METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF FIRE HAZARD

Abstract: A new method and apparatus for detection of fire hazard and prevention or extinguishing of fire are provided based on activation of a plurality of independently operable nozzles discharging cooling/fire extinguishing agent in a pre-programmed time pattern upon automatic detection of impact imposed on vehicles. The extinguishing agent is preferably CO2 already provided in the vehicle and applied as a refrigerant in the vehicle's air conditioning system.

Description: Method and apparatus for detection and prevention of fire hazard The present invention relates to an automatic detection of fire hazard and fire preventing/extinguishing system, particularly for vehicles provided with an internal combustion engine. Automotive vehicles having engines of the above mentioned type involved in accidents and exposed to violent impact (crash) have a tendency to be set on fire during or right after the accidents. This is especially the case for injection engines where the feeding pump continues to provide fuel under pressure just representing a great hazard for the occupants of the vehicle. Use of portable extinguishing containers to extinguish a fire in the engine compartment is a risky and time demanding task involving exposure of persons to smoke and flames for persons opening the engine compartment (room) and furthermore allowing for inlet of air under the hub into the engine compartment, thus promoting a spread of the fire. Consequently, various systems based on an automatic detection and extinguishing of fire have recently been developed and described in several patent applications/patents. Thus, FR 2674441 discloses a system based on use of HALON 13-01 as extinguishing agent being situated in a pressure vessel in the engine room (compartment) being activated by detectors of a frontal or lateral impact, or supplementary by detectors of smoke and/or flame. A system of pipelines and nozzles provides upon the above detection automatically discharge of HALON directly to the engine compartment and simultaneously provides for switch off of the fuel pump. DE 4223293 A1 discloses a combined personal vehicle and truck (lorry) fire protection system based on detection of fire and use of C0 2 as fire extinguishing agent. Disadvantages connected to installation/use of these and other known extinguishing systems are the necessity of displacing voluminous containers and auxiliary equipment (detectors, sensors, transducers) in the engine room lacking free space and, furthermore, increasing the weight and consequently the costs of the detection and extinguishing system. Furthermore, RU 2008046 describes another fire extinguishing system based on discharge of radiator cooling fluid (water) or an ethylene glycol mixture for fire extinction assisted by pressurised propellant, e.g. C0 2 -gas. The claimed advantage of the disclosed subject matter is avoidance of special "bulky" containers of the extinguishing agents in vehicles. However, use of cooling water as extinguishing agent gives a poor extinguishing efficiency, limited capacity (leakages and losses due to direct through-streaming) and is definitely not applicable for fire preventing purposes. Consequently, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved automatic fire extinguishing system ensuring increased safety for the occupants of motor vehicles in case of accidents by preventively applied fire extinguishing agents immediately after impact detection Another object of the present invention is to provide a new fast responding (reacting) detection system reducing the number of applied components/parts and thus reducing the weight and costs of the installed detection and extinguishing system. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and means for a differential (delayed) release of the extinguishing agent (fluid) being of environmentally acceptable (benign) type and preferentially already installed/applied for other purposes (functions) in the vehicle. These and other objectives and features of the present invention are met by provision of a method and assembly (means) for detection of a fire hazard situation and preventing/extinguishing of fire as defined in the accompanying claims 1-9. According to the invention a new fast responding system for detection/- prevention/extinguishing of fire is developed based in a preferred embodiment of the system on application of C0 2 as extinguishing agent being already installed as a refrigerant in the air conditioning circuit of the vehicle and where the detection of fire is linked directly to the detection of front, side and/or rear impact and activation of the vehicle's airbag(s)' protection system. The apparent advantage of using C0 2 as an agent preventing fire in connection with a vehicle being involved in an accident is a combination of the following characteristic features: cooling of the whole engine compartment below the ignition temperature, prolonged contact with cooling agent due to a partial formation of C0 2 adhering snow and following sublimation