Fire-fighting system having improved flow

• US 20030066659A1
• Filed: 08/16/2001
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schwing America, Inc. (XCMG Construction Machinery Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Schwing America, Inc. (XCMG Construction Machinery Company Limited)
• Inventors: Burch, William F., Schmidt, Lawrence P., Bissen, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,808,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 169/47
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 31/24 attached to ladders, poles, towers, or other structures with or without rotary heads

Abstract

An improved fire-fighting device designed to allow variable positioning of a quenching agent dispensing point. The fire-fighting device also allows high quenching agent flow rates. The device uses an articulable boom arrangement and solid pipeline to achieve these advantages.

Claims

1. An improved fire-fighting system for dispensing a quenching agent on a fire source, the fire-fighting system comprising:

a solid mounting structure;

at least three boom sections connected together in an articulated arrangement, one of the at least three boom sections rotatably coupled to the solid mounting structure;

a solid-walled, articulable, conveying pipeline for directing the quenching agent at a throughput of at least about 3,000 gallons per minute, the conveying pipeline being formed of solid-walled pipe sections having an inside diameter of at least about six inches and being coupled to the at least three boom sections;

a nozzle connected to a distal end of the conveying pipeline, and

a pump, supported by the solid mounting structure and coupled between a source of the quenching agent and a proximal end of the conveying pipeline, for pumping the quenching agent under pressure through the conveying pipeline to the nozzle at a turbulent flow rate of at least about 3,000 gallons per minute when a pump discharge pressure is 150 pounds per square inch.

2. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the at least three boom sections include a first boom section, a second boom section, and a third boom section, and further wherein the first boom section is rotatably coupled to the solid mounting structure.

3. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the conveying pipeline includes at least three pipe sections, the at least three pipe sections coupled to the at least three boom sections, respectively.

4. The fire-fighting system of claim 2 wherein the conveying pipeline includes a first pipe section, a second pipe section, and a third pipe section coupled to the first boom section, the second boom section, and the third boom section, respectively.

5. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the conveying pipeline allows a quenching agent throughput of at least about 5,000 gallons per minute.

6. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the conveying pipeline is constructed from pipe having an inside diameter of at least about eight inches.

7. The fire-fighting system of claim 4 wherein the first pipe section is pivotally coupled to the second pipe section by a first swivel coupling, and the second pipe section is pivotally coupled to the third pipe section by a second swivel coupling.

8. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 further comprising at least two actuator assemblies interposed between adjacent boom sections for controlling the angle between adjacent boom sections.

9. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 further comprising a tank for storing the quenching agent, the tank mounted to the solid mounting structure.

10. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 further comprising an inlet for supplying the quenching agent to the pump at a pressure of at least about 10 pounds per square inch, and wherein the pump pumps at least about 4,000 gallons per minute of the quenching agent.

11. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the pump pumps about 2,100 gallons per minute of the quenching agent when the pump discharge pressure is about 200 pounds per square inch.

12. The fire-fighting system of claim 1 wherein the pump pumps about 1,500 gallons per minute of the quenching agent when the pump discharge pressure is about 250 pounds per square inch.

13. An improved fire-fighting vehicle for dispensing a quenching agent on a fire source, the fire-fighting vehicle comprising:

a truck chassis;

at least three boom sections connected together in an articulated arrangement, one of the at least three boom sections coupled to the truck chassis;

at least two actuator assemblies interposed between adjacent boom sections for controlling the angle between adjacent boom sections;

a solid-walled, articulable, conveying pipeline for transporting the quenching agent from a proximal end to a distal end, the conveying pipeline attached to the at least three boom sections;

wherein the conveying pipeline has an inside diameter of at least about six inches and a quenching agent throughput of about 5,000 gallons per minute;

a nozzle connected to the distal end of the conveying pipeline; and

a pump, mounted on the truck chassis, for receiving the quenching agent under pressure at a pump inlet and for delivering the quenching agent through a pump outlet to the proximal end of the conveying pipeline at a pump discharge pressure agent flow rate which generates a turbulent quenching agent volumetric flow rate of about 5,000 gallons per minute through the conveying pipeline.

14. The fire-fighting vehicle of claim 13 wherein the at least two actuator assemblies include a first actuator assembly and a second actuator assembly.

15. The fire-fighting vehicle of claim 13 further comprising a tank for holding the quenching agent, the tank mounted to the chassis.

16. The fire-fighting vehicle of claim 13 wherein the conveying pipeline has an inside diameter of at least about eight inches.

17. A method for dispensing a quenching agent on a fire source, the method comprising:

providing a solid mounting structure and at least three boom sections connected together in an articulated arrangement wherein one of the at least three boom sections is rotatably coupled to the solid mounting structure;

providing a solid-walled, articulable, conveying pipeline having a distal end and a proximal end, the conveying pipeline being attached to the boom sections and having a nozzle connected to the distal end wherein the conveying pipeline has an inside diameter of at least about six inches and delivers the quenching agent at a throughput of at least about 3,000 gallons per minute;

providing a pump supported by the solid mounting structure and coupled between a source of the quenching agent and the proximal end of the conveying pipeline; and

pumping the quenching agent at a pump discharge pressure of 150 pounds per square inch through the conveying pipeline to the nozzle at a turbulent flow rate of at least about 3,000 gallons per minute.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the conveying pipeline has an inside diameter of at least about eight inches.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the conveying pipeline delivers the quenching agent at a throughput of at least about 5,000 gallons per minute.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the pump discharge pressure is 200 pounds per square inch and the quenching agent is pumped through the conveying pipeline to the nozzle at a flow rate of about 2,100 gallons per minute.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the pump discharge pressure is 250 pounds per square inch and the quenching agent is pumped through the conveying pipeline to the nozzle at a flow rate of about 1,500 gallons per minute.

22. The method of claim 17, and further comprising:

supplying the quenching agent to the pump through an inlet at a pressure of at least about 10 pounds per square inch wherein the pump pumps at least about 4,000 gallons per minute of the quenching agent.

23. The method of claim 17, and further comprising:

storing the quenching agent in a tank mounted to the solid mounting structure.