US 12,564,744 B1Granted

Apparatus and method for mitigating Santa Ana wind fire hazards

AssigneeViridis Arbor LLC

InventorGary E. Abeles

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A fire hazard due to Santa Ana winds is mitigated by causing the winds to flow through an evaporative barrier proximate an entrance to a canyon, thereby cooling, humidifying, and slowing the winds. Water applied to the barrier can be drawn by a pump from an underlying aquifer. Power for the pump can be provided by a windmill positioned in the path of the winds, and/or by solar panels. A mat containing seeds and/or seedlings and super absorbent polymer (SAP) can be positioned upwind or downwind of the evaporative barrier, and water can be applied to the mat, causing the winds to pass through the resulting vegetation, thereby further slowing and humidifying the winds. A thermally conductive network can cool the mat by conducting heat from the mat to the evaporative barrier. Brackish water can be directed to a desalination apparatus, and thence as fresh water to the mat.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of mitigating fire hazards arising from a wind flowing from a desert through a canyon onto a fire prone region, the method comprising:

providing or identifying a source of water proximate an entrance to the canyon;
providing a source of electrical energy proximate the entrance to the canyon;
providing an evaporative cooling system, said evaporative cooling system comprising an evaporative barrier erected proximate the entrance to the canyon, the evaporative barrier being configured to expose the wind to water disbursed within the evaporative barrier, thereby cooling and humidifying the wind, and slowing a velocity of the wind;
providing a pump cooperative with the source of electrical energy, the source of water, and the evaporative barrier, the pump being configured to direct water from the source of water onto the evaporative barrier;
and
causing the pump to apply water from the source of water to the evaporative barrier, thereby providing and maintaining the water disbursed within the evaporative barrier.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.