# US 10,478,648 B2 · Fire suppression apparatus and method for flammable liquid storage tank rim seal gap area > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,478,648 B2 - Document ID: US10478648B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/809,711 - Filed: 2015-07-27 - Published: 2017-02-02 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-27 - Applicants: Alexandre F Basseches - Inventors: Alexandre F Basseches - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10478648B2 ## CPC - A62C 3/065: {for containers filled with inflammable liquids} - A62C 35/10: Containers destroyed or opened by flames or heat - A62C 99/0009: {Methods of extinguishing or preventing the spread of fire by cooling down or suffocating the flames} - A62C: FIRE-FIGHTING (fire-extinguishing compositions, use of chemical substances in extinguishing fires A62D1/00; spraying, applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; alarm arrangements G08B, e.g. fire alarms actuated by smoke or gases G08B17/10) ## Abstract A fire suppressant system mounted above the flammable liquid within the rim space between a floating roof and the tank wall that stores solid fire suppressant materials within a container reactant to increased temperature by disintegrating and dropping the fire suppressant material to create an oxygen barrier and retard the spread of a fire. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fire suppressant system for retarding the spread of a fire of a stored flammable liquid in an annular space between a floating roof and a wall of a storage tank surrounding the floating roof comprising: the floating roof set off from the wall of the storage tank by a self-centering seal extending over the surface of the stored flammable liquid in the annular space between the floating roof and said wall of the storage tank, said floating roof having a rim circumscribing the floating roof and a top surface; a plurality of containers mounted within the annular space at predetermined locations along the rim of the floating roof above the flammable liquid for holding a plurality of fire suppressant bodies, each of said plurality of containers responsive to an increase in temperature caused by combustion of the flammable liquid by rupturing or disintegrating and releasing the plurality of fire suppressant bodies to the liquid surface below; said fire suppressant bodies dropping to the flammable liquid surface create an oxygen barrier over the flammable liquid along said liquid surface for suppressing any fire within the annular space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fire suppressant system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of containers are mounted along the rim of the floating roof between the surface of the flammable liquid and a point below the top surface of the floating roof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fire suppressant system of claim 1 wherein the shape of said fire suppressant bodies is selected from the group consisting of spherical, pyramidal and rectangular solid geometric shapes, a number of each selected solid shape capable of being retained within each of said plurality of containers. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fire suppressant system of claim 1 wherein a material of said fire suppressant bodies is selected from the group consisting of high melt temperature plastics wherein melting occurs at the temperature of combustion of the stored flammable liquid, intumescent materials, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fire suppressant system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of containers are dimensioned to fit within the annular space along the rim of the floating roof so as not to be crushed and ruptured as the floating roof continues to self-center itself on the surface of the flammable liquid. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fire suppressant system of claim 1 wherein said predetermined locations for the mounting of the plurality of containers along the rim of the floating roof are determined based upon the number of fire suppressant bodies that can be housed within the said containers and the surface area of the flammable liquid that these fire suppressant bodies must cover to create the oxygen barrier for fire suppression. ### Claim 7 A fire suppression apparatus for retarding the spread of a fire of a stored flammable liquid in an annular space between a floating roof and a wall of a storage tank surrounding the floating roof comprising: a series of containers for holding a plurality of fire suppressant bodies mounted at predetermined locations along a rim circumscribing the floating roof above the flammable liquid within the annular space created between the floating roof and the wall of the storage tank by a self-centering seal extending over the surface of the flammable liquid; each of said series of containers being responsive to an increase in temperature caused by combustion of the flammable liquid by rupturing or disintegrating and releasing the plurality of fire suppressant bodies to the liquid surface below; said fire suppressant bodies dropping from each disintegrating or rupturing container of said series of containers to the flammable liquid surface creating an oxygen barrier over the flammable liquid along said liquid surface for suppressing any fire within the annular space. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The fire suppressant apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of said series of containers is mounted along the rim of the floating roof between the surface of the flammable liquid and a point below a top surface of the floating roof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The fire suppressant apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of said series of containers is dimensioned to fit within the annular space along the rim of the floating roof so as not to be crushed and ruptured as the floating roof continues to self-center itself on the surface of the flammable liquid. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The fire suppressant apparatus of claim 7 wherein said predetermined locations for the mounting of the series of containers along the rim of the floating roof are determined based upon the number of fire suppressant bodies that can be housed within the said containers and the surface area of the flammable liquid that these fire suppressant bodies must cover to create the oxygen barrier for fire suppression. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The fire suppressant apparatus of claim 7 wherein said fire suppressant bodies are selected from the group consisting of spherical, pyramidal and rectangular solid geometric shape, a number of each selected solid shape capable of being retained within each of said plurality of containers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The fire suppressant apparatus of claim 7 wherein a material of said fire suppressant bodies is selected from the group consisting of high melt temperature plastics wherein melting occurs at the temperature of combustion of the stored flammable liquid, intumescent materials, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 13 A method for the retarding the spread of a fire within an annular space formed between a floating roof and a wall of a flammable liquid storage tank surrounding the floating roof comprising the steps of: providing a series of containers for holding a plurality of fire suppressant bodies mounted at predetermined locations along a rim circumscribing the floating roof above a flammable liquid within the annular space created between the floating roof and the wall of the storage tank by a self-centering seal extending over the surface of the flammable liquid; said series of containers being responsive to an increase in temperature caused by combustion of the flammable liquid by rupturing or disintegrating and releasing the plurality of fire suppressant bodies to the liquid surface below; dropping said fire suppressant bodies from each disintegrating or rupturing container of said series of containers to the flammable liquid surface creating an oxygen barrier over the flammable liquid along said liquid surface for suppressing any fire within the annular space. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method for the retarding the spread of a fire of claim 13 further comprising the step of mounting each of said series of containers along the rim of the floating roof between the surface of the flammable liquid and a point below a top surface of the floating roof. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method for the retarding the spread of a fire of claim 13 further comprising the step of dimensioning each of said series of containers to fit within the annular space along the rim of the floating roof so as not to be crushed and ruptured as the floating roof continues to self-center itself on the surface of the flammable liquid. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method for the retarding the spread of a fire of claim 13 further comprising the step of mounting the of the series of containers along the rim of the floating roof based upon the number of fire suppressant bodies that can be housed within the said containers and the surface area of the flammable liquid that these fire suppressant bodies must cover to create the oxygen barrier for fire suppression. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method for the retarding the spread of a fire of claim 13 further comprising the step of selecting said fire suppressant bodies from the group consisting of spherical, pyramidal and rectangular solid geometric shapes, a number of each selected solid shape capable of being retained within each of said plurality of containers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method for the retarding the spread of a fire of claim 13 further comprising the step of selecting a material of said fire suppressant bodies from the group consisting of high melt temperature plastics wherein melting occurs at the temperature of combustion of the stored flammable liquid, intumescent materials, or combinations thereof.