Method and apparatus for dispensing liquid with gas
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorAviezer Birk
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for dispensing a liquid, such as a fire suppressing gent, with a gas wherein both the liquid and a combustible propellant for generating the gas are stored in separate sealed compartments at atmospheric pressure. The liquid is stored in a chamber between an annular piston and a central pedestal containing a gas generating canister. A portion of the gas generated drives the piston to expel the liquid into a mixing chamber in the pedestal, and another gas portion is fed into the mixing chamber so as to mix with and propel the liquid through a nozzle. The liquid may be atomized or vaporized depending on its composition. Mixing of the liquid with the gas may be enhanced by tangentially injecting the liquid into the mixing chamber.
Claims25
An apparatus for discharging a liquid with a gas, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing having a wall defining a piston chamber;
- a pedestal extending through at least a portion of said piston chamber and having a hollow barrel defining a mixing chamber;
- an annular piston arranged for movement in said piston chamber and extending between said housing wall and said barrel to provide a liquid chamber for holding the liquid when said piston is in a retracted position;
- at least one liquid passage connecting said liquid chamber and said mixing chamber;
- a gas chamber arranged in said housing to exert a pressure of the gas against a first face of said piston opposite to a second face for contacting the liquid in said liquid chamber;
- gas supply means for providing the gas in said gas chamber at said pressure, the area of said first piston face being larger than the area of said second piston face so that said gas pressure causes said piston to force the liquid out of said liquid chamber and into said mixing chamber through said liquid passage(s);
- means for conveying a portion of said gas into said mixing chamber for admixing with said liquid to form a gas and liquid mixture;
- and
- nozzle means for discharging said mixture from said mixing chamber to ambient pressure.
A method of dispensing a liquid from a container, said method comprising:
- providing the liquid in a liquid chamber of the container, said liquid chamber containing a piston arranged for movement therein and having a first face opposite to a second face for engaging said liquid;
- generating a gas by burning a propellant in a propellant chamber;
- applying a pressure of said gas to the first face of said piston to pressurize said liquid and cause it to be injected into a mixing chamber of the container through at least one liquid passage connecting said liquid chamber to said mixing chamber upstream of an outlet open to ambient pressure, the area of said first piston face being larger than the area of said second piston face so that the pressure of said gas causes said piston to force the liquid out of said liquid chamber and into said mixing chamber through said liquid passage(s);
- conveying a portion of said gas into said mixing chamber and mixing it with said liquid to form a gas and liquid mixture;
- and,
- discharging said mixture from said mixing chamber to ambient pressure through said outlet, the velocity of the portion of said gas conveyed to said mixing chamber being sufficient to atomize at least a portion of the liquid in said mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.