporting device for reporting a predetermined temperature state, temperature sensor suitable for such a status-reporting device, and process for the production of such a temperature sensor |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2890868A1 (en) * | 2005-09-22 | 2007-03-23 | Bernard Edmond Jules Queulain | Fire extinguisher for communal waste bin has sprinkler system round covering hood actuated by solenoid valve and temperature sensor(s) |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9623463D0 (en) | 1997-01-08 |
| GB2320681B (en) | 2003-05-28 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) | ||
| 710B | Request of alter time limits |
Free format text: EXTENSION APPLICATION: APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF THE PERIOD(S) PRESCRIBED BY RULE(S) 34 FILED ON20020813. |
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| 710B | Request of alter time limits |
Free format text: EXTENSION APPLICATION: APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF THE PERIOD(S) PRESCRIBED BY RULE(S) 34 FILED ON20020813. |
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| 9110 | Period prescribed has been extended under rule 110(6)/1990 |
Free format text: EXTENSION ALLOWED: PERIOD(S) PRESCRIBED BY RULE(S) 34 EXTENDED UNDER RULE 110(6) IN ACCORDANCE WITHTHE DECISION OF THE COMPTROLLER DATED 20021030. THE PATENT/APPLICATION IS REINSTATED SUBJECT TO SPECIAL TERMS FOR THIRD PARTY INTERESTS. |
|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20081112 |
|
| S28 | Restoration of ceased patents (sect. 28/pat. act 1977) |
Free format text: APPLICATION FILED |
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| S28 | Restoration of ceased patents (sect. 28/pat. act 1977) |
Free format text: RESTORATION ALLOWED Effective date: 20101209 |
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| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20111112 |