Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
CONFIGURABLE FIRE-FIGHTING APPARATUS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to fire-fighting equipment.
More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention is concerned
with an
apparatus for generating water droplets transported in a strong airflow.
According to embodiments of the invention, the apparatus may be configured
according to different uses and situations by varying droplet size and/or the
flow
dispersion pattern.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Projecting water on burning material is a common way of lowering
the temperature of the blazing mass to extinguish a fire. However, directing a
heavy jet of water to the base of a fire is not a very efficient way of
fighting the
fire. An indication of that is the large volume of water surrounding a site
after
fighting a fire and causing damages to the remaining structures. Indeed, one
of
the most helpful properties of water for extinguishing fire is its high heat
absorption capacity, especially thanks to its unmatched evaporation latent
heat.
Therefore, water that does not evaporate is not used efficiently on top of
being a
source of collateral damages.
[0003] A strategy for using water with improved efficiency and accelerating
fire extinguishing for a given water flow would be to split the flow into a
large
number of fine droplets spread over a large area of the blazing mass, so to
promote rapid evaporation of the droplets as they approach or contact the
blazing material, and prevent water from running and accumulating all around.
._:FD
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Indeed, a large flow of water directed toward a concentrated location falls
rapidly and a large proportion of the volume runs over the ground without
wetting and cooling burning material and without evaporating. In addition, a
fine
mist of water spread around a fire site would help cooling the surrounding
atmosphere and fight the elevated heat affecting any person present in the
vicinity. Furthermore, transporting the water mist in a directed airflow
enables
repelling smoke for additional benefits such as improving visibility and
dissipating hazardous vapors, gasses and aerosols.
[0004] Therefore, a mobile apparatus for generating a powerful air stream
and water droplets in a combined flow can be a powerful tool for fire-
fighting. It
would also be desirable that such an apparatus enable directing and
concentrating the flow to reach the zones of interest in spite of site factors
such
as distance and wind. It would further be desirable to enable modulation of
the
water droplet size so to rapidly configure the apparatus for different needs
such
as fire extinguishing, air cooling or smoke repelling.
[0005] Different types of apparatuses comprising an air blower combined
with a mist generating device for fire fighting have been provided in the
prior art.
For example, US patent No 6,336,594, issued to Bader et al. in January 2002,
teaches a large scale positive pressure ventilation machine providing a
powerful
blower for delivering a large volume of air having a conical shape into an
opening at one end of a structure to force the smoke and hazardous gasses out
through different openings. The size of the cross-sectional coverage of the
conically shaped air output may be changed by adjusting the positions of the
blower blades. The apparatus may further comprise attachments such water
spray nozzles, fog-forming mist emitters and illumination means. However,
Bader fails to teach how the conical air stream may be adjusted, if it can be
conveniently performed during operation and how it would influence the
dispersion of the water mist, should spray nozzles and/or mist emitters be
mounted on the apparatus. Furthermore, the disclosure does not provide means
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for changing or adjusting droplet size, nor to promote uniform dispersion of
the
droplets within the airflow.
[0006] In US patent No 5,211,336, granted to Kaidonis et al. in May 1993,
a method of forming a cloud of water droplets to protect an area against fire
is
disclosed, using a fan co-operating with mist generating stages. Three stages
may be used individually or in combination to emit droplets ranging in size
from
less than 100 micrometers, from 100 to 300, and from 300 to 800 micrometers
respectively, in an order which is appropriate to the problem faced. However,
the disclosure does not teach a method or means for continuously varying
mean droplet size over an extended range, say from 200 to 2000 micrometers
as required for performing different tasks when fighting an actual fire. Also,
the
disclosure does not provide means for orienting or adjusting the dispersion of
the stream.
