Hypoxic fire suppression system for aerospace applications
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
A62C-002/00
출원번호
US-0183948
(2005-07-19)
등록번호
US-8141649
(2012-03-27)
발명자
/ 주소
Kotliar, Igor K.
출원인 / 주소
FirePass Corporation
대리인 / 주소
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
31
초록▼
A fire suppression system and a method for providing fire suppression onboard of an aircraft by rapidly establishing a breathable hypoxic atmosphere onboard of an aircraft, which can be generated by an air separation device utilizing a positive pressure of the bleed air and a negative pressure of th
A fire suppression system and a method for providing fire suppression onboard of an aircraft by rapidly establishing a breathable hypoxic atmosphere onboard of an aircraft, which can be generated by an air separation device utilizing a positive pressure of the bleed air and a negative pressure of the outside atmosphere; breathable hypoxic fire-extinguishing agent, containing 12%-18% of oxygen, can flood protected compartments of an aircraft in case of a fire and/or can be used as propellant for generating water mist or foam.
대표청구항▼
1. A method of a rapid providing of a breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere onboard of an aircraft, said method comprising: use of compressed atmospheric air in an air separation system for generating hypoxic gas mixture; said air separation system having a hypoxic product outlet and an oxygen-enri
1. A method of a rapid providing of a breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere onboard of an aircraft, said method comprising: use of compressed atmospheric air in an air separation system for generating hypoxic gas mixture; said air separation system having a hypoxic product outlet and an oxygen-enriched fraction outlet;exposure of said oxygen-enriched fraction outlet to a negative pressure of an outside atmosphere at an aircraft altitude, in order to significantly increasing the productivity of said air separation system;said hypoxic product outlet communicating with an aircraft interior and transmitting said hypoxic gas mixture;said air separation system, being activated in case of a fire emergency, flooding protected aircraft compartments with said hypoxic gas mixture and establishing and breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere onboard for as long as needed;said breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere having oxygen content from 12% to 18% depending on the aircraft altitude. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said system consists of multiple air separation devices connected together in order to provide sufficient quantities of the hypoxic gas mixture for rapid establishing of the breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein said protected compartments may include passenger cabin, cargo compartments, fuel tanks and other compartments of an aircraft. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein said hypoxic gas mixture being used as propellant for generating water mist or foam inside selected protected compartments by using necessary amounts of water or foam generating liquid. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein said compressed atmospheric air being bleed air supplied by an aircraft engine. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein said compressed air being supplied by an independent compressor or a set of multiple compressors or blowers. 7. The method of the claim 1 wherein a part of said oxygen enriched fraction being sent to passengers respiratory masks for inhalation during an emergency, said fraction may contain oxygen in a range from 30% to 90%. 8. A method of a rapid creation of a breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere onboard of a space vehicle, said method comprising: a controlled exposure of oxygen permeable membranes to a negative pressure or vacuum outside of the space vehicle in order to rapidly depleting an internal atmosphere of oxygen to a level from 12% to 18%. 9. Apparatus for the suppression of fire in a compartment onboard an aircraft traveling in an outside atmosphere, comprising: an air separation device having an inlet, a first outlet, and a product outlet, said air separation device separating air input at said inlet to an oxygen-enriched fraction and a hypoxic fraction, said oxygen-enriched fraction being passed to said first outlet and said hypoxic fraction being passed to said product outlet; said air separation device being located inside said aircraft;a source of air coupled to said air separation device inlet;said product outlet being in communication with a discharge outlet, said discharge outlet being in communication with said aircraft compartment;a valve interposed between said product outlet and said discharge outlet, said valve having at least an open condition to pass said hypoxic fraction into said aircraft compartment to reduce an oxygen content in an aircraft compartment atmosphere to a level between 12% and 18%, providing a fire extinguishing environment. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said air source further comprises an aircraft engine bleed air coupled to said air separation device inlet. 11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said air source further comprises an air compressor having a positive pressure air output coupled to said air separation device inlet. 12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said air source further comprises a blower having a positive pressure air output coupled to said air separation device inlet. 13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said air separation device and discharge outlet further comprises a first plurality of air separation devices, a second plurality of discharge outlets, and a first conduit system connecting said first plurality of air separation device product outlets to said second plurality of discharge outlets to deliver said hypoxic fractions into said compartment. 