US2254879A - Hydraulic fire foam lift - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 2, 1941. a ADAMS 2,254,879

HYDRAULIC FIRE FOAM LIFT Filed March 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 'INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 2, 1941. J. s. ADAMS HYDRAULIC FIRE FOAM LIFT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 16, 1938 Sept. 2, 1941. J. s. ADAMS HYDRAULIC FIRE LIFT Filed March 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PUMP 70 5,455 0F Z/Fr Patented Sept. 2, 1941 FlCE HYDRAULIC FIRE FOAM LIFT John S. Adams, East Providence, R. 1., assignor to Socony-Vacuum 'Oil Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 16, 1938, Serial No. 196,101

2 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a fire extinguishing apparatus for storage tanks and, more particularly, is concemed with a foam delivery apparatus for combating fires in oil tanks.

Oil tanks are generally provided with permanently installed devices for placing fire fighting foamon the surface of the oil in the tank in case of fire. However, fires in oil storage tanks are usually accompanied by explosions which may partially or wholly remove the roof of 'the tank' and thus frequently render useless any permanently installed device. Moreover, many tanks are not equipped with any permanently installed fire fighting devices.

In order to overcome the above difiiculties, varions types of emergency fire fighting equipment have been devised which can be rushed to the scene-of the accident, assembled and put into action. These prior devices usually comprise some arrangement as, for instance, merely poles and pikes which enable the workmen to hoist'a foam delivery tube over the upper edge of the oil tank, whereby fire fighting foam may be delivered on to-the surface of the burning oil. The main disadvantage with the devices used in the past is the amount of time and the number of workmen required to assemble and erect the foam delivery tube into a position for delivering fire fighting foam on to the burning oil.

It is an object of this'invention to provide a highly efficient fireextinguishing apparatus that may be erected and put into operation delivering fire fighting' foam into a storage tank in the least possible time.

Another object of this invention is to provide an efiicient fire extinguishing apparatus which can be assembled for operation in a relatively short time by a minimum number of persons.

A further object of this invention is to provide an efficient fire extinguishing apparatus of a portable character which may be dismantled and stored in a minimum amount of space when not in use.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a portable fire extinguishing apparatus for storage tanks comprising, in combination, a suitablysupported hydraulic lift comprising telescope chambers and an elongated rigid foam delivery tube,

the upper chamber of said lift being constructed with means for attachment to said rigid foam delivery tube in order that it may be hoisted thereby into a position for delivery of foam into a storage tank.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements,

and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims. The invention will be more closely defined by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a suitable hydraulic lift;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the telescope chambers ofthe hydraulic lift;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus showing a suitable foam delivery tube dismantled and a flexible, extension delivery tubing in a rolled up position;

Fig. 4. is a perspective view of the apparatus in position for use; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a suitable pump and fluid reservoir for the hydraulic lift.

Referring now to the drawings wherein similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views, the hydraulic lift which, in fact, is a quickly extendible jim-pole operated by hydraulic means, comprises a plurality of tubular chambers I, 2 and 3 which telescope within one another, the lowermost chamber I being of the largest diameter and the next chamber 2 being of sufliciently less diameter to slide into chamher I, and chamber 3 being of sufliciently less diameter to slide into chamber 2. The smallest chamber 3 is constructed with a supporting head 4 which, in turn, is equipped with loops 5 adapted for fastening block and tackle 6 (see Fig. 3) or other suitable hoisting means. The lowermost chamber I is provided with a fluid inlet 1 which in turn communicates with a suitable fluid supply reservoir through a suitable pump as, for in-' stance, the easily portable reservoir 9 and plunger type pump ID shown in Fig. 5. The pump I0 is equipped with a by-pass II for lowering the hydraulic lift. It is to be noted, however, that other means may be employed for lowering the lift as, for instance, providing a three way cock in the fluid supply pipe 8.

In order to afford means for supporting the telescope chambers in an upright position during use, a suitable number of legs I2 are provided, each pivotally attached to a plate I 3 welded to the upper part of chamber I. Preferably, the lower part of chamber I and legs I2 are equipped with hooks or loops I4 and [5 respecti ely, whereby guy lines I6 may be fastened to regulate the distance to which the legs may be extended. When not in use, the legs I2 fold inwardly to a position alongside the tubular chamber I. Each leg I2 is preferably equipped with a detachable stake II having a pointed end. The detachable stakes Il may be provided with pins I8 to prevent the legs from sinking into the ground. The stakes Il may also be provided with horizontal rings I9 for use when the hydraulic lift is to be erected on soft ground. .It is preferred that the legs I2 be of such length that when the detachable stakes IiI are removed and the legs allowed to fold alongside the tubular chamber I, they will not extend beyond the end of .chamber I, thus facilitating erection..

Preferably the joints between the chambers I, 2 and 3 are constructed so as to provide fluidtight connections rather than making fluid-tight connections between the lower ends of chambers I and 2 and their surrounding chambers. The joints may be made in any suitable manner. A highly satisfactory construction is shown in the detailed sectional view of Fig. 2, wherein the upper edge of chamber I terminates in a bell joint 29 with a ring 2| resting on the internal shoulder of the bell joint. Suitable packing material 22 is disposed on ring 2| and clamped firmly in place by plate 23 carrying collar 24, the plate 23 being secured by bolts 25 passing through the plate and lugs 26 which are welded to thechamber. ,When the plate 23 is clamped tightly into place, the packing material 22 is compressed against the enclosed chamber-wall thus providing the required fluid-tight fit. The joint at the upper edge of chamber 2 is of a similar construction.

