# US 2019/0168040 A1 · Firefighting polymer gel preparation onboard aircraft

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- Number: US 2019/0168040 A1
- Document ID: US20190168040A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/268,166
- Filed: 2019-02-05
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-01
- Inventors: Leonard E. Doten
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168040A1

## CPC

- A62C 5/033: of gel
- A01B 3/02: Man-driven ploughs
- A62C 3/0242: {by spraying extinguishants from the aircraft (spraying from aircraft in general B64D1/16)}
- A62C 5/002: {Apparatus for mixing extinguishants with water}
- A62C 5/008: {for producing other mixtures of different gases or vapours, water and chemicals, e.g. water and wetting agents, water and gases}
- A62D 1/0064: {Gels; Film-forming compositions}
- B01F 23/431: {the liquids being introduced from the outside through or along the axis of a rotating stirrer, e.g. the stirrer rotating due to the reaction of the introduced liquid}
- B01F 23/451: by injecting one liquid into another
- B01F 25/53: in which the mixture is discharged from and reintroduced into a receptacle through a recirculation tube, into which an additional component is introduced
- B01F 27/0721: {parallel with respect to the rotating axis}
- B01F 27/0723: {oblique with respect to the rotating axis}
- B01F 27/0727: {having stirring elements connected to the stirrer shaft each by two or more radial rods, e.g. the shaft being interrupted between the rods, or of crankshaft type}
- B01F 27/62: {comprising liquid feeding, e.g. spraying means}
- B01F 27/70: with paddles, blades or arms
- B01F 33/406: {in receptacles with gas supply only at the bottom (B01F33/405 takes precedence)}
- B01F 35/5311: {with horizontal baffles mounted on the walls}
- B64D 1/16: Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid, or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting (jettisoning fuel B64D37/26)
- B64D 9/00: Equipment for handling freight; Equipment for facilitating passenger embarkation or the like
- A62C 3/0228: {with delivery of fire extinguishing material by air or aircraft (fire-fighting aircraft B64D1/16)}
- 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)
- A01B: SOIL WORKING IN AGRICULTURE OR FORESTRY; PARTS, DETAILS, OR ACCESSORIES OF AGRICULTURAL MACHINES OR IMPLEMENTS, IN GENERAL (making or covering furrows or holes for sowing, planting or manuring A01C5/00; mowers convertible to soil working apparatus or capable of soil working A01D42/04; mowers combined with soil working implements A01D43/12; soil working for engineering purposes E01, E02, E21)
- A62D: CHEMICAL MEANS FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES OR FOR COMBATING OR PROTECTING AGAINST HARMFUL CHEMICAL AGENTS; CHEMICAL MATERIALS FOR USE IN BREATHING APPARATUS
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT

## Abstract

A tank on a firefighting aircraft initially is loaded with water. A polymer gel emulsion vessel is provided on the aircraft, but is not activated and mixed with tank water until such polymer gel preparation is initiated by an operator. When initiated, a pump pulls water from the tank and doses it with gel emulsion. Double elbows and/or the pump impeller fully activates the polymer gel. The activated polymer gel is mixed within the tank by one of a variety of systems including mixing paddles or sparging with gas. In one embodiment, a hollow tower of telescoping form has a float to keep an upper end near a surface in the tank and a sparging gas entry is a controlled distance below the surface, such that gas of limited pressure, such as from a ram air inlet can sparge and mix the water and activated polymer gel emulsion effectively.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1: A method for fighting fire with an aircraft, the method including the steps of:
loading a polymer gel containing composition into a container onboard the aircraft;
flying the aircraft to a body of water;
filling a reservoir on the aircraft at least partially with water from a body of water;
combining at least a portion of the polymer gel containing composition from the container with at least a portion of the water from the reservoir;
flying the aircraft to a drop location; and
dropping combined water and polymer gel containing composition at the drop location.

### Claim at position 2 (depends on 1)

2: The method of claim 1 wherein said combining step includes pumping the polymer gel containing composition from the container into the water reservoir with a dosing pump.

### Claim at position 3 (depends on 2)

3: The method of claim 2 wherein said dosing pump is located outside of the water reservoir.

### Claim at position 4 (depends on 3)

4: The method of claim 3 wherein a polymer gel line extends downstream from the dosing pump, the polymer gel line located at least partially outside of the water reservoir.

### Claim at position 5

5: An airborne firefighting system, comprising in combination:
an aircraft;
a polymer gel composition container, said polymer gel composition container located onboard said aircraft;
a water reservoir, said water reservoir located onboard said aircraft;
a water fill inlet upstream of said water reservoir;
a controller for flow of polymer gel composition from said polymer gel composition container to said water reservoir; and
a discharge for combined water and polymer gel composition from said aircraft.

### Claim at position 6 (depends on 5)

6: The system of claim 5 wherein a polymer gel composition line extends from said polymer gel composition container to said water reservoir; and
wherein a dosing pump is located to advance polymer gel composition along side polymer gel composition line.

### Claim at position 7 (depends on 6)

7: The system of claim 6 wherein said dosing pump is coupled to said controller.

### Claim at position 8 (depends on 6)

8: The system of claim 6 wherein said dosing pump is located outside of said water reservoir.

### Claim at position 9 (depends on 8)

9: The system of claim 8 wherein said polymer gel composition line is located outside of said water reservoir.