Abstract:
The present invention features a portable, modular on-site breathable fire control system which can make an unlimited amount of cooled, oxygen-depleted air that can still be consumed by humans while extinguishing fire and reducing smoke. This system may be incorporated into an already existing heating and A/C unit for enhanced fire safety in a home or building. The system may also be used as a mobile unit attached to a fire safety vehicle wherein a transmission conduit transfers the processed air directly to the area on fire. Additionally, a fire-resistant tarp-like structure of sufficient size may be used to enclose a burning structure while the process air is transmitted thereto via a transmission conduit.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/553,801, filed Apr. 21, 2000. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the prevention, control and extinguishing of fires in confined spaces and, more particularly, to the control and extinguishing of fires while facilitating safety for personnel activity during an emergency.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Discussion of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    The prior art is replete with solving the problems of extinguishing fires in confined spaces where mammalian life, and in particular, human life is present. As is well known to those in the art, fires are supported by oxygen and that by using some means to deplete the surrounding area of oxygen or lowering the percentage of oxygen will result in the fire being extinguished. Therefore, the solutions, as taught by the prior art, revolve around producing a habitable, yet combustion suppressant atmosphere in the confined area.  
           [0005]    Cohrt et al discloses the use of an inert fire fighting gas, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,284, (Nov. 28, 1999) for fighting fire in an enclosed space. Cohrt et al teach of producing this gas by a reaction of ammonia mixed with atmospheric air to produce nitrogen mixed with water vapor. The fire fighting mixture is produced in a small gas turbine having a combustion chamber into which the ammonia, in liquid form, is sprayed along with water. The resultant gas is used to fight fire.  
           [0006]    Vasquez discloses a smoke removal apparatus, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,198, issued Jan. 19, 1982, with suction or blowing and directional discharge options. Respective first and second conduits are connected alternatively with the suction and discharge side of the suction-blower unit for removing the smoke. An inert gas injection mechanism is provided in conjunction with the suction-blower unit for replacing the smoke with an inert gas to squelch combustion.  
           [0007]    Lambertsen et al discloses Breathable Fire Extinguishing Gas Mixtures in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,706, issued Feb. 28, 1989, for a process for safely preventing, controlling and/or extinguishing fires in confined spaces by introducing carbon dioxide and other inter gasses, such as nitrogen and helium to lower the oxygen content to a concentration in the range between 8% and 15% by volume while increasing the carbon dioxide content of the confined space to an amount in the range of 2% to 5% by volume. The combination of reducing oxygen concentration and increasing carbon dioxide concentration in the gaseous environment of the confined area works together to sustain human life while extinguishing flames.  
           [0008]    The U.S. Patent to Carhart et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,514, issued Jul. 8, 1975, discloses a process for suppressing fires in confined spaces by adding nitrogen to the area to increase the total gaseous pressure of oxygen in the area at a level that will not support combustion.  
           [0009]    The U.S. Patent to Huggett, U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,667, issued Oct. 8, 1974 discloses an oxygen-containing atmospheres. Theses mixtures contain oxygen, polyatomic gases having a high heat capacity, and helium.  
           [0010]    None of these patents either teaches or suggests the on-site breathable fire control system which can make an unlimited amount of cooled, oxygen-depleted air that can still be consumed by humans while extinguishing fire and reducing smoke.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The present invention features a portable, modular, on-site, breathable fire control system which can make an unlimited amount of cooled, oxygen-depleted air that can still be consumed by humans while extinguishing fire and reducing smoke. This system may be incorporated into an already existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit for enhanced fire safety in a home or building. The system may also be used as a mobile unit attached to a fire safety vehicle wherein a transmission conduit transfers the processed air directly to the area on fire. Additionally, a fire-resistant tarp-like structure of sufficient size may be used to enclose a burning structure while the processed air is transmitted thereto via a transmission conduit.  
           [0012]    It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces without damage to equipment.  
           [0013]    It is another object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces without loss of habitability for personnel.  
           [0014]    It is also an object of the invention to provide a a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces without loss of consciousness for personnel or significant impact on the mental acuity of personnel in the confined space.  
           [0015]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces that is economical.  
           [0016]    It is an additional object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces utilizing pressurization of a building to prohibit further fire growth.  
           [0017]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces employing external pressurization techniques.  
           [0018]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process for safely controlling and extinguishing fires in confined spaces by creating habitable, extinguishing air in almost unlimited amounts at the scene of the fire.  
