Hypoxic aircraft fire prevention and suppression system with automatic emergency oxygen delivery system
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Abstract
An aircraft fire-extinguishing system provides automatic fire prevention and/or suppression simultaneously in fuel tanks, cargo compartments and, when needed, in cabin using injection of hypoxic (oxygen-depleted) air produced onboard in an air-separation device utilizing the flow and pressure of the bleed air. The same air-separation device allows supplying passengers and crew with unlimited amounts of oxygen for as long as needed. New methods of a rapid fire suppression utilizing the propulsion of water mist or fire-extinguishing foam by hypoxic air are presented. The combination of water mist or foam with hypoxic air allows to present two innovative fire-extinguishing compositions.
69 Citations
71 Claims
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1-15. -15. (canceled)
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16. A method for providing fire prevention in an aircraft having an engine, and a compartment by producing oxygen-depleted air from a bleed air received from said engine, said method comprising:
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separating said bleed air into an oxygen-enriched gas mixture and an oxygen-depleted gas mixture; removing said oxygen-enriched gas mixture by discharging it outside the aircraft; supplying said oxygen-depleted gas mixture into a compartment inside said aircraft for establishing therein a hypoxic fire prevention environment;
maintaining the oxygen content in said hypoxic fire prevention environment in the range from greater than 12% to approximately 16% of oxygen. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for providing fire prevention in an aircraft, said aircraft having an engine, and at least one compartment, by producing oxygen-depleted or hypoxic air, said system comprising:
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an air-separation device receiving air and separating said air into first and second gas mixtures;
said first gas mixture being oxygen-enriched air and said second gas mixture being oxygen-depleted air,a venting means for releasing said first gas mixture outside the aircraft; means for supplying said second gas mixture into said compartment for ventilation and maintaining there a constant hypoxic fire-preventive environment in order to prevent ignition that can lead to explosion or fire;
wherein the oxygen content in said fire-preventive environment is maintained above 12% and below 16%. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method for extinguishing fires using water mist propelled by hypoxic air, said method comprising:
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producing hypoxic air in an air-separation device and providing it under pressure for propulsion of water through a water mist generating nozzle; supplying the system with water for propelling it by said hypoxic air; producing water mist in a water mist generating nozzle by propelling water with hypoxic air; when deployed, said system generates and releases water mist inside a protected area, said water mist propelled by said hypoxic air that simultaneously gradually dilutes the internal atmosphere and decreases its oxygen content to the fire extinguishing level; the oxygen content in said hypoxic air propelling water mist being above 12% and below 16%; producing water mist for the period of time needed to establish said fire-extinguishing level, said method designated for extinguishing fires in aircraft, marine vessels, buildings, all type of vehicles and other enclosed and semi-enclosed structures.
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39. A system for extinguishing fires using water mist propelled by hypoxic air, said system comprising:
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an air-separation device providing hypoxic air under pressure for propulsion of water through a water mist generating nozzle; a water tank for supplying the system with water propelled by said hypoxic air;
a water mist generating nozzle producing water mist propelled by hypoxic air;when deployed, said system generates and releases water mist inside a protected area, said water mist propelled by said hypoxic air that simultaneously gradually dilutes the internal atmosphere and decreases its oxygen content to the fire extinguishing level; the oxygen content in said hypoxic air propelling water mist being above 12% and below 16%; the amount of water in said water tank being calculated to be sufficient to produce water mist for the period of time needed to establish said fire-extinguishing level; said system designated for extinguishing fires in aircraft, marine vessels, buildings, all type of vehicles and other enclosed and semi-enclosed structures.
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40. A method of extinguishing fires in aircraft, marine vessels and other vehicles, buildings and tunnels, having a space to be protected said method comprising:
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a dilution of the atmosphere in the protected space with hypoxic air having oxygen content below 16% until a fire-extinguishing atmosphere is created; a maintaining said fire-extinguishing atmosphere at a designed oxygen content level for as long as needed by ventilating said protected space with the hypoxic air with oxygen content ranging from above 12% to 16%.
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41. A method of extinguishing fires in aircraft, marine vessels and other vehicles, buildings and tunnels, said method comprising:
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a mixture of water mist and hypoxic air having oxygen content above 12% and below 16%;
said mixture being generated by propulsion of water through a special mist generating nozzle using hypoxic air;said mixture, propelled with said hypoxic air, being released into protected area, which allows to rapidly control and extinguish a fire. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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42. A method of extinguishing fires in aircraft, marine vessels and other vehicles, buildings and tunnels, said method comprising:
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a mixture of foam and hypoxic air having oxygen content below 16%;
said mixture being generated by propulsion of a foam generating solution through a special foam generating device that produces said foam using hypoxic air;said foam, propelled further with said hypoxic air, being released into protected area, which allows to rapidly control and extinguish a fire. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A method for providing a hypoxic fire prevention environment in an aircraft having a compartment comprising:
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providing a source of hypoxic air having an oxygen content of less than 16% on board said aircraft; supplying said hypoxic air into said compartment; and establishing an oxygen content in said compartment in a range between 10% and 16% during a flight. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A system for fire prevention for an aircraft comprising:
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an aircraft having an exterior surface and at least one interior compartment; a source of hypoxic air on board said aircraft connected to supply said hypoxic air to said compartment; and a hypoxic atmosphere maintained in said compartment, said atmosphere having an oxygen content of between 10% and 16% at a time during a flight. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71)
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Specification