US 11,529,534 B2Granted

Wet pipe fire protection sprinkler system dual air vent with vent failure failsafe feature

AssigneeSouth-Tek Systems, LLC

InventorsScott Christian Bodemann, Robert Alan Norman

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Abstract

A dual air vent assembly for wet pipe fire protection sprinkler systems allows air or gas to vent from system pipes as they fill, without spilling any water into the fire-protected environment, even if an air vent valve, operative to discharge air or gas but not fluid, fails. A shut-off valve is upstream of the first air vent valve, and a reservoir is downstream of it. Small amounts of water that escape the first air vent valve are collected in the downstream reservoir, and evaporate. The reservoir also collects fluid if the first air vent valve fails. In response to fluid in the reservoir at or above a predetermined level, the shut-off valve is actuated to arrest the flow of fluid into the first air vent valve. No water escapes the assembly, even if the first air vent valve fails. The shut-off valve may be electronically or mechanically actuated.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A dual air vent assembly with a failsafe feature operative to vent air or gas, but not liquid, from a wet pipe fire protection sprinkler system, comprising:

an upstream air vent valve connected to a pipe of a sprinkler system, the upstream air vent valve including a liquid blocking mechanism operative to vent air or gas but substantially no liquid from the pipe to an output, wherein the upstream air vent valve is the first air vent valve encountered by a liquid exiting the sprinkler system pipe;
a mechanically or electrically actuated liquid shut-off valve interposed between the pipe and the upstream air vent valve, the mechanically or electrically actuated liquid shut-off valve operative to arrest a flow of the liquid from the pipe to the upstream air vent valve when actuated;
and
a reservoir including a downstream air vent connected in fluid flow relationship to the output of the upstream air vent valve such that the air or gas, and any of the liquid discharged by the upstream air vent valve, enters the reservoir, wherein the air or gas is discharged from the reservoir through the downstream air vent;
wherein the mechanically or electrically actuated shut-off valve is automatically actuated, so as to arrest a further flow of the liquid from the pipe to the upstream air vent valve, in response to the liquid in the reservoir at or above a predetermined level greater than zero.

2 more elements

A method of operating a wet pipe fire protection system including at least one dual air vent assembly comprising an upstream air vent valve, including a liquid blocking mechanism, connected to a pipe of a sprinkler system and operative to vent air or gas but substantially no liquid from the pipe, wherein the upstream air vent valve is the first air vent valve encountered by a liquid exiting the sprinkler system pipe, a mechanically or electrically actuated liquid shut-off valve interposed between the pipe and the upstream air vent valve, a reservoir including a downstream air vent connected to an output of the upstream air vent valve in fluid flow relationship, and a liquid level sensor in the reservoir operative to sense liquid at or above a predetermined level, the method comprising:

filling a pipe of the wet pipe fire protection system with a liquid;
venting air or gas, displaced by the liquid, from the pipe via the upstream air vent valve, reservoir, and downstream air vent;
retaining in the reservoir any of the liquid discharged by the upstream air vent valve as the pipe completely fills with the liquid, or in the event of a failure of the upstream air vent valve;
in response to the liquid in the reservoir at or above a predetermined level greater than zero, arresting the flow of the liquid to the upstream air vent valve by automatically actuating the mechanically or electrically actuated liquid shut-off valve.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.