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US 8,944,173 B2Granted
Apparatus and method of extinguishing a fire using a vapor explosion process
AssigneeUniversity of Leeds
InventorsAndrew Mcintosh, Novid Beheshti
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for ejecting material. The ejected material is ejected as liquid and/or liquid vapor via an explosive process which can provide a very fast ejection as well as an ejection which has a large throw. The material can be water or other fire suppressant material to provide a successful fire extinguishing system.
Claims19
Apparatus for extinguishing a fire, comprising:
- an ejection chamber to hold a portion of a selected extinguishing liquid;
- an inlet valve arranged to selectively open to transfer extinguishing liquid into said ejection chamber and then to selectively close to seal the portion of the selected liquid in the ejection chamber;
- an exit valve arranged to selectively open to eject extinguishing liquid from the chamber through the exit valve in a vapor explosion process, then through a neck region when a parameter associated with said ejection chamber satisfies a predetermined condition such that opening of the exit valve causes liquid in the ejection chamber to boil rapidly within the ejection chamber, the neck region being narrower in cross-sectional diameter than the ejection chamber;
- at least one pressure or temperature sensor that generates one or more signals for determining pressure in the ejection chamber;
- and
- an electronic controller for electronically controlling the inlet valve and exit valve to selectively open and close based on the pressure in the ejection chamber determined from the one or more signals received from the at least one pressure or temperature sensor;
- wherein extinguishing liquid and/or extinguishing liquid vapor are ejected from the ejection chamber via the exit valve, and wherein said exit valve is arranged to open when a temperature of the liquid in the ejection chamber is above a boiling point temperature associated with said liquid at a downstream position from the exit valve, and
- wherein the parameter is the temperature of the liquid in the ejection chamber and the predetermined condition is the temperature of the liquid being above said boiling point temperature.
5 more elements
A method for fighting fires comprising the steps of:
- providing an ejection chamber arranged to hold a portion of a selected extinguishing liquid;
- selectively opening an inlet valve to transfer a portion of the liquid into the chamber;
- selectively closing the inlet valve to seal a portion of the selected liquid in the ejection chamber;
- heating the liquid in the ejection chamber to a temperature above a boiling point temperature associated with said liquid at a downstream position from an exit valve;
- monitoring pressure in the ejection chamber via at least one pressure or temperature sensor;
- controlling the inlet and exit valves based on the pressure in the ejection chamber;
- selectively opening the exit valve of said ejection chamber when a parameter associated with the ejection chamber satisfies a predetermined condition such that opening of the exit valve causes liquid in the ejection chamber to boil rapidly within the ejection chamber;
- and
- ejecting extinguishing liquid and/or extinguishing liquid vapor via a vapor explosion process from the chamber via the exit valve and then through a neck region narrower in cross-sectional diameter than the ejection chamber in a direction to fight a fire,
- wherein the parameter is the temperature of the liquid in the ejection chamber and the predetermined condition is the temperature of the liquid being above said boiling point temperature.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.