Fire control system for spray booth

• US 4,276,064 A
• Filed: 11/08/1976
• Issued: 06/30/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Binks Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Binks Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Gerdes, Donald F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prunner, Kathleen J.
• Application Number:
  US05/740,120
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 55/217, 55/228, 55/229, 55/240, 55/241, 55/421, 98/115 SB, 169/54, 169/60, 169/61, 210/538-540, 210/DIG. 25
• US Class Current: 96/239
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/06 of highly inflammable material, e.g. light metals, petroleum products
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/10 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00, B01D46/00 and B01D47/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/46 by washing the air charged with excess material
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 14/465 using substantially vertical liquid curtains or wetted walls behind the object to be sprayed

Abstract

A system is provided for extinguishing accidental fires in paint spray booths of the type wherein oil is used as the medium for eliminating extraneous paint mist and overspray, said system providing control over both the oil and the medium used for extinguishing the fire. In such a spray booth, oil from a self-contained reservoir located at the bottom of the booth is circulated over a plurality of baffles within the booth. Paint mist is drawn by flow of air into contact with the oil covered baffles, and the paint solids are thereby entrained in the oil and collected in the oil reservoir. An appropriate fire extinguishing system for such spray booth comprises a plurality of water fog nozzles within the booth that are activated in response to a fire, and which therefore discharge water into the reservoir. Pursuant to the invention, means are provided to control and preserve the oil which is displaced by water accumulating in the oil reservoir, to maximize fire-fighting efficiency, and to discharge excess water from the booth while safely retaining the oil.

Claims

1. In a paint spray booth comprising an enclosure having an upper portion, a primary reservoir beneath said enclosure containing oil at a given level, a secondary reservoir adjacent the primary reservoir, a weir separating said reservoirs, means for circulating oil from said primary reservoir to said upper portion of said enclosure, said oil returning to said primary reservoir by gravity, a fire control system in said spray booth comprising means for providing a discharge of water within said enclosure in response to a fire, said water collecting and draining into said primary reservoir and settling to the bottom thereof while first displacing the oil therefrom into said secondary reservoir and then flowing over said weir into said secondary reservoir, and means associated with said secondary reservoir for causing discharge of said water therefrom while retaining said oil therein, said discharge means comprising a standpipe having an inlet adjacent the bottom of said secondary reservoir and an outlet to the exterior of both of said reservoirs, the outlet of said standpipe being located at a level above the level of the oil in said secondary reservoir and below the level of the top of said weir.

2. The paint spray booth of claim 1 wherein said standpipe is connected to secondary standpipe means having an inlet below the outlet of said standpipe for receiving and retaining oil initially entrapped in said standpipe.

3. The paint spray booth of claim 1 wherein the outlet of said standpipe is spaced above said given level of the oil in said reservoir means by a distance at least equal to the spacing between the bottom of said reservoir means and the top of the inlet of said standpipe.

4. In an arrangement for removing water flowing into a reservoir containing oil and displacing the oil upwardly, the reservoir being located beneath a paint spray booth and containing oil to a level below the level of the top of said reservoir:

a standpipe in said reservoir, said standpipe having an inlet in communication with a lower portion of said reservoir and having an outlet to the exterior of said reservoir, the outlet of said standpipe being located at a level about the initial level of the oil in said reservoir and below the level of the top of said reservoir so that water only will be discharged from said reservoir after the oil therein has been sufficiently displaced by the water flowing into said reservoir such that the level of water is above said inlet, said oil being retained in said reservoir.