Hypoxic fire prevention and fire suppression systems and breathable fire extinguishing compositions for human occupied environments

Abstract

Fire prevention and suppression systems and breathable fire-extinguishing compositions are provided for rooms, houses and buildings, transportation tunnels and vehicles, underground and underwater facilities, marine vessels, aircraft, space stations and vehicles, military installations and vehicles, and other human occupied objects and facilities. The system provides a low-oxygen (hypoxic) fire-preventive atmosphere at standard atmospheric or slightly increased pressure. The system employs an oxygen-extraction apparatus supplying oxygen-depleted air inside a human-occupied area or storing it in a high-pressure container for use in case of fire. A breathable fire-extinguishing composition, being mostly a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen and having oxygen content ranging from 12% to 17% for fire-preventive environments. The fire-suppression system is provided having fire-extinguishing composition with oxygen concentration under 16%, so when released it creates a breathable fire-suppressive atmosphere having oxygen content from 10 to 16%. A technology for automatically maintaining a breathable fire-preventive composition on board a human-occupied hermetic object is provided.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation in part of U.S. Ser. No. 09 / 551026 "Hypoxic Fire Prevention and Fire Suppression Systems for computer rooms and other human occupied facilities", filed Apr. 17, 2000.[0002] This invention is related in part to preceding U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,652 issued Sep. 1, 1998.[0003] The present invention introduces the method, equipment, and composition of a revolutionary fire prevention / suppression system that utilizes a low-oxygen (hypoxic) environment to:[0004] Instantly extinguish an ongoing fire[0005] Prevent a fire from getting started.[0006] With its mode of action based on the controlled release of breathable fire-suppressive gases, this human-friendly system is completely non-toxic, fully automated, and entirely self-sustaining. Consequently, it is ideally suited to provide complete fire protection to houses, industrial complexes, transportation tunnels, vehicles, archives, computer rooms and other enclosed environments.[0007] With the majority ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Current fire suppression systems employ either water, chemicals agents, gaseous agents (such as Halon 1301, carbon dioxide, and heptafluoropropane) or a combination thereof Virtually all of them are ozone depleting, toxic and environmentally unfriendly.

Moreover, these systems can only be deployed post-combustion.

Once this fire-retarding gas is exhausted, a sprinkler system ensues that results in the permanent destruction of electronic equipment and other valuables.

Exposure to FM-200 and other fire-suppression agents is of less concern than exposure to the products of their decomposition, which for the most part are highly toxic and life threatening.

Consequently, there is no fire suppression / extinguishing composition currently available that is both safe and effective.

In terms of train, ship, or airplane fires, the inability to quickly evacuate passengers creates an especially hazardous situation.

In this case the problem was further compounded by the presence of ventilations shafts.

Originally designed to provide breathable air to trapped people, these shafts had the unfortunate side effect of dramatically accelerating the fire's propagation.

Especially devastating is the "chimney effect" that occurs in sloped tunnels.

In addition, ventilation shafts (which are present in virtually all multilevel buildings and industrial facilities) significantly increase the risk of toxic inhalation.

This problem is further compounded by the frequent presence of combustible materials that can dramatically accelerate a fire's propagation.

While the proliferation of remote sensors has led to significant breakthroughs in early fire-detection, improvements in the prevention / suppression of fires has been incremental at best.

This system is severely limited for the following reasons:

The time that lapses between the outbreak of fire and the arrival of the Robogat is unacceptable.

The high temperatures that are characteristic of tunnel fires will cause deformation and destruction of the monorail, water and telecommunication lines.

The use of water and foam in high-temperature tunnel fires is only partially effective and will lead to the development of highly toxic vapors that increase the mortality of entrapped people.

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