AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER SYSTEMS

• US 3,741,309 A
• Filed: 12/27/1971
• Issued: 06/26/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alister L. Mcculloch
• Original Assignee: Alister L. Mcculloch
• Inventors: McCulloch, Alister L.
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Lloyd L.
• Application Number:
  US05/212,289
• Time in Patent Office: 547 Days
• Field of Search: 169/2R,26,16,20,29,4
• US Class Current: 169/59
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/06 of highly inflammable material, e.g. light metals, petroleum products

Abstract

An automatic fire extinguishing system for floating roof fuel tanks comprises several extinguishant containers mounted on the floating roof, a spray pipe system mounted around the periphery of the floating roof adjacent the roof/wall seal, and several linear fire detector elements each protecting a respective part of the roof periphery. Each element controls a respective one of the extinguishant containers and, when it detects fire conditions, causes that container to discharge extinguishant into the whole of the spray pipe system.

Claims

1. An automatic fire extinguishant system for floating roof tanks, comprising a plurality of fire detector elements mounted at spaced positions around the periphery of the floating roof, each for detecting fire conditions over a respective part of the said periphery, extinguishant spray means mounted around substantially the whole of the vicinity of the periphery of the floating roof, a plurality of separate extinguishant containers mounted on the floating roof, and valve means respectively controlling the discharge of the extinguishant from each said container into the spray means, each detector element comprising a closed tube, means mounting the tube around the said respective part of the periphery of the floating roof, a pyrotechnic cord in the tube, and pressure sensitive means responsive to the pressure in the tube and operatively connected to a respective one of the said valve means to open the valve means in response to the rise in pressure in the tube in the event of ignition of the pyrotechnic cord.

2. An automatic fire extinguishant system for floating roof tanks, comprising a plurality of fire detector elements mounted at spaced positions around the periphery of the floating roof, each for detecting fire conditions over a respective part of the said periphery, extinguishant spray means mounted around substantially the whole of the vicinity of the periphery of the floating roof, a plurality of separate extinguishant containers mounted on the floating roof, and valve means respectively controlling the discharge of the extinguishant from each said container into the spray means, each detector element comprising a fluid-containing capillary tube closed off except for a metered hole, means mounting the tube around the said respective part of the periphery of the floating roof, and pressure sensitive means responsive to the pressure in the tube and operatively connected to the respective one of the said valve means to open the valve means in response to pressure build-up in the tube as a result of very rapid fluid expansion therein.

3. A system according to claim 2, in which the said fluid is gaseous.

4. A system according to claim 2, in which the said fluid is hydraulic.

5. A system according to claim 1, including gas operated means operatively connected to the fire detector means to produce an audible alarm in the event of discharge of the extinguishant.