[0007] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a user
configurable fire-fighting apparatus which obviates the limitations and
drawbacks of the prior art machines and methods. Namely, it is an object of
the
present invention to provide easy user adjustment of the stream direction and
dispersion. It is a further object of the invention to provide means for
convenient
user adjustment of the mean water droplet size, while promoting uniform
dispersion of the droplets within the air stream.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is
first provided a user configurable fire-fighting apparatus comprising i) a
positive
pressure blower mounted in a housing having an upstream air inlet and a
downstream generally circular outlet defining a peripheral ring, for
generating an
air stream at said outlet according to a dispersion pattern; ii) a plurality
of water
b
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droplet generators mounted at different radial positions proximate to said
outlet
for generating and projecting water droplets within said air stream; and iii)
a
plurality of adjustable stream deflecting flaps connected to at least one
controllable actuating device and having one end pivotally mounted about said
outlet peripheral ring, whereby a user may control the at least one actuating
device to adjust an angular position of the flaps for in turn changing the
dispersion pattern.
[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, the flaps may be
overlapping to form an adjustable nozzle having a fixed upstream inlet
diameter
and a variable downstream outlet diameter. Each flap may be connected to a
specific controllable actuating device, which may comprise a hydraulic
cylinder.
Actuators may be connected to a common user controllable device to enable
synchronous motion of the flaps.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, generators may form
at least two groups: a first group equally distributed about a circular path
having
a first diameter and a second group equally distributed about a circular path
having a second diameter. The first diameter may be equal to approximately
30% to 50% of the diameter of the outlet, while the second diameter may be
slightly smaller than the diameter of the outlet. Droplet generators may be
connected together through a pipe network connectable to a high capacity
water pump delivering a controllable variable flow in the range of 150 to 500
GPM.
[0011] According to a another aspect of the invention, at least some of the
water droplet generators may be linked to at least one of the deflecting flaps
for changing an orientation of the generators as a function of the angular
position of the at least one deflecting flap.
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[0012] According to a further aspect of the invention, at least some of the
water droplet generators may be further provided with controllable droplet
size
varying means. Some or all of the droplet size varying means may be
connected to a common user control device for simultaneous adjustment of
individual means. The droplet size varying means may be selected from a
group comprising: impact target moving means, flow splitting means, flow
diverting means and flow speed modulating means, used alone or in
combination.
[0013] According to a still further aspect of the apparatus, the blower may
be driven by an electric, hydraulic or thermal (fuel or gas) engine with
variable
RPM to produce variable air flows ranging from about 1,500 to 33,000 CFM.
[0014] Therefore, the configurable fire-fighting apparatus of the present
invention may be easily configured by a user to provide streams having
different
air/water ratios, different projection range and dispersion patterns, and
different
average water droplet size, as required for optimal performance of a task to
be
carried out.
[0015] The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the
present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-
restrictive description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, given by way of
example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Similar parts are identified by identical or similar numbers
throughout the drawings. In the appended drawings:
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[0017] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a user configurable fire-fighting
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 1,
shown without the carriage;
[0019] Figure 3 is a front elevational view of apparatus of Figures 1 and 2;
[0020] Figure 4 is a fractional isometric view of a front end of the apparatus
of Figure 1, wherein flow deflecting flaps have been removed to show details
of
droplet generators;
[0021] Figure 5 is a fractional isometric view of a droplet generator
connectable to a flow deflecting flap according to an aspect of the invention;
[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic side elevational view of a water droplet
generator comprising droplet size varying means usable on the apparatus of the
present invention, according to an embodiment thereof;
[0023] Figure 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of the user configurable
fire-fighting apparatus of the invention mounted on a manually pulled cart for
transportation and orientation;
[0024] Figure 8 is an illustration of an embodiment of the user configurable
fire-fighting apparatus of the invention in use mounted on a hi-rise fire
truck
ladder.
[0025] Figure 9 is an illustration of an embodiment of the user configurable
fire-fighting apparatus of the invention mounted on a skylift ready for use.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the non-restrictive illustrative
embodiment of the present invention is basically concerned with a configurable
fire-fighting apparatus 100 comprising a positive pressure blower 110, mounted
into a housing 120 having an upstream air inlet 121 and a downstream
generally circular outlet 122 defining a peripheral ring 123, for delivering a
strong air stream at outlet 122. As shown on Figure 7, the apparatus 100 may
be so mounted on a cart C to enable adjustment of the vertical inclination
(pitch)
of the apparatus by pivoting about joint 191 of supporting frame 190, and of
the
lateral (yaw) orientation by pivoting about joint 192 of the frame, to enable
orientation of the stream in a direction of interest. As seen from Figures 8
and 9,
transportation and appropriate orientation of the apparatus 100 may
alternatively be provided by mounting the apparatus to a ladder or skylift
carried
by a fire-fighting vehicle. Actuators such as hydraulic cylinders (not shown)
may
be mounted at joint 191 and 192 and connected to a control device (not shown)
to enable remote adjustment of the general stream orientation by a user.