providing C0 2 in gas form, and finally an efficient reduction of the 0 2 content in the closed/encapsulated rooms/compartments below the concentration required for burning (oxidation reaction). The invention will be more readily understood and apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and mode of operation of the system as illustrated in the attached drawings, Figs 1-3, where Fig 1 is a schematic side view of a vehicle accommodating components of the automatic fire hazard detection and fire preventing/extinguishing system, Fig. 2 illustrates schematically in a diagram form the system and its operably linked components applicable according to the present invention, Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of a test apparatus, used in extinguishing tests Referring to Fig. 1 , showing schematically in a cross-sectional view an automotive vehicle comprising a conventionally situated frontal engine room 4 accommodating the vehicle engine (not shown in the Figure) and a rear situated fuel tank 1 , number 2 depicts a container (vessel) containing by way of example liquid C0 2 as a fire extinguishing agent. Pressure (impact) sensors 6 situated strategically on sites and level(s) of expected impact as a front impact detector 6', side impact detector 6" and rear impact detector 6'", respectively are operably linked by transmission/signal lines 17', 17", 17'" to a processing/- steering unit 8 providing steering signal through transmission lines 16', 16', 16'" to manipulate the valves 9', 9", 9'" opening/closing for the extinguishing agent access to a set of independently operable nozzles 3', 3", 3'" where the latter is situated in the engine room 4, and furthermore to the nozzles 3' ensuring release of the agent over the fuel tank 1 and also, preferentially delayed for a predetermined period of time allowing the passengers to leave the vehicle, also discharging of the agent into the coupe 5 through nozzles 3" Said delayed release may be accomplished by a time delaying circuit in the processing/- steering unit 8 that ensures the extinguishing agent to be discharged according to a pre-programmed pattern. This pre-programmed pattern may also include a control of the duration of the discharge of extinguishing agent at each location of the nozzles. Alternatively, time delaying elements and/or flow restrictors may be provided in the lines supplying extinguishing agent to the nozzles. Advantageously the applied sensors/detectors 6 are identical with the sensors deployed/applied in connection with release/activation of the installed airbag(s) 7 for protection of the front seat occupants in the vehicle. According to a preferred embodiment of the system the pressurised container 2 represents an integrated part of the air conditioning circuit using C0 2 as refrigerant. As shown in Fig. 2, illustrating schematically the connection between the present fire preventing/extinguishing system and the installed air conditioning assembly in block diagram form, the impact detectors 6 are connected through a transmission/signal line 15 to a valve 9 attached to the pressurised container 2 being an integral part as a buffer vessel (receiver) of a (transcritical) vapor compression cycle, further comprising a compressor 10, a gas cooler 11 , a throttling valve 13 and an evaporator 14 connected in series into a closed circuit. The valve may advantageously be solenoid operated when electronic sensors are used, but the valve may also be operated by hydraulic or pneumatic means. Upon detection of an impact, the sensor(s) transmits a signal through transmission/signal line 15 to the valve 9 that will open for the pressurised C0 2 to flow via conduit 12 to the actual fire locations, as shown in this embodiment - fuel tank 1 , engine room 4 and coupe 5. Thus, there is no need for neither additional impact sensors or a voluminous special container for the fire extinguishing agent. A simple adaptation of the buffer vessel (receiver) 2 by provision of an extra valve 9 and connecting line will eliminate installation of a new container for fire extinguishing purposes. Example A fire extinguishing test was performed in a container provided with closed side walls 20, a partly open bottom section 25, and a top plate perforated with some small holes 21 as shown in the cross-sectional view according to Fig. 3. The container was of a size similar to that of an engine room in an average personal car, i.e. height 0.5 metres, width 0.72 metres and length 1.12 metres. The inside volume of the container was about 400 litres. A nozzle device 23 with three openings, each of a diameter of 1 millimetres, was centrally placed at the underside of the top plate. A vessel 24 with a diameter of 0.19 metres and height of 0.075 metres, was centrally placed in the bottom of the container. Before the extinguishing tests were carried out it was observed that 0.2 litres of gasoline was able to burn for about ten minutes. The extinguishing equipment comprised pressurised C0 2 ejected through the nozzle device. The capacity of the extinguishing equipment was about 60 grams of C0 2 