Patent ID: 11918838
Assignee: KIDDE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Environmental technology (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 10:
11. A method of configuring a pressure vessel for suppressing fire in a cargo container stowed in a cargo bay of an aircraft,
the cargo container including a fire suppressant system that includes:
the pressure vessel disposed within the cargo container, the pressure vessel having exterior defined by an outer wall,
the outer wall of the pressure vessel consisting of a single opening,
the single opening is a fire suppressant-opening that acts as (i) a fill opening that fills the pressure vessel with fire suppressant prior to sealing the fire suppressant-opening and as (ii) a distribution opening that distributes from the pressure vessel the fire suppressant after sealing the fire suppressant-opening;
a seal member that covers the fire suppressant-opening; and
a connection feature that is an eutectic solder and connects the seal member to the pressure vessel, wherein the connection feature that releases the seal member when exposed to a predetermined minimum temperature;
wherein: the seal member is formed from a plate and is disk shaped; the pressure vessel has a spherical exterior surface so that the spherical pressure vessel is a self-contained spherical container; the fire suppressant-opening on the exterior surface is circular; a first diameter defined by the circular fire suppressant-opening is greater than twenty-five percent of a second diameter defined by the spherical pressure vessel; and the disk shaped seal member is larger than the circular fire suppressant-opening for sealing purposes, wherein the seal member is positioned against the spherical exterior surface of the pressure vessel when covering the circular fire suppressant-opening;
the method comprising:
sealing the seal member to the pressure vessel with the connection feature so that the seal member covers the fire suppressant-opening on the external surface of the pressure vessel; and
filling the pressure vessel with compressed fire suppressant before sealing the seal member to the pressure vessel.