           [0019]    It is a still further object of the invention to provide a breathable fire control system and process that employs normal air leaving no room for harmful amounts of impurities, such as carbon monoxide.  
           [0020]    These and other objects, features and advantages will be more apparent from a study of the enclosed text and the appended drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    A complete understanding of the present invention may be obtained by reference to the accompanying drawings, when taken in conjunction with the detail description thereof and in which:  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic view of the inventive breathable fire control system employing external, continuous cooling features.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 1B is a diagrammatic view of the inventive breathable fire control system employing internal, closed loop cooling features.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1C is a diagrammatic view of the inventive breathable fire control system with combined cooling features.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a building section illustrating operation of the inventive breathable fire control system incorporated into a climate control system of a house (or building), in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 shows an alternate embodiment of the fire safety control system used in conjunction with a fire safety control vehicle and a transmission conduit, in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment of the fire safety control system used in conjunction with a fire safety vehicle and an enclosing device for physically containing the fire, in accordance with the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    This disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the U.S. Patent Laws “to promote the progress of science and useful arts” (Article 1, Section 8).  
         [0029]    Generally speaking this invention relates to the prevention, control and extinguishing of fires in confined spaces. The disclosed breathable fire safety control device, shown as  1000  in the appended figures, facilitates safety during an emergency by reducing harmful smoke gases while aiding to extinguish fires in an enclosed space. Since it is known that the air we breath consists of two major types of gases, nitrogen (at about 78%) and Oxygen (at about 21%), a device and method that uses oxygen reduced air to extinguish fire is described herein.  
         [0030]    As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and  1 C the inventive fire safety control system  1000  receives unprocessed air  10  from the atmosphere, treats the air  10  within the device  1000  and releases cooled, oxygen-reduced air  44  (termed CORA hereinafter). As can be gleaned from the above mentioned figures, unprocessed air  10  from the atmosphere enters the housing  100  of the system  100  with the aid of flow currents created by input fan  12 . Housing  1000  contains the major components of the system  1000 , including the input and output fans ( 12  and  28 , respectively), the gas combustion chamber  22 , and a series of air cooling radiators  24 .  
         [0031]    The input fan  12  then forces the air  10  into a gas combustion chamber  22 . The combustion chamber  22  receives a flammable gas contained in an external gas source such as a gas tank  14 . The flammable gas is delivered to the chamber  22  by way of a fuel line  16  coupled at one end to the chamber  22  and at the other end to the tank  14 . Once the gas enters the chamber  22 , a gas valve  18  creates a spark which in turn produces a controlled gas flame  20  within the chamber  22 .  
         [0032]    Any suitable flammable gas known in the art such as propane, or methane, for example, may be stored inside tank  14 . The process of the burning flame  20  inside of chamber  22  reduces the oxygen {O 2 } content of the air  10 . The O 2  is consumed in the combustion process and lowers the oxygen content to within a range of 12% to 15% to thereby produce oxygen reduced air  23 . Although lowering the oxygen level of air below 12% would make it increasingly more effective for fire control, the air becomes less breathable which would not be desirable for fire-fighting personnel.  
         [0033]    The oxygen reduced air  23  must then be cooled from about 1000° F. down to about 90° F. The process of cooling the oxygen reduced air  23  is performed by a series of air cooling radiators  24 . Oxygen reduced air  23  enters the radiators  24  and is forced through the radiators  24  by way of negative air pressure created by the flow from input fan  12  and the output fan  28 . The input and output fans,  12  and  28 , respectively, are configured such that 100,000 cubic feet of air per minute is forced in and out of the system  1000 . The average household room contains roughly one thousand cubic feet of air, thus this system  1000  can fill an average room with CORA  44  several times within a few minutes.  
         [0034]    A cooling fluid is circulated through the air cooling radiators  24  by way of pipes  25 . The radiators  24  reduce the temperature of the oxygen reduced air  23 , thereby producing CORA  44 . Output fan  28  then forces this CORA  44  out of the system  1000  thereby providing breathable, cooled, oxygen-reduced air, CORA  44  for use against flames. Herein, over 99% of the extinguishing gas CORA  44  is normal air, leaving no room for harmful amounts of impurities such as carbon monoxide, thus enhancing the safety for any fire-fighting personnel. Several ways of cooling the fluid circulating through the radiators may be employed, as described below.  
