SAFETY SYSTEM FOR AUTOCLAVES

• US 20150343246A1
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SL (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SL (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: SANTOS GOMEZ, Jose Manuel, RAMOS, Ramn
• Granted Patent: US 10,179,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/00 Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places in oil wells E21B29/08, A62C35/00; in mines or tunnels E21F5/00 ; for nuclear reactors G21C9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 35/023 the extinguishing material being expelled by compressed gas, taken from storage tanks, or by generating a pressure gas for foam generation A62C5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 5/006 Extinguishants produced by combustion
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 99/0018 using gases or vapours that do not support combustion, e.g. steam, carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0227 using pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves, vulcanising pans B29C35/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/44 using isostatic pressure, e.g. pressure difference-moulding, vacuum bag-moulding, autoclave-moulding or expanding rubber-moulding

Abstract

A system for making an autoclave inert such that flame propagation is prevented in the event of spontaneous internal combustion, which thus prevents damaging the actual system or equipment, tools and parts, for which it essentially has sodium azide capsules which produce a chemical reaction when they reach an activation temperature, releasing nitrogen, making the chamber inert, venting equipment to prevent damage due to overpressure inside the chamber when the capsules have come into action and released the gas, a main cooling circuit and an additional cooling circuit for the capsules, all of this automatically controlled and managed by a control device.

Claims

1. A safety system for autoclaves for making an inside of their inner chamber inert, comprising at least one capsule in turn comprising sodium azide, NaN₃, which produces a high-speed chemical reaction when it reaches an activation temperature, releasing nitrogen in the form of gas, making the chamber inert.

2. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 1, comprising venting equipment to prevent damage due to overpressure inside the chamber when the capsules have come into action and released the gas.

3. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 2, wherein the venting equipment comprises:

fast opening automatic valves located inside the autoclave for absorbing gas inside the chamber;

one or several auxiliary tanks outside the autoclave for storing the gas extracted through the automatic valves; and

a network of pipes through which excess gas inside the chamber is conducted through the automatic valves to the auxiliary tank.

4. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 1, comprising a main cooling circuit fed with liquefied gas stored in the auxiliary tanks.

5. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 1, comprising an additional cooling circuit for each of the capsules or groups of capsules.

6. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 5, wherein the additional cooling circuit comprises a cooling element formed by a coil completely or partially enveloping the capsule.

7. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 6, wherein the additional cooling circuit is independent of the main cooling circuit, for which it has its own liquefied gas container.

8. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 5, wherein the capsules comprise a protective cover enveloping both the capsule and the cooling element to prevent the capsule from reaching its activation temperature in an undesired manner.

9. The safety system for autoclaves according to claim 1, comprising a control device for managing and controlling the venting equipment, the main cooling circuit and the additional cooling circuit if the pressure and temperature values established inside the chamber are exceeded.