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This invention relates to an improved portable system for the delivery of a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture to a fire zone. The gas mixture comprises a normally gaseous inert material, such as nitrogen, helium or argon; an oxygen containing gas; and carbon dioxide. The system includes a m

This invention relates to an improved portable system for the delivery of a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture to a fire zone. The gas mixture comprises a normally gaseous inert material, such as nitrogen, helium or argon; an oxygen containing gas; and carbon dioxide. The system includes a means for storing or generating the inert material, means for storing the carbon dioxide, means for generating or introducing the oxygen containing gas, and means for mixing the components. The system also includes means for heating, vaporizing and controlling the temperature and proportions of the components.

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I claim: 1. A transportable system for delivering to an enclosed fire zone a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture, which gas mixture comprises a normally gaseous inert material, carbon dioxide, and oxygen and which system comprises a first source of the normally gaseous inert material, a seco

I claim: 1. A transportable system for delivering to an enclosed fire zone a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture, which gas mixture comprises a normally gaseous inert material, carbon dioxide, and oxygen and which system comprises a first source of the normally gaseous inert material, a second source of the carbon dioxide, a third source of an oxygen containing gas, means for mixing the inert material, the carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas, and a delivery means for delivering the inert material, the carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas to the fire zone, the normally gaseous inert material, the carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas being delivered to the fire zone in the gaseous proportions of from about 81 to about 88% by volume normally gaseous inert material, of from about 2 to about 5% by volume carbon dioxide and of from about 10 to about 15% by volume of oxygen. 2. The transportable system of claim 1, wherein the first source of the inert material is a generator of the inert material. 3. The transportable system of claim 1, wherein the first source of the inert material is a first storage vessel for the inert material. 4. The transportable system of claim 3, wherein the first storage vessel for the inert material is a cryogenic vessel which stores the inert material in liquid form. 5. The transportable system of claim 4, wherein the system also contains a means for vaporizing the liquid inert material and controlling the temperature of the vaporized inert material. 6. The transportable system of claim 5 wherein the means for vaporizing and controlling the temperature of the inert material comprises a means for heating the inert material. 7. The transportable system of claim 6 wherein the means for heating the inert material is selected from the group consisting of a heating device, a means for exchanging the inert material against a warmer material, and means for blending the inert material with a warmer material. 8. The transportable system of claim 6 wherein the temperature of the vaporized inert material is raised to a temperature greater than the temperature at which carbon dioxide solidifies before contacting the vaporized inert material with the carbon dioxide. 9. The transportable system of claim 6 wherein the inert material in the first storage vessel is liquid nitrogen, the liquid nitrogen is vaporized and raised to a temperature greater than the temperature at which carbon dioxide solidifies in a first stage means for increasing the temperature of the nitrogen, the oxygen containing gas is air and the air and carbon dioxide are admixed with the vaporized nitrogen at the increased temperature, and the admixture of nitrogen, air and carbon dioxide is further raised to a temperature greater than about 0째 C. in a second stage means for increasing the temperature of the admixture, and the admixture is delivered to the fire zone by the delivery means. 10. The transportable system of claim 6 wherein the inert material in the first storage vessel is liquid nitrogen, the liquid nitrogen is vaporized in a first stage means for increasing the temperature of the nitrogen, the oxygen containing gas is air and the temperature of the vaporized nitrogen is further increased to a temperature greater than the temperature at which carbon dioxide solidifies by introducing air to the vaporized nitrogen via the means for introducing an oxygen containing gas to form a mixture of nitrogen and air, admixing carbon dioxide from the second storage vessel with the nitrogen and air mixture to form the fire extinguishing gas mixture, further raising the temperature of the fire extinguishing gas mixture in a second stage for increasing the temperature of such gas mixture to a temperature greater than about 0째 C., and such gas mixture is delivered to the fire zone by the delivery means. 