         [0035]    In FIG. 1A, the fire safety control system  1000  employs the use of an external cooling fluid, such as water. Piping  31  connected to an external water source  31  transfers water into an input duct  31   a , which allows cooling fluid to enter the series of air cooling radiators  24 . As the oxygen-reduced air  23  is cooled within the radiators  24 , the cooling fluid exits the radiators  24  at an output duct  39   a . The output duct  39   a  is coupled to piping  39  to allow cooling fluid to exit to an external drainage means  40 . Herein, pipings  31  and  39  along with water source  32  and drainage means  40  provide an open-ended provision for external cooling fluid circulation. Such open-ended cooling may be easily adapted for use with a home or building connected to public water supply or ground water supply.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 1B illustrates a closed-loop circulation of cooling fluid that is transferred from a cooling unit  30  to air cooling radiators  24 . A coolant reservoir  36  houses a suitable coolant known in the art, such as but not limited to glycol alcohol or water, for example. The coolant fluid is then transferred by way of piping  34  to a fluid pump  35 . Fluid pump  35  pumps coolant fluid into the air cooling radiators  24  through input duct  31   a . After circulating through the series of radiators  24 , the coolant fluid then exits through output duct  39   a  to piping  39  into a fluid cooling radiator device  38 .  
         [0037]    This cooling radiator device  38  significantly cools the coolant fluid and this cooled fluid is transferred by way of piping  37  into the coolant reservoir  36 . The fluid pump  35  provides the appropriate force to circulate the coolant fluid throughout the cooling unit  30 .  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 1C shows an embodiment employing both a cooling unit  30  in conjunction with external water source  32  and drainage means  40 . In such an embodiment, the coolant fluid may be water taken from the external water source  32  that is cooled by the cooling unit  30 , as described above. After a fire control process is completed, the circulated water may be removed by way of piping  39  out to external drainage means  40 .  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 2 illustrates the present invention as used within a housing structure  50  such as a home or building environment. Herein, the fire safety control device  1000  may be incorporated into a climate control system such as a heating and air conditioning unit. Herein, CORA  44  is circulated to cover every cubic inch of interior space traveling throughout the internal conduits between walls and exiting vents. At the onset of a fire or excessive smoke, the system  1000  can be configured to automatically turn on and begin the processing of air. The system may be hard-wired to a smoke detector (not shown) which may trigger the system  1000  to start. Such a smoke detector may be incorporated into a modified HVAC.  
         [0040]    Upon prompted operation of the fire control system  1000 , external unprocessed air  10  from the atmosphere  10  is brought into the system  1000  and processed (as described above). The system  1000  outputs CORA  44  which is then circulated throughout the structure  50  by the HVAC system. An alternate power source, such as, for example, a battery or generator, may be used in the event that the normal power of the structure  50  becomes unavailable due to fire.  
         [0041]    The HVAC unit also has provisions to output the dangerous, hot, smoke-filled air  48  out of the structure  50 . In the event of an inception of a fire, the modified HVAC is configured with appropriate hardware and/or software to begin circulating CORA  44  within structure  50 . These provisions may also include additional conduits and ducts (not shown) adapted to the structure  50  and incorporated into the HVAC system to expel the hot, smoke-filled air  48  away from structure  50 .  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the fire safety control system  2000  in use as a mobile unit. Herein, a fire safety vehicle  60  houses the system  2000 . The mobile system  2000  is connected to gas tank  14  and cooling means, such as a cooling unit  30 , or external water and drainage sources. Attached to the system  2000  is a CORA transmission conduit  80  which transfers CORA  44  to a housing structure  50  on fire.  
         [0043]    In the instant embodiment, a hyper-powered output fan  28 A may be employed to sufficiently force CORA  44  through conduit  80  onto a burning structure  50 . The conduit  80  may be attached to any existing window or hole in the structure  50 . Or alternatively may be attached directly to a vent  55  to force CORA  44  through the heating and A/C conduits within a structure  50  in a strategic manner.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 4 shows another embodiment employing the fire control system  2000  as a mobile unit in conjunction with a fire safety vehicle  60 . However, in this embodiment, a fire-resistant tarp  85  is connected to CORA transmission conduit  80  to encircle a burning structure  50 . Tarp  85  may be fire-retarded in several ways, including having layers of internal materials coated or impregnated with substances which deter fire. However, tarp  85  is not intended to be a limiting, definite structure, but rather an exemplary device illustrating an enclosing means that can surround a burning structure  50 .  
         [0045]    Since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environment will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure, and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of the invention.  
         [0046]    Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequent appended claims.