WO2014128389A2

WO2014128389A2 - Firefighting installation including a network of vacuum sprinklers, and an isolation member interposed between a control line and a hydraulic alarm activating line

Info

Publication number: WO2014128389A2
Application number: PCT/FR2014/050287
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maurice Kadoche
Original assignee: Vactec
Priority date: 2013-02-21
Filing date: 2014-02-13
Publication date: 2014-08-28
Also published as: FR3002155B1; FR3002155A1; WO2014128389A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a firefighting installation including a network of vacuum sprinklers (S) which can have water applied to it by a water pipe (61), the installation incorporating a trip device (2) connected to the vacuum network by a control line (21), the installation comprising an activation line (60) for activating a hydraulic alarm (600), characterized in that it comprises an isolation member (6) interposed between the control line (21) and the hydraulic alarm activation line (60), isolation member including: - a three-way body (63), a first way (630) communicating with the control line (21), a second way (631) communicating with the water pipe (61) and a third way (632) communicating with the hydraulic alarm activation line (60); a check valve (7) able to move within the body (63) between two positions: a standby first position, when the valve is closed, and a second position whereby the second and third ways (631), (632), communicate with one another while the first and second ways (630), (631) are isolated from one another.

Description

A fire-fighting facility, including a vacuum sprinkler system, and an isolation member interposed between a control line and a hydraulic alarm activation line.

The field of the invention is that of the design and manufacture of fire fighting equipment and installations. More specifically, the invention relates to an isolation member designed for firefighting installations called "vacuum".

The role of an automatic fire extinguishing system using sprinklers is to detect, as soon as possible, a fire and then automatically trigger the extinguishing system, at least locally, while emitting an alarm. The purpose of the installation is to contain as much as possible the fire, before the arrival of the firefighters who then take over the installation to extinguish the fire.

In the field of the invention, the fire-fighting installations are classified in three categories, namely:

- underwater systems;

- "under the air" systems;

- "vacuum" systems.

In these three systems, the sprinklers are networked so as to be regularly distributed on the site to be protected. Classically, sprinklers include:

- A fixing connection, for connecting the sprinkler to a pipe, this fixing fitting having a nozzle for the passage of water to release to extinguish the fire;

- a fuse;

- A sealing cap of the nozzle, held in the closed position by the fuse.

The fuse is calibrated to burst when a certain temperature is exceeded, thus releasing the nozzle from its sealing cap. In "underwater" systems, all the piping in the installation is filled with water, right down to the sprinklers. The water is therefore waiting behind the sealing means and when the fuse bursts, the water flows through the nozzle of the sprinkler fitting whose fuse has burst.

The time of release of water is immediate, which is particularly advantageous. In contrast, "underwater" systems are not suitable for sites with frost risks. Indeed, in case of frost, the water can not flow. In addition, the gel can cause damage to the piping of the installation (deformation or burst pipes). In some cases, the installation is then put out of water. In other cases, the site to be protected is heated to avoid any risk of frost. For sites to protect with a relatively large area, energy consumption, and therefore the heating bill, can be considerable, even prohibitive. Another way to fight against freezing is to add an antifreeze to the water of the installation, such as glycol, which is a toxic and carcinogenic product.

In "under air" systems, the whole installation is out of water. All the piping of the installation is kept under pressure. When the fuses burst, the air pressure is released by the sprinkler (s) in question and the water, also under pressure, tends to "push" the air out of the installation until it reaches the orifice or to the orifices released so as to escape through them.

With such a system, the water can in some cases take up to 60 seconds to reach the sprinkler whose fuse is burst, which is certainly in line with the standard in force but may be too long vis-à-vis vis of some fire starts.

In addition, the "under air" systems do not completely overcome the problems related to freezing. Indeed, condensation can occur in the pipes of an installation "under air", which can harm some components of the installation and defeat the protection. In general, underwater and underwater systems have the following disadvantages:

- they are subject to sludging and, consequently, clogging;

- they are subject to corrosion, which can obviously lead to an installation out of order in whole or in part and defeat the protection;

- they may be subject to water leaks not visible;

- They allow the development of micro-organisms in the pipes of the installation.

