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US 5,427,181 AGranted
Mixer for compressed air foam system
AssigneeHale Fire Pump Company
InventorsMichael A. Laskaris, Daniel S. Borgnis, Mario D. DiLisi, David L. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for supplying compressed air and foam solution to produce a fire stream comprising an aerated foam includes a motionless mixer having an in-line chamber wherein the air and foam solution are mixed thoroughly in a short distance with a minimal pressure drop to produce an effective firefighting foam.
Claims13
A system for supplying compressed air and foam solution to produce a fire stream of aerated foam comprising
- means for combining flows of the air and the foam solution to produce a flow of a fluid comprised of said air and said foam solution, said flow combining means having a foam solution inlet, an air inlet, and a motionless mixer,
- said mixer including a plurality of flange members Joined together to define a cylindrical in-line mixing chamber, each flange member having an internal cylindrical flow passage extending through said mixer to define a mixing chamber section forming a part of said mixing chamber, said flow passage having an internal peripheral wall, and a plurality of fingers extending radially inwardly from said peripheral wall of said flow passage into said mixing chamber section, each of said fingers being a substantially cylindrically shaped member having a rounded wall at an upstream portion thereof, said fingers being constructed and arranged to obstruct the flow of said fluid through said flow passage and cause the fluid flow to diverge around opposite sides of each finger,
- an axial extent of said flow passage of each flange member being substantially less than the radial extent of each flange member,
- said flow combining means having a downstream end,
- a fire stream delivery means constructed and arranged to receive the fluid flow from said downstream end of said flow combining means,
- a fire pump for delivering water under pressure from a discharge thereof,
- a water supply conduit means for delivering the water delivered from the discharge of said pump to the foam solution inlet of said flow combining means,
- a foam proportioner for delivering foam chemical to said water supply conduit means so that the foam solution is delivered to said foam solution inlet,
- an air compressor for delivering the air at a delivery pressure to a discharge thereof, and
- air conduit means for delivering the air from said discharge of said air compressor to said air inlet of said flow combining means.
7 more elements
A system for supplying compressed air and foam solution to produce a fire stream of aerated foam comprising
- means for combining flows of the air and the foam solution having a foam solution inlet, an air inlet, and a first motionless mixer,
- said first mixer including a plurality of flange members joined together to define a cylindrical in-line mixing chamber, each flange member having an internal cylindrical flow passage extending through said first mixer to define a mixing chamber section forming a part of said mixing chamber, said flow passage having an internal peripheral wall, and a plurality of fingers extending radially inwardly from said peripheral wall of said flow passage into said mixing chamber section,
- said flow combining means having a downstream end,
- a fire stream delivery means constructed and arranged to receive fluid flow from said downstream end of said flow combining means,
- a fire pump for delivering water under pressure from a discharge thereof,
- a water supply conduit means for delivering the water delivered from the discharge of said pump to the foam solution inlet of said flow combining means,
- a foam proportioner for delivering foam chemical to said water supply conduit means so that the foam solution is delivered to said foam solution inlet,
- an air compressor for delivering the air under pressure from a discharge thereof, and
- air conduit means for delivering the air delivered from the discharge of said air compressor to said air inlet of said flow combining means,
- said fire stream delivery means including a first fire stream delivery device, a second fire stream delivery device, a first conduit means for delivering flow from the downstream end of said first mixer to said first fire stream delivery device, and a second conduit means for delivering flow from the downstream end of said first mixer to said second fire stream delivery device, said second conduit means comprising a second motionless mixer including a plurality of flange members joined together to define a cylindrical in-line mixing chamber.
7 more elements
A system for supplying compressed air and foam solution to produce a fire stream of aerated foam comprising
- means for combining flows of the air and the foam solution having a foam solution inlet, an air inlet, and a discharge,
- a fire stream delivery means constructed and arranged to receive fluid flow from said discharge of said flow combining means,
- a fire pump for delivering water under pressure from a discharge thereof,
- a water supply conduit means for delivering the water delivered from the discharge of said pump to the foam solution inlet of said flow combining means,
- a foam proportioner for delivering foam chemical to said water supply conduit means so that the foam solution is delivered to said foam solution inlet,
- an air compressor for delivering the air at a delivery pressure to a discharge thereof,
- air conduit means for delivering the air delivered from said air compressor discharge to said air inlet of said flow combining means,
- said fire stream delivery means including first and second fire stream delivery devices,
- first conduit means including a first motionless mixer for delivering the flow from said discharge of said flow combining means to said first fire stream delivery device, and
- second conduit means including a second motionless mixer for delivering the flow from the discharge of said flow combining means to said second fire stream delivery device, said second conduit means having an upstream end connected to said first conduit means at a location downstream of said first mixer and a downstream end connected to said second fire stream delivery device, said second mixer being located between said upstream and downstream ends of said second conduit means so that flow therethrough is delivered only to said second fire stream delivery device,
- said first and second mixers each comprising a plurality of flange members joined together to define an in-line mixing chamber, each flange member including a plurality of mixing members within said mixing chamber thereof.
8 more elements
A system for supplying compressed air and foam solution to produce a fire stream of aerated foam comprising
- means for combining flows of the air and the foam solution having a foam solution inlet, an air inlet, and a motionless mixer,
- said mixer including a plurality of flange members joined together to define a cylindrical in-line mixing chamber, each flange member having an internal cylindrical flow passage extending through said mixer to define a mixing chamber section forming a part of said mixing chamber, said flow passage having an internal peripheral wall, and a plurality of fingers extending radially inwardly from said peripheral wall of said flow passage into said mixing chamber sections,
- said flow combining means having a downstream end,
- a fire stream delivery means constructed and arranged to receive fluid flow from said downstream end of said flow combining means,
- a fire pump for delivering water under pressure from a discharge thereof,
- a water supply conduit means for delivering the water delivered from the discharge of said pump to the foam solution inlet of said flow combining means,
- a foam proportioner for delivering foam chemical to said water supply, conduit means so that the foam solution is delivered to said foam solution inlet,
- an air compressor for delivering the air at a delivery pressure to a discharge thereof, and
- air conduit means for delivering the air from said discharge of said air compressor to said air inlet of said flow combining means,
- said fingers of each flange member being circumferentially equally spaced apart around said flow passage thereof,
- said mixer including means for joining together said plurality of flange members in side-by-side relation in an arrangement wherein the fingers of each flange member are in staggered relation to the fingers of a flange member adjacent thereto, said mixing chamber having a central longitudinal axis, each flange member having a one-piece construction including a cylindrical body portion and said fingers, said fingers of each flange member being joined to said body portion at a base of said finger and having a cross-sectional configuration symmetrical on opposite sides of a plane extending radially through said central longitudinal axis of said mixing chamber providing a radially extending wall at the upstream portion thereof diverting the flow of fluid through said flow passage thereof around opposite sides of said finger.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.