14. The apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a second conduit system connecting said first plurality of air separator device first outlets with said outside atmosphere. 15. The method of claim 9 wherein said air separation device comprises an air separation membrane technology. 16. The method of claim 9 wherein said air separation device comprises a pressure swing adsorption technology. 17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the aircraft compartment further comprises a passenger cabin having a ventilation system, further comprising a conduit system connecting said product outlet to said ventilation system. 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said passenger cabin further comprises passenger respiratory masks for inhalation during an emergency, said apparatus further comprising a second conduit system selectively coupling said first outlet to said passenger respiratory masks, said second conduit system having a first condition in which a portion of said oxygen enriched fraction is communicated to said respiratory masks in case of a fire emergency. 19. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising an actuator coupled to said valve to place said valve in said open condition in case of a fire emergency. 20. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the fire extinguishing environment has an oxygen content of from 12% to 16%. 21. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the fire extinguishing environment has an oxygen content of from 14% and 15%. 22. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the fire extinguishing environment has an oxygen content of less than 18% within three minutes of said valve being placed in said open condition. 23. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the fire extinguishing environment in said compartment is maintained for a period of time while said aircraft travels in said outside atmosphere. 24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said period of time further comprises at least two hours. 25. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said first outlet is a waste outlet in open communication with said outside atmosphere, said outside atmosphere having a negative pressure relative to said aircraft compartment, facilitating separation of said air supply into said oxygen-enriched and hypoxic fractions. 26. A method for the suppression of fire in a compartment onboard an aircraft traveling in an outside atmosphere comprising: receiving a supply of air and separating the air into an oxygen-enriched fraction and a hypoxic fraction;passing said oxygen-enriched fraction to a first outlet;passing said hypoxic fraction to a product outlet;providing an aircraft compartment with a discharge outlet and a conduit for passing said hypoxic fraction from said product outlet through said discharge outlet into said aircraft compartment; andpassing said hypoxic fraction through said discharge outlet into said aircraft compartment, to reduce an oxygen content in an aircraft compartment atmosphere to a level between 12% and 18%, providing a fire extinguishing environment. 27. The method of claim 26 further comprising providing as said source of air one of an aircraft engine bleed air, an air compressor output, and a blower output, said air source having a positive pressure relative to said aircraft compartment. 28. The method of claim 26 wherein separating the air supply into an oxygen-enriched fraction and a hypoxic fraction further comprises providing a plurality of air separation devices each receiving said air supply and producing at a first outlet said oxygen-enriched fraction and at a product output said hypoxic fraction, and wherein providing said discharge outlet further comprises providing a plurality of discharge outlets, and in response to a fire emergency passing said plurality of hypoxic fractions through a conduit system to said plurality of discharge outlets into said compartment. 29. The method of claim 26 further comprising passing said oxygen-enriched fraction to said outside atmosphere, said outside atmosphere having a negative pressure relative to said air supply and facilitating said air separation. 30. The method of claim 26 further comprising providing said compartment with passenger respiratory masks for inhalation during an emergency, and passing at least a portion of said oxygen-enriched fraction to said respiratory masks in case of an emergency. 31. The method of claim 26 further comprising providing the fire extinguishing environment with an oxygen content of from 12% to 16%. 32. The method of claim 26 further comprising providing the fire extinguishing environment with an oxygen content of between 14% and 15%. 33. The method of claim 26 further comprising detecting a fire emergency and providing the aircraft compartment with a fire extinguishing environment having an oxygen content of less than 18% within three minutes of said fire emergency detection. 34. The method of claim 26 further comprising maintaining the fire extinguishing environment in said compartment for a period of up to several hours after detecting said fire emergency while said aircraft travels in said outside atmosphere.
Glenn Gary S. (Seattle WA) Rajpaul Vinod K. (Bellevue WA) Yurczyk Roger F. (Kent WA), Integrated system for generating inert gas and breathing gas on aircraft.
Foss John ; Mitcheltree Mike ; Schvester Pascal,DEX ; Renz Kent ; Paganessi Joseph E. ; Hunter Lisa D. ; Patel Reena V. ; Baumunk Darrin, Liquid air food freezer and method.
Lessi, Stéphane; Vandroux, Olivier, Process and installation for fighting a fire in an aircraft compartment and aircraft equipped with such an installation.
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