Anti-combustion safeguard for confined combustibles

Safeguard apparatus, for fuel or other combustible material confined in contact with an ambient atmosphere that is supportive of combustion upon occurrence of a spark or similarly hazardous event,

• comprising:
• solid carbon dioxide, at whose surface heavier-than-air gaseous carbon dioxide evolves, for distribution to a site of confined fuel or combustible material, where it is capable of displacing ambient atmosphere from such contact;
• an access passageway conductive of such gaseous carbon dioxide, from the site of the solid carbon dioxide, to the site of confined fuel or other combustible material, where ambient atmosphere is to be displaced from such contact, to prevent or arrest combustion;
• including at the site of the solid carbon dioxide a radiation source responsive to the central monitor and effective to radiate onto the solid carbon dioxide and thereby increase the current rate of evolution of gaseous carbon dioxide therefrom, to prevent or to arrest combustion.

Method of safeguarding a given site of confined fuel or other combustible material in contact with a pre-existing ambient atmosphere supportive of combustion,

• comprising the following steps:
• evolving gaseous carbon dioxide from a nearby supply of solid carbon dioxide, distributing gaseous carbon evolved therefrom to the site of the confined fuel or other combustible material to blanket the site and displace such pre-existing ambient atmosphere from such contact;
• and
• subjecting the solid carbon dioxide to radiation thereonto, and thereby increasing evolution of gaseous carbon dioxide for such distribution to the site of fuel or other combustible material.