The lower ends of chambers I and 2, which are positioned within chambers 2, and 3 respectively, are similar in construction to each other, except that a plate 21' may be provided across the bottom of chamber I for sealing it and thereby reducing the amount of fluid required for raising the lift. Small guide lips 28 may be provided around the lower edges, if desired.

The foam delivery tube 29 (see Figs. 3 and 4) is an elongated rigid tube or pipe of sufificient length for its delivery end to extend over the upper edge of a storage tank and may be of any suitable construction, such as the tube 29 shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Preferably, the delivery tube is constructed in sections as shown, which may be quickly assembled in case of a fire and which may be dismembered and stored in a relatively small space when not in use. Due to the intense heat developed in a storage tank in case of, fire, it is preferredto-have the delivery tube of sufilcient length to extend from the top of the storage tank to a point on the ground a short distance from the tank, thus permitting the device to be set up at a place where the heat is relatively not so intense.

The foam delivery tube is equipped with a collar 30 constructed with a suitable hook or 'ring for attaching the block and tackle 6 or other hoisting means of the hydraulic lift. It is desirable to position the-collar 30 on the foam delivery tube so that more weight will be on the base end of the tube. Hence, when the tube is raised the base end will remain on the ground of its own accord while the delivery end is elevated. Near the bottom of the tube, a connection 3| is provided for introducing foam. Preferably, a suitable supporting carriage, such as 32, is constructed around the base of the tube.

The delivery end of the tube 29 comprises a curved end 33 permitting it to be hooked over the upper edge of a storage tank. In the preferred form of theapp'aratus, a flexible,,collapsible asbestos tubing 34 (see Fig. 4) is attached to the delivery end of the foam tube 29 and is of sumcient length. to extend down into a storage tank to the surface of the oil. In operation, this flexible tubing extends down into the storage 'tank to approximately the surface of the burning oil and thus delivers the fire fighting foam directly into the fire, whereby all of the foam serves to extinguish the flre,' resulting in a considerable increase in efliciency. When foam is merely emitted from a delivery tube at the top of a storage tank and allowed to settle down toward the surface of the oil, a substantial amount of th fire fighting foam is destroyed or carried away by .the rising fumes and flames; hence only a portion of the foam delivered actually serves to extinguish the fire. The flexible tubing 34 may be rolled up when not in use as shown in Fig. 4.

While the apparatus may be prepared from various metals, it is preferred to construct the hydraulic lift of steel and to construct the foam delivery tube of some lighter metal, such as aluminum.

The hydraulic lift may be operated with any desirable fluid, such as air, steam, water or oil from any suitable compressor. For instance, in the case of water, the water from a fire-truck pumper may be used. However, in the pre ferred form a light grade machine oil is used (a low pour point test oil being used in winter).

The oil may be contained in a small portable tank which serves as a reservoir while a small plunger type pump may serve as the compressing means.

In an operation where the chambers I, 2 and 3 of the hydraulic lift were constructed of steel pipes of 2", 3" and 4" diameter, respectively, chamber I' being approximately 7 long and chambers 2 and 3 being 10' long each, it was found that a pressure of approximately '70 pounds per square inch was required to fully extend chamber 2, and then a pressure of-l60 pounds per square inch was required to fully extend the 2" pipe comprising chamber 3. While one man can operate the pump, it is faster to use two men. The time required to erect the hydraulic lift, assemble and elevate a foam delivery tube of three sections is about four to four and a half minutes. Furthermore, the lift may beset up by four men, and, after it has been erected, only three men are required to elevate the foam delivery tube to its proper position, whereas nine or ten men are required to elevate a foam delivery tube by use of poles andpikes.

In case a fire occurs in a storage tank, the apparatus is hurriedly wheeled tothe tank, whereupon the hydraulic lift is quickly set up, supported by its legs I2, and the pump operated to extend the telescope chambers to their full height while the sections of .the foam delivery tube 29 are being quickly assembled. As soon as the foam tube 29 is assembled, the block and tackle 6 is operated with a suitable cable or rope to hoist the tube into position with its delivery end 33 hooked over the edge of the oil tank. Foam is supplied to the delivery tube 29 through connection 3| fromany suitable source, as, for instance, a conventional twp-pipe foam system or a powder foam system such as the well-known Amdyco system.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and'different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all with its foam delivery end hooked over the to;

' edge of the tank by manually moving the has end of said tube.

2. In a method of fighting fires in a storage tank containing highly, inflammable material such as oil by introducing foam into the tank through an elongated rigid, foam delivery tube shaft, being equipped with hoisting means at the upper end adapted to be fastened to saidfoam delivery tube for raising it into the air, said foam delivery tube being provided with means for connection to said hoisting means at a point between the center of gravity of said foam delivery tube and the delivery end thereof, and said shaft being of sufiicient heightwhen vertically extended that said tube may be raised into theair by said hoisting means to such an extent that the tube may be thereafter swung into operative position of greater length than the height of the tank,"

the improvement in the method of placing. the tube in operative position with its delivery end over the top edge of the tank which comprises erecting a vertically extensible shaft equipped with hoisting means at the upper end thereof, out of contact with the'tank, vertically extending said shaft, attaching said hoisting means to said tube at a point between the delivery end and the center of gravity thereof, hoisting the delivery end of said tube into the air, and then swinging the delivery end of said tube into operative position by manually moving the base end of the tube.

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