As a result, they require, inter alia, anti-freeze and anti-corrosion treatments (involving the use of harmful products).

Moreover, they require rinsing operations after use.

In addition, they involve relatively long commissioning times, depending on the extent of the installation, which can range from one to four hours for "underwater" systems and two hours or more for "wet" systems. under the air.

To overcome all these drawbacks, the "vacuum" systems have been designed. In "vacuum" systems, a vacuum is created in the pipes extending between a general valve and the set of sprinklers. In other words, all the pipes separating the valve from the sprinklers are under vacuum.

In these systems, vacuum is an active energy that serves as a functional source for sprinkler monitoring. Indeed, if a fuse of one of the sprinklers bursts, the atmospheric pressure wins the entire installation, which causes the change of state of an actuator which, in turn, opens the general valve of arrival of water. It follows that the water invades quickly and without obstacles the entire installation to the sprinklers, the water flowing through the sprinkler (s) where the fuse has burst. The still active vacuum in the networks quickly attracts the extinguishing water to the sprinklers whose fuse has burst. The tripping time of the actuator is very short, since when a fuse bursts, the "vacuum" installation immediately generates a phenomenon of suction of the air outside the installation. It should be noted that this suction can be beneficial, the suction effect on the fire focus to reduce the intensity of it.

The water inlet time of the sprinkler with the fuse blown is less than 60 seconds.

It is therefore understood that, due to the absence of water or condensation in an installation of a "vacuum" system, the following results are obtained:

- no corrosion, so no fogging or clogging;

- the guarantee of obtaining the required density of extinguishing water;

- no development of micro-organisms;

- no water leaks possible (water is by default absent in the pipes of the installation leading to the sprinklers);

no need for antifreeze or anticorrosive treatment;

- no rinsing necessary before commissioning the installation.

In addition, the commissioning time of an installation with a "vacuum" system operates extremely quickly, under a minute or so.

In vacuum systems, the trigger, that is to say the watering of the sprinkler network, is obtained using a device comprising an actuator.

Recent developments of a type of actuator for "vacuum" installation incorporates this actuator in an area of the unit for tripping and commissioning the facility that is best maintained out of water.

Furthermore, in fire-fighting installations, when they are triggered, they must activate an alarm hydraulic. The activation line of the hydraulic alarm must therefore be positioned in the installation accordingly.

The invention aims to propose a technique for reconciling these two constraints of "vacuum" installations.

More specifically, the invention aims to provide a member for optimally integrating the activation line of the hydraulic alarm, while preserving water an area of the installation including among others the actuator.

The invention also aims to provide such a body that eliminates any power supply, thus avoiding failure in case of power failure.

These objectives, as well as others that will appear later, are achieved thanks to the invention which has for object a fire-fighting installation, including a network of vacuum sprinklers that can be impounded by a pipe. of water at the outlet of a flooding valve, the installation incorporating a triggering device that controls the valve for flooding the sprinkler network, said triggering device being connected to the vacuum network by a control line , the valve being closed when the control line is under vacuum and open when the control line is at atmospheric pressure, the installation comprising an activation line of a hydraulic alarm, characterized in that it comprises an element isolation device interposed between the control line and the activation line of the hydraulic alarm, the isolation device including:

- a three-way body, a first channel communicating with the control line, a second channel communicating with the water pipe and a third channel communicating with the activation line of the hydraulic alarm;

a movable valve in the body between two positions: a first waiting position, when the valve is closed, and a second position according to which the second and third way communicate with each other while the first and second ways are isolated from each other. Thus, thanks to the invention, a "vacuum-type" fire-fighting installation is obtained in which the activation line of the hydraulic alarm is optimally integrated, in the immediate vicinity of the tripping device while now the control line of the trigger device out of water when triggering the installation.

In addition, as will become clearer later, the isolation device implemented in an installation according to the invention is purely mechanical, and therefore uses no power supply avoiding any dependence, as to its smooth operation, of such a power supply.