[0027] In order to provide adjustment of a dispersion pattern and efficient
range of the stream, the apparatus 100 further comprises a plurality (eight
shown) of adjustable partly overlapping stream deflecting flaps 130 pivotally
assembled at an upstream end to the peripheral ring 123 of the housing 120,
surrounding the outlet 122 thereof, using hinges 131. The flaps are provided
with a generally trapezoidal shape and an arcuate cross section to define in
co-
operation an adjustable converging or diverging funnel-like generally
frustoconical nozzle 132 mating with outlet 122 at an upstream end and
defining
a variable diameter nozzle outlet 133 at a downstream end. The angular
position of the flaps 130, and in turn the diameter of the outlet 133, is
adjustably
set by controllable actuating devices such as hydraulic cylinders 134, one
cylinder being provided per flap 130. Each hydraulic cylinder 134 has one end
pivotally assembled to an outer portion of a flap trough a first set of clevis
and
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pivot 135, the other end being pivotally assembled to the peripheral ring 123
through a second set of clevis and pivot 136. Hydraulic cylinders 134 have
their
hydraulic inlets connected to hydraulic fluid supply lines (not shown)
controlled
by an hydraulic pump (not shown) and a control device (not shown) enabling a
user to simultaneously and accurately control the extension or retraction of
the
cylinders 134, in turn setting the flaps 130 to a desired angular position and
the
nozzle outlet 133 to a desired diameter.
[0028] Thereby, a user may conveniently adjust the nozzle 132 and outlet
133 to form the airflow at outlet 122 into a divergent or more focused stream
pattern originating from outlet 133. The positive pressure blower 110 is
preferably driven by a variable speed motor (electric or hydraulic), whereby a
user may conveniently and accurately adjust the blower RPM to produce air
flows from about 1,500 to 33,000 CFM. Therefore, the apparatus 100 provides a
user with full control over the strength, range and dispersion pattern of the
stream projecting from the outlet 133.
[0029] So to provide a water containing stream as required for performing
different fire-fighting tasks as stated above, the apparatus 100 further
comprises
a sophisticated droplet generating system best seen from Figure 4. The system
is mainly comprised of a plurality of water droplet generators 140, 140'
mounted
in the outlet 122 to generate and project droplets into the air stream.
[0030] The droplet generators 140, 140' are split in two groups to enable a
substantially uniform distribution of the water flow across the air stream. In
a
first inner group, eight generators 140 connected together at outlets of the
spider manifold 141 are distributed about a circular path having a diameter
equal to approximately 30% to 50% of the diameter of outlet 122. An additional
generator may also be provided at the centre of spider 141. The generators 140
are so configured to project droplets in the axial direction of the airflow so
that
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the kinetic energy of the projected droplets may be added to the energy of the
airflow to maximize the energy of the combined output stream. The spider
manifold 141 channels a water supply to each generator, said supply being
delivered to the spider through a pipe network by a water pump (not shown)
providing an adjustable output flow ranging from about 150 to 500 GPM, as
controlled by a user through a control device such as a flow controller or
pressure controller. Therefore, the water/air ratio in the stream at outlet
133 can
be adjusted by a user by operating the air flow controller and water flow
controller.
[0031] Further water droplet generators 140' form a second group of eight
generators connected to a circular manifold 143 and having their projection
heads 144 equally distributed about a circular path having a slightly smaller
diameter than that of the outlet 122. As for the first group of generators
140, the
manifold 143 is connected to the common pressurized water supply network to
supply the generators with the controllable variable water flow. The manifold
143 is located outside the housing 120 to clear the outlet 122 and therefore,
generators 140' are connected to the manifold through openings 137 provided
in the flaps 130.
