Inert gas generator for fire suppressing

• US 6,634,433 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (Dawonsys Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (Dawonsys Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Im, Ye-Hoon, Kim, Soo-Yong, Muravchenko, Oleg F., Yoo, Il-Su
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US10/193,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20020166674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 169/51, 169/52, 169/70, 169/11, 169/12, 60/395, 60/395.11, 60/395.8
• US Class Current: 169/52
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 27/00 Fire-fighting land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 3/0207 by blowing air or gas currents with or without dispersion of fire extinguishing agents; Apparatus therefor, e.g. fans
• 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

Disclosed in an inert gas generator to produce a large quantity of inert gas within a short period of time. The inert gas generator comprises: a gas turbine consisting of a starter motor, compressor, combustor and turbine body; an afterburner being connected to an exit of the gas turbine to re-burn gas burned in the combustor and being equipped with a flame stabilizer; a cooling chamber being equipped with spray nozzles to eject water to decrease gas temperature in the afterburner exit; an evaporator set to further cool the gas-steam mixture from the afterburner; a cooling chamber and spray nozzles; an exhaust nozzle to guide the direction of the inert gas-steam mixture of low temperature and oxygen content; and a controller for controlling the starter motor, the fuel pump and combustor. The inert gas generator mounted on a movable vehicle can promptly suppress the fire occurred in various places with least amount cost possible.

Claims

1. An inert gas generator for fire suppressing comprising:

a gas turbine, which comprises a starter motor, a combustor being connected to a fuel pump burn air compressed in the compressor, and a turbine body installed at an exit of the combustor to generate power through expansion process;

an afterburner being connected and installed at an exit of the turbine body, being connected to the compressor by a bleed off line to be provided with a portion of air extracted from the compressor for fuel atomizing and to re-burn gas burned in the combustor, and supplied through the turbine body, and being provided with a flame stabilizer to stabilize flame produced by re-burning of the gas burned in the combustor;

a cooling chamber enclosing the afterburner to take combustion heat in the afterburner and to inject water through spray nozzles into gas re-burned in the afterburner to decrease temperature of the re-burned gas;

an evaporator being installed at an exit of the cooling chamber for further cooling the re-burned gas which is already been cooled by the cooling chamber and the spray nozzles;

an exhaust nozzle for guiding exhaust gas which has been cooled in the evaporator to a fire area; and

a controller for controlling the starter motor, the fuel pump, the combustor, and the afterburner.

2. The inert gas generator as claimed in claim 1 wherein a water tank, a water pump and a water supply valve are connected to the spray nozzles to regulate feed rate of the cooling water so that a concentration rate of oxygen in final exhaust gas can be controlled.

3. The inert gas generator as claimed in claim 1 wherein the evaporator includes coaxial-cylindrical bodies with different diameters to form gas transporting passages, and each of the coaxial-cylindrical bodies is formed with concave and convex parts in a circumferential direction along a longitudinal distance to increase heat transfer surface area in the coaxial-cylindrical bodies.

4. The inert gas generator as claimed in claim 3 wherein a drain valve is installed on a bottom of the evaporator for discharging used cooling water.

5. The inert gas generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the exhaust nozzle can be contracted and expanded to adjust exhausting distance of the inert gas.

6. The inert gas generator as claimed in claim 1 further comprising;

a crane enabling the inert gas generator to rotate and to pitch;

a hydraulic cylinder for adjusting spray angle of the inert gas exhausted from the inert gas generator; and

a boom assembly that can be expanded and contracted to adjust length of the exhaust nozzle of the inert gas generator.