According to an advantageous solution, the valve is able to pass from the first to the second position under the effect of the water pressure.

In this way, it is ensured that the change of state of the isolating member is indeed caused during the activation of the installation, insofar as it is the water itself which ensures the change of state of the isolation member by its action on the valve.

Advantageously, the valve is adapted to move from the second to the first position under the sole effect of gravity.

Thus, the return of the valve in the second position takes place completely autonomously, without any need for external intervention to the organ.

According to a preferred solution, the valve is constituted by a ball.

In this case, the body advantageously has a lower portion provided with a support of the ball, said support being perforated.

Advantageously, the support comprises at least one diametral axis.

According to a preferred embodiment, the body has an upper portion coupled to said control line via a connecting head having an internal mouth capable of being closed by said ball.

Preferably, the body has a substantially cylindrical main part, one end communicates with the first channel and the other end communicates with the second channel.

In this case, the third path is constituted by a conduit extending at right angles from the substantially cylindrical main part of the body.

According to a particular embodiment, a manovacuometer is installed on the body of the isolation member.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, given as a simple illustrative and nonlimiting example, and the appended drawings in which:

the figurel is a schematic representation of a fire-fighting installation according to the invention;

- Figures 2 and 3 schematically illustrate an isolation member mounted in an installation according to the invention, respectively seen from the side and from below.

With reference to FIG. 1, a fire-fighting installation according to the invention comprises:

a network of sprinklers S intended to be kept under vacuum in the waiting position (ie in the "non-fire" configuration of the installation);

a vacuum pump 1 connected to the sprinkler network S;

a regulation tank 10;

a trigger device 2 connected to the vacuum circuit and to the vacuum pump 1 via a trigger bottle 20;

- A general valve 3 known to those skilled in the art by the designation "Inbal" (registered trademark), driven by the trigger device 2, and intended, in case of fire, to allow the water supply of the sprinkler system S. According to a known principle of this type of installation, the principle of which has been described in the published patent document under the number FR-2 724 323, the commissioning of such an installation provides for the evacuation of the network of sprinklers S, the vacuum thus also being present in the control line 21 leading to the trigger device 2. As long as the vacuum is present in this control line 21, the trigger device 2 maintains under water pressure the control chamber of the general valve 3, which keeps it in a closed position. If the fuse of one of the sprinklers bursts, the sprinkler network S starts at atmospheric pressure, which also propagates at the control line 21, which switches the state of the trigger device 2, which then authorizes, as will be described in more detail later, the pressure drop in the control chamber of the general valve 3, which will cause the opening of the latter and the impounding of the sprinkler network S .

As shown in FIG. 1, the triggering device equipping the installation comprises, according to the present embodiment:

an actuator 4;

- A master actuator 5 connected to the control line 21 mentioned above, the master actuator being intended to be sensitive to the pressure present in the sprinkler array in order to move a stirrup intended to act on the actuator to cause the change state of the latter, via a lever.

According to the operating principle of a fire-fighting installation using a vacuum sprinkler network as mentioned above, the water supply pipe communicates with a pilot line 22 connected to the control chamber of the valve 3 general, the latter being closed when the pipe Pilot 22 is in pressurized water and open when the pilot line is depressurized.

In addition, the installation includes:

an activation line 60 of a hydraulic alarm 600;

a water pipe 61, derived from the pipe at the outlet of the general valve 3;

a "vacuum" line 62 in communication with the control line 21 via a triggering bottle 20.

According to the principle of the invention, the installation comprises an isolation member 6 interposed between the control line 21 and the activation line 60 of the hydraulic alarm 600.

This isolation device is described below with reference to FIGS.

2 and 3.

As shown in this figure, the isolation organ includes:

a body 63 with three channels, namely a first channel 630 communicating with the control line 21, a second channel 631 communicating with the water pipe and a third channel 632 communicating with the activation line of the hydraulic alarm ;

a valve 7 movable in the body 63 between two positions: a first waiting position when the general valve 3 is closed, and a second position in which the second and third channels 631, 632 communicate with each other while the first and second second lanes 630, 631, are isolated from each other.

