US 11,504,678 B2Granted

Self-contained fire protection system

OwnerBradley Philip Doane, Christopher Phil Weillinventors

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Abstract

A “FirePOD” provides a self-contained, portable, standalone fire protection system that enables property owners, firefighters or others to mix and apply fire-protective gel or foam to entities such as structures, vehicles, vegetation, etc., to protect those entities from wildfire events or other external fire incidents. In various implementations, the FirePOD includes a recirculation-based mixing system for combining a mixture comprising a powder, liquid, or gel-based Thermal Protective Substance (TPS) with a volume of water or other liquid to produce the fire-protective gel or foam. By applying reconfigurable valves, one or more pumps are applied to both recirculate the mixture and, when sufficiently mixed, apply the resulting fire-protective gel or foam via one or more hoses or other dispensing mechanisms. In various implementations, the FirePOD is movable, and is manually or automatically propelled to locations suitable for applying the fire-protective gel or foam.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A self-contained portable device for mixing and applying fire-protective substances, comprising:

a recirculation mixer coupled to a frame of the self-contained portable device, the recirculation mixer comprising:
a fluid pump having an inlet fluidically coupled to a storage and mixing tank,
a first port of a first adjustable multi-position valve fluidically coupled to an outlet of the fluid pump,
a proximal end of a return line fluidically coupled to a second port of the first multi-position valve,
a distal section of the return line fluidically coupled, and extending into, the storage and mixing tank, and
the distal section of the return line further comprising one more outlet nozzles configured to increase turbulence within the storage and mixing tank;
a proximal end of a delivery line fluidically coupled to a third port of the first multi-position valve;
in a recirculation mode, the first multi-position valve adjusted to cause fluidic coupling between the first port and the second port, thereby causing the fluid pump to recirculate a mixture comprising a fluid and a concentrate from the storage and mixing tank, through the fluid pump, through the first multi-position valve, through the return line, through the one or more outlet nozzles and back into the storage and mixing tank until the mixture is fully mixed;
and
in a delivery mode, the first multi-position valve adjusted to cause fluidic coupling between the first port and the third port, thereby causing the fluid pump to deliver the fully mixed mixture from the storage and mixing tank, through the fluid pump, through the first multi-position valve, and through the delivery line.

7 more elements

A system, comprising:

a frame;
a storage and mixing tank coupled to the frame;
a fluid pump having an inlet fluidically coupled to an outlet of the storage and mixing tank;
a first port of a first adjustable multi-position valve fluidically coupled to an outlet of the fluid pump,
a proximal end of a return line fluidically coupled to a second port of the first multi-position valve,
a distal section of the return line fluidically coupled, and extending into, the storage and mixing tank, the distal section of the return line further comprising a plurality of outlet nozzles configured to increase turbulence within the storage and mixing tank;
a proximal end of of a delivery line fluidically coupled to a third port of the first multi-position valve;
applying the storage and mixing tank, the fluid pump, the first adjustable multi-position valve, the return line, and the plurality of outlet nozzles to mix a fluid and a concentrate by adjusting the first multi-position valve to cause fluidic coupling between the first port and the second port, thereby causing the fluid pump to recirculate the fluid and concentrate from the storage and mixing tank, through the fluid pump, through the first multi-position valve, through the return line, through the plurality of outlet nozzles and back into the storage and mixing tank until the fluid and a concentrate are fully mixed;
and
responsive to the full mixing of the fluid and concentrate, applying the storage and mixing tank, the fluid pump, the first adjustable multi-position valve, and the delivery line to deliver the fully mixed fluid and concentrate by adjusting the first multi-position valve to cause fluidic coupling between the first port and the third port, thereby causing the fluid pump to deliver the fully mixed fluid and concentrate from the storage and mixing tank, through the fluid pump, through the first multi-position valve, and through the delivery line.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/566,126Filed 10 Sep 2019
Published: US 2021/0069659 A111 Mar 2021
Granted: 22 Nov 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

B01F 23/45
Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying: using flow mixing
A62C 5/002
Making of fire-extinguishing materials immediately before use: apparatus for mixing extinguishants with water
A62C 27/00
Fire-fighting land vehicles
B01F 23/49
Mixing liquids with liquids; Emulsifying: mixing systems, i.e. flow charts or diagrams