Compact affordable inert gas fire extinguishing system

• US 6,016,874 A
• Filed: 09/22/1998
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: N2 Towers Inc.
• Original Assignee: Joseph Michael Bennett
• Inventors: Bennett, Joseph Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): WELDON, KEVIN P
• Application Number:
  US09/158,677
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 169/77, 169/85-87, 169/88, 169/44, 169/14, 169/15
• US Class Current: 169/77
• 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

Abstract

A compact, affordable fire extinguishing system utilizes a combination of compressed inert gas tanks and solid propellent gas generators to provide a blend of inert gases to extinguish fires in an enclosure. The compressed inert gas tanks may contain gases such as argon or carbon dioxide or a combination thereof. The solid propellent gas generators may generate upon initiation either nitrogen or carbon dioxide or a combination thereof. The inert gases from both sources are blended into a composition that will extinguish fires at concentrations that will allow human occupancy during discharge. Such a system can be constructed at a substantially smaller size than conventional compressed gas systems, due to the greater density of the inert gases in the propellent form in storage, which allows greater utility and affordability where installation space is limited or retrofit is desired into prior fire protection systems.

Claims

1. A compact, affordable inert gas fire extinguishing system, said system comprising:

a) a dischargeable container having self-contained therein a first inert gas composition; and

b) means operably connected to said dischargeable container for generating a second inert gas composition from a solid propellent, wherein said second inert gas blend flows into said dischargeable container causing release of said first inert gas blend and second inert gas blend from said dischargeable container.

2. The system according to claim 1, further including initiation means operably connected to said gas generating means.

3. The system according to claim 1, further including means operably connected to said dischargeable container for releasing said first inert gas blend self-contained therein said container and said second inert gas blend generated from said solid propellent simultaneously in blended form suitable for fire extinguishment in an enclosure while allowing safe human occupancy during discharge.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said blended form comprises 52 percent by volume nitrogen, 40 percent by volume argon and 8 percent by volume carbon dioxide.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein said blended form comprises 50 percent by volume argon and 50 percent by volume nitrogen.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein said first inert gas composition comprises carbon dioxide and argon.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second inert gas composition generated from said generating means includes nitrogen.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein said solid propellent in said second inert gas composition generating means comprises sodium azide and sulphur.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said second inert gas composition generated in said generating means comprises nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

10. The system according to claim 1, further including a dip tube partly disposed in said container and connected to said generating means.

11. A compact, affordable inert gas fire extinguishing system for an enclosure, said system comprising:

a) a dischargeable container having self-contained therein a composition of inert gas;

b) a solid propellent nitrogen gas generating means;

c) initiation means operably connected to said nitrogen gas generating means;

d) means operably interconnecting said container and said nitrogen gas generating means;

e) means operably connected to said container for discharging said inert gas composition self-contained therein said container and nitrogen generated in said generating means; and

f) means operably connected to said discharging means for releasing said inert gas composition self-contained therein said container and nitrogen generated in said gas generating means simultaneously in blended form suitable for fire extinguishment in said enclosure while allowing for safe human occupancy during discharge.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said blended form comprises 52 percent by volume nitrogen, 40 percent by volume argon and 8 percent by volume carbon dioxide.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein said blended form comprises 50 percent by volume argon and 50 percent by volume nitrogen.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein said solid propellent in said inert gas generating means comprises substantially sodium azide and sulphur.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said means operably interconnecting said container and said nitrogen gas generating means includes a dip tube extended into and partially disposed in said container.

16. A compact, affordable inert gas fire extinguishing system for an enclosure, said system comprising:

a) a dischargeable container having self-contained therein argon;

b) a solid propellent nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas generating means;

c) initiation means operably connected to said nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas generating means;

d) means operably interconnecting said container and said nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas generating means;

e) means operably connected to said container for discharging said argon self-contained therein said container and nitrogen and carbon dioxide generated in said generating means; and

f) means operably connected to said discharging means for releasing said argon self-contained therein said container and nitrogen and carbon dioxide generated in said gas generating means simultaneously in blended form suitable for fire extinguishment in said enclosure while allowing safe human occupancy during discharge.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said blended form comprises 52 percent by volume nitrogen, 40 percent by volume argon and 8 percent by volume carbon dioxide.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein said solid propellent in said gas generating means includes at least sodium azide and sulphur.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein said solid propellent in said gas generating means includes at least cupric oxalate, potassium perchlorate, polyethylene glycol, bitolyl diisocyanate, trimethylol propane and ferric acetyl acetonate.

20. The system according to claim 16, wherein said means operably interconnecting said container and said nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas generating means includes a dip tube extended into and partially disposed in said container.