Patent ID: 8746357

Claim:
A method for suppressing an exothermic reaction, comprising: (a) directing an outlet of a suppression device towards the exothermic reaction; (b) opening a valve to permit a suppression liquid and carrier gas in a containment vessel to flow from a containment vessel, the liquid and carrier gas being located in the containment vessel and separated from one another by at least one of a movable and deformable separation member; (c) after the liquid and carrier gas flow from the containment vessel, mixing the liquid and carrier gas to form a suppression fluid, the suppression fluid being in the form of droplets of the liquid dispersed in the carrier gas, wherein the mixing step comprises the substeps: (C1) passing the liquid through a central passageway of an aspirating venturi; (C2) passing the gas through at least one aspirating tube of the aspirating venturi to form the suppression fluid; (C3) passing the suppression fluid through an aperture to accelerate the suppression fluid to a supersonic velocity; (C4) expanding the gas to form droplets of the liquid entrained in the gas; and (C5) decelerating the droplets of liquid to below a sonic velocity to form an atomized suppression fluid comprising atomized droplets dispersed in the gas; and (d) discharging the atomized suppression fluid in a direction of the exothermic reaction.