per second. It was carried out four extinguishing tests, where the extinguishing agent was ejected through the nozzles after the fire was allowed to burn for about one minute. The time of extinguishing the fire was less than 5 seconds in all the tests that were carried out. In each extinguishing test there was consumed less than 300 grams of C0 2 . Using pressurised C0 2 that is already installed in a car with an air-condition circuit applying C0 2 as refrigerant, there will customarily be about 2 kilos of C0 2 available for extinguishing purposes. Thus, it therefore should be ensured that there will be a sufficient amount of C0 2 available to extinguish a possible fire in the engine room in addition to possible fires at other locations in the car. According to another inventive aspect of the present system the presence of an already installed C0 2 -buffer container in the air condition circuit allows for possible in-situ provision of a more gentle fire extinguishing agent to be applied in the coupe. Thus, e.g. an additional vessel (not shown in the Figures) containing a mixture of nitrogen and argon gases may be installed in the coupe and connected to the C0 2 -container so that by co-ordinated "bleeding" of some C0 2 upon impact detection into this gas mixture a special agent known as INERGEN ® or similar agents may be provided in-situ to avoid shock treatment (cooling) of the vehicle's occupants and even danger of suffocation by use of pure C0 2 . The scope of the present invention described and exemplified in the above way of preferred embodiments is not limited to these examples. The disclosed inventive principle of automatic detection of the fire hazard and the fire extinguishing system can also be applied, e.g. on battery powered vehicles, and a combination of automatic, semiautomatic or even manual means for activation/switch-off of the system is possible within the frame of the present invention.

Claims: Claims Method of automatic detection of a fire hazard and method of prevention or extinguishing of fire, particularly in automotive vehicles provided with combustion engines, the method comprising steps of automatic detection of impact imposed on vehicles involved in a collision by means of impact sensor detectors and discharging extinguishing agent through nozzles, characterized in that a plurality of independently operable nozzles distributed through different parts of the vehicle discharging cooling/fire extinguishing agent in a pre-programmed time pattern Method of automatic detection of a fire hazard and method of prevention or extinguishing of fire, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the extinguishing agent is C0 2 already provided in the vehicle and applied as a refrigerant in the vehicle's air conditioning system Method of automatic detection of a fire hazard and method of prevention or extinguishing of fire, ch a ra cte rized i n that the activation of cooling/fire extinguishing nozzle located in the vehicle's engine room is started simultaneously with activation of aιrbag(s) protecting the occupants of the vehicle Method according to claim 1 2 or 3, ch a r a c t e r i ze d i n that activation of fire extinguishing nozzles located in the vehicle coupe is delayed for a predetermined period of time compared to the impact detection 5. Method according to any preceding claim, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fire extinguishing agent is of the INERGEN ® type provided in-situ by adding of C0 2 from the vehicle's air conditioning into a container containing a mixture of N 2 and argon prior to release of the resulting gas mixture into the vehicle coupe. 6. Apparatus for automatic detection of fire hazard and elimination of fire in automotive vehicles comprising one or more impact sensor detector(s) (6), a processing/steering unit (8) to activate an extinguishing agent container (2) linked by means of piping (12) and nozzles (3) to the engine room (4) and possibly the coupe (5) and fuel tank (1 ), characterized in that the impact sensor(s) (6) and the steering unit (8) are parts of the impact detection and activation system for release of airbag(s) (7). 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, c h a ra ct e r i z e d i n that the extinguishing agent is a refrigerant applied in the vehicle's air condition circuit. 8. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the extinguishing agent is C0 2 . 9. Apparatus according to claim 6, c h a r a ct e r i z e d i n that the extinguishing agent container (2) contains C0 2 and that the apparatus further comprises an additional container containing a mixture of nitrogen and argon gases and connected to the extinguishing agent container (2), whereby in-situ provision of INERGEN ® gas applicable for extinguishing of fire in the coupe is ensured

Inventors: OESTLYNGEN TOM WILHELM, THRONAES BJOERN, OESTLYNGEN, TOM, WILHELM, THRONAES, BJOERN
Applicants: NORSK HYDRO AS, OESTLYNGEN TOM WILHELM, THRONAES BJOERN, NORSK HYDRO A/S, OESTLYNGEN, TOM, WILHELM, THRONAES, BJOERN
Application year: 1995
Main classification: A62C3
IPC codes: A62C3