Fire fighting installation including a constant power pump unit

• US 20020117311A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goran Sundholm
• Original Assignee: Goran Sundholm
• Inventors: Sundholm, Goran
• Granted Patent: US 6,634,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 169/56
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/07 in vehicles, e.g. in road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/60 wet, i.e. containing extinguishing material even when not in use
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 37/08 comprising an outlet device containing a sensor, or itself being the sensor, i.e. self-contained sprinklers

Abstract

The invention relates to an installation for extinguishing fire in a unit, preferably a train with at least one railway carriage, or a tunnel, the installation comprising several spray heads (3) whereof a number that is smaller than the total number of spray heads can be activated according to the location of the fire in the unit, and a drive source (5) for delivering extinguishing medium through a pipe system (4) to the activated spray heads. In order to provide a powerful and increased delivery of extinguishing medium from the active spray heads in such a case that only some of the spray heads in the installation are released, the installation is characterized by the drive source comprising a pump unit including a pump (50) in order to provide a pumping pressure for pumping extinguishing medium into the activated spray head/heads, the pump unit comprising a control unit (52, 53) arranged to increase the extinguish medium flow of the pump unit when the number of releasing spray heads increases in such a way that the effect of the pump unit is at least mainly kept constant.

Claims

1. An installation for extinguishing fire in a unit, preferably a train with at least one railway carriage, or a tunnel, the installation comprising several spray heads (3, 3′

, 3″

, 3′

″

) whereof a number that is smaller than the total number of spray heads can be activated according to the location of the fire in the unit, and a drive source (5, 5′

, 5″

, 5′

″

) for delivering extinguishing medium through a pipe system (4, 4′

, 4″

, 4′

″

) to the activated spray heads, wherein the drive source comprises a pump unit including a pump (50, 50′

, 50″

, 50′

″

) in order to provide a pumping pressure for pumping extinguishing medium into the activated spray head/heads, the pump unit comprising a control unit (52, 53, 53′

, 53″

, 53′

″

) arranged to increase the extinguishing medium flow of the pump unit when the number of releasing spray heads increases in such a way that the effect of the pump unit is at least mainly kept constant.

2. An installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spray heads (3″

, 3′

″

) are placed in the unit in a number of fire zones (8″

-11″

, 8′

″

-13′

″

), which are activated separately or in groups, comprising a number of spray heads for each fire zone, and in that the installation comprises a number of detectors (7″

, 7′

″

) for activating the fire zones (8″

-11″

, 8′

″

-13′

″

), the detectors being arranged to start delivering extinguishing medium to the respective fire zone when detecting fire, the pump unit being arranged to increase the extinguishing medium flow when the number of activated fire zones and the number of releasing spray heads increase.

3. An installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pump is a high pressure pump.

4. An installation as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pump unit comprises 2-10 pumps (50) whereof a minimum number is arranged to be coupled in operation depending on the number of activated spray heads (3).

5. An installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control unit comprises a gear box (52) for coupling a minimum number of pumps (50) in operation.

6. An installation as claimed in claim 1, in which the unit is an elongated unit (1, 2, 1′

, 2′

, 1″

, 2″

, 1′

″

) with longitudinal side walls, wherein fire zones (8″

-11″

, 8′

″

-13′

″

) and spray heads (3″

, 3′

″

) are consecutively arranged along the elongated unit (1, 2, 1′

, 2′

, 1″

, 2″

, 1′

″

).

7. An installation as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fire zones (8″

-11″

, 8′

″

-13′

″

) extend along the longitudinal side walls of the elongated unit (1, 2, 1′

, 2′

, 1″

, 2″

, 1′

″

) in such a manner that both side walls comprise substantially the same number of fire zones.

8. An installation as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the detectors (7″

, 7′

″

) are arranged to control sectional valves (6″

, 6′

″

) arranged between the pipe system (4″

, 4′

″

) and distribution pipes (40″

, 40′

″

) leading towards the fire zones (8″

-11″

, 8′

″

-13′

″

), the sectional valves being arranged to be opened when the respective detectors provide a signal for delivering extinguishing medium to the respective fire zones.

9. An installation as claimed in claim 8, wherein check valves (20″

) are arranged in connection with the distribution pipes (40″

), the check valves allowing the extinguishing medium to flow through a sectional valve (6″

) to the spray heads in a fire zone but preventing the extinguishing medium to flow through said sectional valve to an adjacent fire zone.

10. An installation as claimed in claim 9, wherein some of the consecutive and adjacent fire zones (8″

, 9″ and

10″

, 11″

) comprise spray heads which are common for these fire zones and which are arranged to spray extinguishing medium when activating either of said fire zones.

11. An installation as claimed in claim 1 or 6, wherein the elongated unit is a railway carriage (1, 2, 1′

, 2′

, 1″

, 2″

).

12. An installation as claimed in claim 3, wherein the elongated unit is a tunnel (1′

″

).