11. The transportable system of claim 10 wherein the gas mixture delivered to the fire zone comprises from about 84 to about 86% by volume of nitrogen, from about 2 to about 3% by volume of carbon dioxide, and from about 12 to about 13% by volume of oxygen. 12. The transportable system of claim 1 wherein the source of carbon dioxide is vessel for storing carbon dioxide which can store the carbon dioxide in a form selected from a group consisting of solid, liquid, gaseous and supercritical form. 13. The transportable system of claim 1 wherein the fire extinguishing gas mixture contains of from about 83 to about 87% by volume of the normally gaseous inert material, of from about 2 to about 3% by volume of carbon dioxide and of from about 11 to about 14% by volume oxygen. 14. The transportable system of claim 1 which also contains a means for mixing the inert material, the carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas to form the breathable mixture. 15. The transportable system of claim 1 wherein the inert material is nitrogen and the oxgyen containing gas is air. 16. The transportable system of claim 1 wherein the normally gaseous inert material; is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, helium and argon. 17. The transportable system of claim 16 wherein the normally gaseous material is nitrogen and the source of the nitrogen is selected from the group consisting of a pressure swing adsorption unit, a vacuum swing adsorption unit and a membrane unit. 18. The transportable system of claim 17 wherein oxygen containing gas is obtained from a source selected from the group consisting of a pressure swing adsorption unit, a vacuum swing adsorption unit, a membrane unit and ambient air. 19. A transportable system for delivering to an enclosed fire zone a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture, which gas mixture comprises nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen and which system comprises: a first cryogenic storage vessel for storing the nitrogen in liquid form; a second storage vessel for storing the carbon dioxide; a source of an oxygen containing gas selected from the group consisting of ambient air and an oxygen containing stream obtained from a device selected from the group consisting of a pressure swing adsorption unit, a vacuum swing adsorption unit and a membrane unit; Means for heating the liquid nitrogen to vaporize it and form gaseous nitrogen; means for mixing the gaseous nitrogen with the oxygen containing gas thereby further heating the nitrogen and controlling the proportions of oxygen and nitrogen in the nitrogen and oxygen mixture so formed; means for further heating the nitrogen and oxygen mixture to a temperature greater than the solidification temperature of carbon dioxide; means for introducing the carbon dioxide into the nitrogen and oxygen mixture; means for mixing the gaseous nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas to form the fire extinguishing gas mixture; means for heating the fire extinguishing gas mixture to a temperature of from greater than 0째 C. to about +35째 C.; and means for delivering the fire extinguishing gas mixture to the fire zone; the nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the oxygen being delivered to the fire zone in the gaseous proportions of from about 81 to about 88% by volume nitrogen, of from about 2 to about 5% by volume of carbon dioxide and of from about 10 to about 15% by volume of oxygen. 20. A transportable system for delivering to an enclosed fire zone a breathable, fire extinguishing gas mixture, which gas mixture comprises nitrogen, carbon dioxide and oxygen and which system comprises: a device for generating a nitrogen rich gaseous stream selected from the group consisting of a pressure swing adsorption unit, a vacuum swing adsorption unit and a membrane unit; a storage vessel for storing the carbon dioxide; a source of an oxygen containing gas selected from the group consisting of ambient air and an oxygen containing stream obtained from a device selected from the group consisting of a pressure swing adsorption unit, a vacuum swing adsorption unit and a membrane unit, means for mixing the nitrogen rich stream with the oxygen containing gas is thereby controlling the proportions of oxygen and nitrogen in the mixture so formed; means for introducing the carbon dioxide into the nitrogen and oxygen mixture; means for mixing the gaseous nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the oxygen containing gas; means for heating the fire extinguishing gas mixture to a temperature of from greater than 0째 C. to about +35째 C.; and means for delivering the gaseous mixture to the fire zone, the nitrogen, carbon dioxide and the oxygen being delivered to the fire zone in the gaseous proportions of from about 81 to about 88% by volume nitrogen, of from about 2 to about 5% by volume of carbon dioxide and of from about 10 to about 15% by volume of oxygen.