[0032] Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the water droplet generators 140' are
provided with a special feature to modify the orientation of the projection
heads
as a function of the angular position of the defecting flaps 130. Thereby,
droplets may be projected into the geometrically variable deflected stream
with
a continuously optimal orientation, while preventing excessive interaction of
the
droplets with the inner face of the flaps 130. Therefore, each generator 140'
is
associated with one of the eight flaps 130, and comprises a flexible water
supply line 145 or a rotatable hydraulic sealed joint, enabling the projection
head 144 to be movable. The head 144 is connected to the flap through a link
or connecting block 146 whereby the head is moved along with the flap to
maintain a constant distance therebetween.
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[0033] Turning now to Figure 6, a detailed description of an embodiment of
a controllable droplet size varying means 150 adaptable to any or all of the
droplet generators 140, 140', as a substitution for heads 144, will now be
provided.
[0034] The droplet size varying means 150 comprises a hollow body 151
having an inlet 152 connectible to a water supply pipe or tubing connected to
the spider manifold 141 or to the circular manifold 143. A converging nozzle
153
is mounted at the outlet of the body 151 to concentrate the water flow of
diameter d onto an impact diffuser 154. A plunger 155 assembled in a center
portion of the nozzle 153 movably connects the diffuser 154 to the nozzle 153
so that moving the plunger in the direction of the nozzle increases the
distance
D between the nozzle outlet 156 and the impact diffuser, and moving the
plunger 155 in the opposite direction reduces the distance D. For a given
speed
of the water flow at the outlet 156, changing the distance D changes the size
of
the droplets projected by the droplet size varying means 150. With appropriate
selection of the dimensions and shapes of the structure, an average droplet
size
ranging from about 200 to 2,000 micrometers may be obtained. The plungers
155 of the droplet size varying means 150 are mechanically linked to actuating
means connected to a user control device for simultaneous adjustment of
individual means.
[0035] According to an exemplary arrangement (not shown), the plungers
155 may be slidably movable in the nozzle, and the heads 157 of the plungers
may be pivotally connected to a first end of a pivotable lever. The second
ends
of the levers are connected to a common linear actuator such as a hydraulic
cylinder. Axial actuation of the cylinder therefore causes the plungers to
move
axially in the nozzles in the opposite direction. Relative dimensions may be
adjusted so that the displacements of the actuator produce slight and accurate
displacements of the plungers 155.
FP
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[0036] According to an alternative exemplary arrangement, the plungers
155 may be provided with a threaded portion to be movable by rotation and
means 150 may be mounted at the eight peripheral outlets of the spider
manifold 141 and the heads 157 of the plungers 155 may comprise a sprocket,
all of the sprockets forming a circular path and being linked by a chain. The
chain may be rotated by a hydraulic motor driving the chain through another
sprocket. Connecting the motor to an accurate hydraulic control would enable a
user to simultaneously control the plungers 155 and adjust the droplet size.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will easily appreciate that many
alternative
means may be contemplated to provide synchronized displacement of the
impact diffusers 154. For example, threaded plungers 155 may be substituted
by tiny hydraulic cylinders or electrical linear actuators providing a screw
driven
by an electrically controllable stepper motor.
[0037] The droplet size varying means 150 may further comprise
additional droplet size varying devices adapted thereto for further to
configure
the droplet size and dispersion. Said devices may be selected from a group
comprising: impact target moving means, flow splitting means, flow diverting
means and flow speed modulating means, used alone or in combination.
[0038] It can be easily appreciated that the above-described non-
restrictive illustrative embodiment of the configurable fire-fighting
apparatus
according to the present invention obviates the above-discussed limitations
and
drawbacks of the existing apparatuses and systems. More specifically, the
apparatus may be easily configured by a user to provide streams having
different air/water ratios, different projection range and dispersion
patterns, and
different average water droplet size, as required for optimal performance of a
task to be carried out.
ZP
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[0039] Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by
way of a non-restrictive, illustrative embodiment thereof, these embodiments
can be modified at will within the scope of the appended claims without
departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention.