In FIG. 2, the valve 7 has the shape of a ball represented in dashed lines in its two extreme positions, namely:

- a low position, in which the ball rests on a support which is provided with the lower part of the body;

a high position, in which the ball occupies a closed position of the first channel 630. According to the present embodiment, the ball constituting the valve is able to:

moving from the first position (lower position) to the second position (up position) under the effect of the pressure of the water arriving via the second channel 631;

moving from the second position (upper position) to the first position (lower position), under the sole effect of gravity, when the water pressure drops, or even disappears, in the second channel 631.

Preferably, the support of the ball in the lower position is perforated, and comprises a diametrical axis 633 on which the ball comes to rest in the first position (low position). Thus, the support is perforated in that passages are formed on either side of the diametral axis.

In the upper part, the body is coupled to the control line via a connecting head 634, having an internal mouth which can be closed by the ball constituting the valve 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, the body has a substantially cylindrical main portion 635, one end of which communicates with the first channel 630 and the other end communicates with the second channel 631. It will be understood that the first channel and the second channel thus extend in alignment with one another.

In this configuration of the body of the isolation member, the third channel 632 is constituted by a conduit 6320 extending at right angles from the main substantially cylindrical portion 635 of the body.

Note also that a manovacuometer (8) is installed on the body of the isolation member, this with a stitch 636 formed on the body of the isolation member.

The operation of the installation provided with such an isolation member is as follows when the sprinkler network is under vacuum, the control line 21 is itself also under vacuum. In this case, the ball occupies, under the simple effect of its weight, the first position (low position), and rests on the diematral axis 633 of the isolation member.

When the installation is triggered, involving the flooding of the sprinkler system, the general valve 3 of the installation opens and puts the water pipe that communicates with the second channel 631 of the body of water. isolation, which causes a thrust on the ball constituting the valve 7. This thrust is sufficient to raise the ball to its upper position, in which it closes the first channel 630, while communicating the second channel 631 with the third channel 632. As a result, the activation line of the hydraulic alarm is in water and the hydraulic alarm itself is triggered.

Claims

1. Fire-fighting installation, including a network of vacuum sprinklers (S) that can be impounded by a water pipe (61) at the outlet of a valve (3) for filling the water, l an installation incorporating a triggering device (2) which controls the valve (3) for flooding the sprinkler array, said triggering device (2) being connected to the vacuum network by a control line (21), the valve (3) being closed when the control line (21) is under vacuum and open when the control line is at atmospheric pressure, the plant comprising an activation line (60) of a hydraulic alarm (600),

characterized in that it comprises an isolation member (6) interposed between the control line (21) and the activation line (60) of the hydraulic alarm, the isolation member including:

a body (63) with three channels, a first channel (630) communicating with the control line (21), a second channel (631) communicating with the water line (61) and a third channel (632) communicating with with the activation line (60) of the hydraulic alarm;

a valve (7) movable in the body (63) between two positions: a first waiting position, when the valve is closed, and a second position in which the second and third channels (631), (632) communicate between they while the first and second way (630), (631) are isolated from each other.

2. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (7) is adapted to pass from the first to the second position under the effect of the water pressure.

3. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (7) is adapted to move from the second to the first position under the sole effect of gravity.

4. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the valve (7) is constituted by a ball.

5. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (63) has a lower portion provided with a support of the ball, said support being perforated.

6. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 5, characterized in that the support comprises at least one diametral axis (633).

7. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 4, characterized in that the body (63) has an upper portion coupled to said control line via a connecting head (634) having an internal mouth susceptible to be closed by said ball.

8. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the body has a substantially cylindrical main part, one end communicates with the first channel and the other end communicates with the second channel.

9. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 8, characterized in that the third channel (632) is constituted by a duct (6320) extending at right angles from the substantially cylindrical main part (635) of the body .

10. Fire-fighting installation according to claim 9, characterized in that a manovacuometer (8) is installed on the body of the isolation member.